What is the silver Thaler illusion?

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thermoreception in polar bears — Thermoreception Warm-blooded animals, such as polar bears, maintain stable body temperatures and adapt to substantial geographic and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Thermal adaptation is supported by the function of sensory structures called thermoreceptors.

The silver Thaler illusion is a sensory phenomenon in which a cold metal object, such as a silver coin, feels heavier than the same object at a warmer temperature.1

Identified in the 1830s by the German anatomist and physiologist Ernst Heinrich Weber, this illusion occurs because of the relationship between thermoreception and mechanoreception. While certain nerve endings in human skin are primarily classified as slowly adapting mechanoreceptors sensitive to pressure, they also exhibit sensitivity to cooling. When these receptors are exposed to cold stimuli, their spontaneous discharge frequency increases. It is believed that this heightened neural activity, potentially mediated by TRP channels within these mechanoreceptors, leads to the subjective perception of increased weight.1