Summer is one of the seasons we most often associate with fun. It makes perfect sense given we’re getting all the sunlight we missed in winter as well as the warmth. We take advantage of it too. Summer parties, holidays, and private gatherings all try to take advantage of the seasons’ wonderful warmth. All of this helps to make us think of summer as a time for being happy and joyful. Admittedly, if we pause for a moment we may feel a little too hot. The humidity in some areas can make things absolutely miserable too. When you think about it, it sometimes doesn’t make much sense that we’ve associated such positive feelings with summer given the intense amount of physical discomfort it can cause. That very fact inspired research on the effect of temperatures on the behavior of a test group. It turns out that it may not just be your fault if you’re feeling a little bit more prone to irritation in summer.

The Study
It isn’t any secret that we all get a little less likeable when we’re uncomfortable. The knowledge of that is almost intuitive, but we don’t really have a grasp of how it actually works and we all know that some people seem to be immune to such changes. The researchers involved in the study wanted to get a more quantifiable look at the link between temperatures and behaviors. Their study was composed of three sections. The first and third sections focused on actual experiments where people we subject to uncomfortable warm environments and their behaviors were observed. In both instances, people who were in an uncomfortable environment became noticeably less helpful and sociable. They were instead inclined to do what they needed to rather than engaging with those around them. The second part of the study asked people to answer questions on their behavior in a time when they were too warm. Everything ended up matching up to the intuitive knowledge that most of us get a little surly when we’re uncomfortable.

The Effect
What is most interesting about the study is how little of a change needed to be made in an environment to make people uncomfortable enough to create this effect. There is a clear logic to anyone who is sweating profusely while doing their job isn’t going to be the most agreeable person in the world, but it becomes less obvious as the difference in temperature falls. The researchers isolated that even a minor difference of about 15% in the ambient temperature between two rooms can have a profound effect on how people behave. Whether you’re aware of it or not, a minor amount of discomfort can literally change how engaging and helpful you’re feeling on a given day. This is further evidence towards the fact that a lot goes on in our unconscious minds before we ever even think it as a mood we don’t even notice affects how we interact with the world. What can we actually do with any of this information though? It may seem like a curiosity, but this information can be surprisingly useful when applied correctly.

Using the Knowledge
This is one of the few instances where we can actually make immediate use of this knowledge. Since we know even slightly discomfort can make us more volatile, all it takes is making sure we do our best to maintain comfortable ambient temperatures where we spend a lot of time. This will help keep our mood a bit more stable. It also informs us that we should be a bit more understanding during the summer and on unseasonably warm days when people are being a little bit touchier than usual. Understanding that there are underlying mechanisms that shove our minds towards certain behaviors or away from them lets us act with foreknowledge of that and try to counteract the downsides to such effects. In doing this, we can better ourselves and help others get through trying days when we might have previously also lost our composure due to the temperature. Keeping your cool has never been so scientific.

Discomfort always leaves us on edge. No one enjoys feeling like they’re stuck in a less than ideal situation. It is easy enough to work around if you’re willing to make the effort though. Just try to stay at a comfortable temperature will help you and other maintain an evener temperament throughout summer. Try to keep that in mind the next time you hear someone become upset this summer. You may understand where they’re coming from better than they do.