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People simply have differing physiologies that cause them to respond differently to the same conditions, or have identical responses to different conditions, the same way a 60F penguin may be as heat-exhausted as a 100F human. It's just the way we're all made and built differently. What exactly causes this is something that is not exactly settled in scientific circles, but the existence of basic physical differences is indisputable in my view. This is what Dhdh referred to as the "comfort" side of the equation. There are also mental/psychological causes, such as what "mood" you like and prefer, and what drives your feelings about the environment.
I doubt that early childhood has much to do with it, though it certainly can have an impact (such as a trauma suffered during a thunderstorm, hurricane, or blizzard). I think the positive/negative associations mentioned are themselves driven by pre-existing comfort preferences. I remember nothing about warmth or sunshine from my childhood, aside from a vague memory of not liking summer and sunshine that much. Conversely, some of my earliest and fondest memories are of big snowstorms. As a matter of fact, my earliest concrete memory is walking around after a big snow at the age of 2. I was always a big fan of winter weather, and it's possible I've been one since birth, since I was born during a major storm.
People can (and have throughout history) either be attracted to their "childhood norms" or rebel against them.
Most Scots start to say that it's 'boiling' by the time the temperature hits 17C on a sunny, May day with little breeze. Although most also go for summer holidays to places on the Mediterranean, where the temperature is usually 28-30C, with a sea breeze. So obviously they're able to handle warm weather. However, by the time the temperature hits 32 or so, most start to complain. Or even at a cooler temperature, in the absence of a sea breeze.
I personally tend to feel OK to go on a walk at 40C with low humidity, but by the time it gets to 45C, it is a little too hot to be walking around. This might be partly psychological, as I've fetishised hot weather since I was young. However, I might be physiologically different, because I don't even start to feel truly warm at some of the temperatures where members of my family are complaining of the heat.
I think it's part physiology and part psychology, but mostly the latter. Temperature preferences are probably mostly in your head. I've noticed that, for example, I cannot say categorically that I hate hot and humid temperatures since I quite like hot, steamy showers and hot tubs. Why's that? Probably because of positive associations in this context, whereas perhaps I've developed negative associations involving heat and humidity in the context of outdoor temperatures, having grown up playing sports outside and camping in summer in the climate I live in. I'm not saying it's necessarily by a conscious choice that one becomes a heat lover or a cold lover, but if you really want to change your personal temperatures preferences, I believe it's possible. If you really hate cold or heat, but try to train yourself not to, I do think you can learn to actually cope with it better. Because I do think that, physiologically, we are all pretty well equipped to deal with both relatively hot and cold temperatures in the absence of any actual physical illnesses that are sensitive to temperature extremes.
I think it has more to do with one's daily life, customs and indoor temperature exposure than with physiological reasons.
If your place has moderately hot summers, yet you live in a house without air conditioning, public transport lacks air conditioning too and you are not a fan of many outdoor activities, you are likely to dislike hot weather. However, if your house tends to be rather cool even without air conditioning and you usually go and like going to public pools, maybe you end up loving hot weather.
MeteoMan is shivering in his 19th century rowhouse and cursing how the 7C conditions outside are terrible, creating inside temps around 14C. He puts on his light coat to get his mail, and the wind the cold breeze hits into his spine like an arrow, he nearly dies.
I am shivering once in a while, when the gaylords (landlords) try to save some. I'm shivering in this 60's flat (totally renovated in the early 2000's), when the inside temp goes below 19C. As the winters here are usually quite cold, my winter jacket is a good choice to defeat that. When the nights get colder and we head towards February, I'm still here with a t-shirt, as the landlord can't justify savings. On 15 February (speculative) it's -20C outside, and +23C inside.
Circulation, Physical activity, Muscle weight, Kind of food you eat, ethnicity, hormones, and other factors.
I find it odd though that most women in this forum hate hot weather, while in reality women adore the heat + humidity.
I am OK being outside when temperatures are between 30-85 F (-2 to 29 C). Lower than 30 F and I need gloves + Hat and higher than 85 F and I would prefer an A/C environment. I usually can tolerate a bit of chill better than a bit of heat.
With that said, I felt more comfortable waiting for a 12 minute late NJ transit train at south Jersey in 90 F weather than waiting for a 34 minute late Amtrak in 3 F weather at Pittsburgh.
If your place has moderately hot summers, yet you live in a house without air conditioning, public transport lacks air conditioning too and you are not a fan of many outdoor activities, you are likely to dislike hot weather. However, if your house tends to be rather cool even without air conditioning and you usually go and like going to public pools, maybe you end up loving hot weather.
A/C might make you dislike hot weather more in some ways in that going outside in hot weather becomes more of a shock to your body and you're less likely to enjoy being outside.
MeteoMan is shivering in his 19th century rowhouse and cursing how the 7C conditions outside are terrible, creating inside temps around 14C. He puts on his light coat to get his mail, and the wind the cold breeze hits into his spine like an arrow, he nearly dies.
This is the building I live in; built in the 18th century:
You can actually see a very well done 3D rendition of it on Google Earth. Outdoor temperatures of 7°C would yield temperatures of about 8-9°C indoors, without heating. The mail boxes are inside the lobby, not outside.
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