Heat Really Does Make People Hot-Headed
Anger and aggression rise with extreme temperatures. Here’s how to keep your cool.
When the heat is on in a scorching summer like this one, emotions begin to sear, especially anger. Evidence suggests a hot day can make us more irritable and shorten our fuses, resulting in increased aggression, which can in turn lead to violence.
Crime increases in every city worldwide as temperatures rise, and summers warmer than average are linked to more crime than summer months with below-average temperatures, according to a study by John Simister, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. In the UK, 14% more violent crime occurred when the temperatures were at or above 68 degrees Fahrenheit compared with 50 degrees or cooler.
Heat and aggression play out in sports, too. A study of Major League Baseball revealed that when the temperature goes above 90 degrees, batters are more likely to be beaned by the pitcher. American football players are more likely to commit aggressive fouls during hotter weather, psychologists at Texas Tech University found.
Hot weather, whether in sport or at a family picnic or an outdoor concert, can raise the body temperature and even overheat the brain, which plays a role in aggression.
