Weather and Climate and Behavior
Human adaptation to extreme living conditions: heat, cold, high altitude, etc.
1) Physiological or biological adaptations (habituation): change in body regulatory functions hot weather- blood vessels in extremities dilate to promote more rapid cooling of blood. (Acclimatization)
2) Cognitive adaptation: become accustomed to hot or cold it becomes adaptation level the norm. Limits to such adaptation.
3) Behavioral adjustment: Change our behavior. Turn up AC in summer or heat in winter. Wear warm clothing vs. minimal clothing. Cultures have developed ways of coping with extremes from the Arctic to the Sahara.
Temperature and Performance:
Physical performance: As temperature increases from warm to hot, physical productivity decreases. Heat as a stressor, body copes (resistance) and depletes resources (fluids) which leads to fatigue and exhaustion and, if stressor continues, may lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or a heart attack (Text, p. 180).
Cognitive performance: As temperature increases from 72-75, get slight decrease at 82, moderate decrease from 85-95, large decrease > 101. Could be stressor effect, but studies tend to be lab studies and short-term and need to cope reduced by absence of physical activity.
Distraction effect: Attend to heat and reaction to heat.
Mood effect: Aversive situation. Would be especially
plausible if heat and no control or relative disadvantage.
Cold temperatures studied less because easier to adjust to cold than heat. Cool classrooms.
Heat and Aggression:
Riots in US Cities (1967). Does heat promote or cause aggression?
Insufficient evidence to conclude that heat caused the riots other factors present.
Review article by Anderson "Temperature and Aggression: Ubiquitous Effects of Heat on Occurrence of Human Violence"
1) Geographical regions in countries: In northern hemisphere,
more violence, but not more non-violent crimes (burglary) in
southern part of country vs. northern part of country.
2) Time period effects (months or seasons). Effect of heat on
violent but not non-violent crime. Consistent across eras and
3) Concommitant studies: Studies in which temperature is
measured at time of aggression.
Field studies: Honking at car that does not move at light. AC vs. non-AC. Instrumental vs. angry/hostile aggression? As temp. increased, total honking increased for cars without AC (r = .76), but not for cars with AC (r = .12).
Lab studies: Aggression (shocks allegedly given to confederate who provoked subject) sometimes increase from 75 to 90, but decrease at extreme temperatures of 92 95. Therefore curvilinear effect. Negative affectescape model.
High temperatures lead to desire to escape situation rather than aggress. Alternative explanation: reactivity (if lab hot, realize temperature being studied and react against situation).
Mechanisms for linkage of temperature and aggression: Negative affect mood. Arousal: Increased temperature increases some aspects of sympathetic nervous system (heart rate, GSR) but also aspects of parasympathetic system associated with decreased arousal (decrease in blood pressure). Physiological -- hypothalamus mediates temperature regulatory functions and emotions, but no clear linkage.
General weather effects Quality of weather on a scale from terrible to wonderful. Rating affected by weather variables and by adaptation and by planned activities.
People are more helpful on nice days than on bad days, especially if exposed to weather. Physiological effects: high barometric pressure à high? Arthritis and cool or damp weather. Mood effects: Good weather does not constrain activities; no need to cope with good weather; classical conditioning of mood good weather linked to good times. Negative mood when cannot take advantage of a beautiful day.
Weather and suicide. No simple or obvious linkage. Retirees move to sunbelt and aged (esp. males) group most likely to commit suicide, esp. when ill.
Lack of sunshine and depression (SAD) not ubiquitous. E.g. submarines 60 days without sunshine or bright lights.
Other related effects
Wind for most of us a nuisance, and then only when interferes with activities. For some, living in areas where there are named seasonal winds (Santa Anna, Chinook, Fohn, Bora, Mistral) something to cope with. That, rather than wind itself or atmospheric conditions associated with wind, may be responsible for reports of physical and mental problems.
Air-ionization air splits into positive and negative molecules (ions). Caused by lighting, waterfalls, or machines one can buy. Negative ions smell clean, do remove dust from air. No other consistent effects. FDA: cannot claim health effects.
ELF-EMFs Extremely Low Frequency Electro-Magnetic Fields associated with power lines, transformers, etc. Alleged to cause leukemia and other cancers. Recent reviews of studies show no effects. Magnetic fields of power lines far less than Earths natural magnetic field (Text, p. 195).
Lunar Lunacy If occurs (psychiatric hospitals) produced by self-fulfilling prophecy effect.
Maybe under some circumstances.
Pleasant smells and helping: Pleasant setting willing to stay in it. Positive mood.
Odors and productivity: Arousal? Hawthorne effect?