In the context of the passage as a whole, the author's comparison between the qualities of people and of metals (paragraphs 5-6) primarily serves to

answer:

a possibility is  vasodilation.

"sweat  secretion stops when body temperature returns to normal. blood vessels supplying blood to the skin can swell or dilate - called  vasodilation."

"to maintain homeostasis, the blood vessels in your skin dilate to allow more blood flow to the surface of your body where it disperses the heat. you won’t feel the vasodilation, but you certainly will feel yourself sweating."

explanation: