Heat can make you moody and anti-social, suggests study

New Delhi: A new study suggests that hot temperature is more likely to make people anti-social and moody.

"Ambient temperature affects individual states that shape emotional and behavioural reactions, so people help less in an uncomfortable environment," said Liuba Belkin, associate professor at Lehigh University in the US.

Researchers conducted a three part study. They collected data from a large retail chain for part one of the study and analysed the differences in individual behaviour under hot versus normal temperature conditions.

They found that clerks working in an uncomfortably hot environment were 50 per cent less likely to engage in pro social behaviours, including: volunteering to help customers, listening actively, and making suggestions.

For part two, a randomised online experiment was conducted.

The team asked paid online panel to just recall or imagine situations where they were uncomfortably hot and then, after measuring their feelings and perceptions and a number of survey questions, asked them to help with another survey for free.

Participants were not even experiencing heat at the moment - and researchers still found that, compared to the control group, they were more fatigued, which reduced their positive affect and, ultimately, pro-social behaviour, researchers said.

(With PTI inputs)