How Heat Affects our Behavior and Decision-Making

Crime is at its peak during hot summer months.^6,7 This is partially because people tend to congregate more during warm months, and thus have more opportunities to bristle. 

But there’s more to the story than just that. Being in uncomfortably hot environments has been found to breed aggressive thoughts, while also reducing positive emotions like delight and contentedness.^8,9 Hot weather is also associated with more emergency room visits for mental health crises, suicides, and poor mental health days.¹⁰ When we’re feeling angry at something intangible (like an inescapable heatwave), we tend to displace it onto something we can get mad at — like the barista who got your order wrong, for example.¹¹

Heat has measurable effects on our bodies, too: it can increase testosterone, heart rate, and additional metabolic reactions that turn on our sympathetic nervous system (the system responsible for our “fight or flight” responses).¹¹ 

Possibly as a result of these physiological changes, hot weather is also linked to worse mental health outcomes. A temperature increase of 1°C (1.8°F) is associated with a distinguishable increase in the presentation of neurotic and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and other mood disorders.¹²

When unbearable heat makes us angry, what kind of impact does that have on our decision-making?

It turns out that people who are angry tend to make quick decisions and are less likely to stop and consider their options.¹³ While this emotion doesn’t impede on other important facets of decision-making like decision speed,¹⁴ it does negatively impact the strategy, objectivity, and rationality of those decisions.¹³

Moreover, because angry people are more likely to make choices faster than their cool and collected counterparts, they are also more prone to relying on heuristics when processing information.^{15,16,17,18,19,20} In using heuristics, much of the uncertainty we typically feel in any given judgment fades, giving way to unwarranted optimism,^20,21 overconfidence, and an inflated sense of control.¹³ 

For example, picture someone who decides to speed through a red traffic light on a hot day because they want to get to their destination sooner. If the weather were more temperate, perhaps they would remember the risks of running a red light (hitting a car or pedestrian, getting a ticket, etc), but in their current state, they feel confident that their risk of consequences is much closer to zero than normal.

Projections for the future of climate change can seem pretty bleak. For example, the World Health Organization estimates that by 2050, extreme heat waves could kill more than 255,000 people across the globe each year.²² 

Fortunately, we still have time to manage the damage before it’s too late using proven strategies to manage our heat-induced anger. With proper behavior change, we can address the climate crisis. A recent study found that some of the strongest ways to mitigate climate catastrophe are by having a focus on high-impact behaviors (for example, habits, defaults, and social influence) and using interdisciplinary approaches to design interventions targeting a diverse array of behavioral barriers.²³ While this study is tailored toward researchers and high-level decision-makers, there are ways we can address climate change at a micro level.

Here are some actionable steps that you can take to manage the angry feelings that arise during hot weather.

Check in with yourself

When the temperature rises, the first step is to monitor how you’re feeling. Check in with yourself and see whether your heart rate is increasing, you’re sweating more than normal, or are thinking more negative things than usual. These are all warning signs that anger is brewing. At the same time, identify if there’s anything that your body is needing that might contribute to your frustration. Do you need water? Is your blood sugar low?²⁴

Learn your triggers

Secondly, keep track of the things that set you off when you’re in a bad mood. This could be anything from slow wifi, to someone speeding through a red traffic light, to the simple fact of being uncomfortable. Try to mitigate these triggers, for example playing music that makes you feel happy while driving, or doing some stretches while waiting for the wifi to load. 

Redirect your frustration

When all else fails, look for ways to channel your anger. You could paint, exercise, or even listen to music that is somehow cathartic. Any of these can help you calm.

As temperatures continue to rise, it’s important to take care of yourself while also keeping the environment in mind. While much of what’s impacting climate change is out of our hands, there are steps we can take and robust ways of addressing our heat-induced anger. In order to show up for the world, we must be aware of our own behaviors and the alternatives that are available to us.