When you think of the affects that temperature change has on your
behavior, do your decision making abilities come to mind? According to
the article Winter Weather Wakes Up Your Mind--and Warm Weather
Makes it Harder to Think Straight, by Adrian F. Ward, higher temperatures impair our ability to
make complex decisions and cause us to shy away from making complex decisions
in the first place.
According to one study in the article, sales for scratch tickets, which require making decisions and choosing different options, reduced with every one degree
increase in temperature, while sales for lotto tickets, which require few
decisions, were unaffected. In another study, participants were asked to
proofread articles in warm and cool rooms, and the participants in the warm
rooms failed to notice half of the mistakes in the articles while the
participants in the cool rooms only failed to notice a quarter of the
mistakes.
One of the explanations given in the article is that our bodies
have to constantly regulate our internal temperature, which uses up glucose.
When we are in a warm environment and our body is trying to cool down, we
use up more energy than when we are in a cool environment and are trying to
warm up. This causes less glucose to be available for our mental processes, therefore
reducing our capacity to make complex decisions. The warmer temperatures
seem to deplete the resources needed for us to make decisions.
Despite the fact that people are better able to make complex
decisions in cooler temperatures, Ward notes that temperature only affects
decision making when the person is subject to temperature change, because humans are able to adapt to their climate. Just because a person may live
in a warmer climate does not mean that they have difficulty making complex
decisions every day.
Do you agree that temperature change can affect our decision making abilities? Do you think that living or working in a cooler climate gives a person an advantage in making complex decisions? Do you have an example of a time when your decision making abilities were affected by the temperature of your environment?
I do think that making decisions is easier in a cooler environment. Even though I like the warmer weather better, I seem to focus much better when the weather is cool. I think that when people are sweating, people are more focused on how uncomfortable they are rather than focusing on what needs to be done. When the weather is cooler, people are able to put on more layers and then focus on their decision.
ReplyDeleteI have found that I am able to get through a test faster when the room is cooler. I think that this is because I am focused only on the test and not on being uncomfortable.
I agree that temperature can affect our decision making abilities because, personally, the warmer it is the more agitated I become and therefore impatient. When in a hot room or sweating in the summer, I take less time to deal with a difficult decision due to my agitation. In cooler situation, I take my time and feel calm. I do think cooler areas can help relax us, but I do not completely agree that living in certain areas is so threatening to our decision making. Maybe in extreme cases, where it is very hot one may decide quickly and irrationally. But day to day living is not completely influenced by temperature.
ReplyDeleteI remember taking the SAT in a warmer room and it distracting me and making me more nervous for the exam; whereas in a cooler room I would feel calm and able to focus.
I am a little skeptical about this article. In my opinion, the weather affects mood which can possibly influence decision making but this is the only connection I see. However,being that I am very indecisive in general, I do not see much of a difference from season to season. But, it does make sense to me that in the winter people get the "winter blues" and have less to focus on so decisions are easier to make. In the summer, on the other hand, activities and spirits are at a high. Students are let out from school and maybe decision making is harder because people want to avoid having to make hard decisions. I know this holds true for me at least. In the summer, I want to be finished with hard and deep thinking.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that I do not know if this holds true for slight weather changes but my theory seems accurate when talking about season changes.
- I have to disagree with this article. I believe it both extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures impair judgment. When temperatures in a workspace drop to extremely cold temperatures, your body processes are more focused on maintaining body temperature. Therefore, less energy is spent on mental processes. The same exact process happens during extremely hot temperatures. Body functions turn to maintain homeostasis rather than the solving of complex problems. Therefore, I disagree with Ward that it is only hot temperatures that impair our judgment and make it harder to reason, because there exists two extremes. Not only does hot temperature render decision making nearly impossible, but so does extremely frigid temperatures.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the weather has a huge affect on how we act, and the warmer weather does impair our decision making. I know when it gets warmer, I definitely think on the short-term scale. I'm more likely to make impulsive decisions that will benefit for the moment, and as the article says, avoid more complex decisions. So on a day it is especially hot, all I am thinking about is going in my pool or doing something recreational--and not doing my essay that's due tomorrow. I find it interesting that there is biological data to back this--but from this article I think it is important to draw that this decision-impairment only occurs with an abnormal temperature change. I don't have problems making decisions all summer--it's just those unbearably hot days that I seem a little "impaired."
ReplyDeleteI agree with Suzanne about the notion that both extremely hot and extremely cold weather thwarts good decision making. I know from personal experience that I have a harder time making good decisions in both situations because both situations make me feel uncomfortable. Whenever I'm trying to concentrate in these extremes, all I can concentrate on is how cold or how hot I am and lose focus on the task at hand. I think everyone performs at their best ability when they're at their most comfortable body temperature. Without the distractions of extreme temperature affecting the body, focusing on the task at hand is much easier.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if I had to chose one extreme, I would most likely prefer an extremely hot temperature. I absolutely loathe the cold and find myself more comfortable in a hotter climate. I'd rather be sweating trying to solve a complex problem than shivering. I do not agree that a colder environment heeds improved judgment. Rather, I feel that performance based on temperate is not concrete, primarily because everyone has their own specific preference towards cold, hot, or mild weather. I feel that people who prefer the cold would most likely perform to their best ability in colder temperatures while people who prefer warmer temperatures will show improved judgement in warmer climates.
I found this article interesting because I constantly claim that I function differently in heat than in cold. I know I would be able to adapt to a warmer or colder climate if need be, but I know that as of right now, I am made very uncomfortable by most heat. I feel "fuzzy" and like I'm in a kind of daze when the weather is hot and muggy, so I see how that could impair decision making. I think that part of the problem is that since I live in the Northeast, my body associates heat with either vacation or summertime- two times I am in the relaxation mindset. Therefore, I am not quite as sharp and on-point as I am during school months. I feel that cold air is the best way to clear your head. This may sound oddly analytic, but I have found myself the happiest when the weather is a mild, 40 degrees with no windchill. I'm sure most people that don't live in Canada or Scandinavian countries hate such a low temperature, but for me personally, cold signals happiness in my personal body chemistry.
ReplyDeleteI believe this article is completely true for me. I hate warm weather. I don't like the summer at all, I prefer colder weather. I think that it is easier to focus when I am in cooler rooms. For example, when I am particularly tired and I am in a warm room I start to fall asleep. I also tended to focus less in school in May and June when its very warm.
ReplyDeleteI also understand why people who live in Hawaii can still make decisions all the time. Its like when we go to Florida for vacation in December and the temperature 60 degrees we think its freezing because we expect it to be warm. 60 degrees in New Jersey is warm for the winter because we expect it to be colder. I think it is true that when there is a changing temperature we don't make complicated decisions.