What would happen if we did not shiver?

Howdy gaming-ga,

We would be more prone to hypothermia, and cold injuries such as frostbite,
and presumably freezing to death, if we did not shiver.

This "FindArticle" web site "Health News" article, title "Why we shiver and
get goose bumps" goes into the details of the help that shivering provides
human beings.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0857/is_n1_v13/ai_16732438

"Shivering is an early warning sign of cold stress and a signal to get out
of the cold or put on extra clothing.
...
But if the sense of cold is impaired or if the shivering response is less
efficient, people are at increased risk of hypothermia and cold injuries,
such as frostbite.

Some people have a reduced ability to respond to cold, for example the
elderly, who cannot shiver as readily as younger people. They may therefore
not respond to cold and are especially prone to hypothermia."

Conversely, overheating is reduced by shivering as well.  From the same
article quoted above.

"The increased heat from shivering then raises the body temperature still
more, setting off sweating mechanisms to try to cool things down, and
producing the alternate shivering and sweating episodes typical with high
fevers."

You should read the above quoted article in detail for more on shivering.

If you need any clarification, please feel free to ask.


Search strategy:

Google seach on: shiver "human beings"
://www.google.com/search?q=shiver+%22human+beings%22

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

This may be of interest:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=533759

Many years ago, a Finnish girl told me that in her country they taught
that one should try to relax and resist shivering in the cold as
shivering wasted total body heat by attempting to warm the skin  (as
Amitkuls-ga mentions).  She could do it; the rest of us just kept on
shivering.