Since I posted about American Psychological Association's article on "How heat affects the mind", they have now released a podcast on the topic: Last year—2023—was the world’s warmest on record, and 2024 could bring another record-shattering summer. Psychologist Kim Meidenbauer, PhD, and public health researcher Amruta Nori-Sarma, PhD, discuss how heat affects people’s mental health, emotions, and even cognitive abilities; the link between heat, violence, and aggression; who is most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat; and what policymakers could be doing to mitigate its effects. https://lnkd.in/dgwxNGbm
The UK's recent warm weather has me re-reading an article in the American Psychological Association's member magazine 'Monitor on Psychology' entitled, "How heat affects the mind". Yes, continuous or extreme exposure to heat causes hyperthermia and 10-28% of those experience persistent brain damage and in less extreme heat existing mental health symptoms are exacerbated. However, of more regular use, lower exposure heat stress also creates aggression in individuals which generates responsive aggression in others - simply put, arguments are more common when people are hot. Intuitively, we know this, but in the workplace this means that conflict is more likely during the summer months. Additionally, exposure to heat stress is linked to a reduction in cognition. So, problem solving and collaboration are more difficult or less productive during the summer months and could even lead to the aforementioned conflict. Like my last post, these are real-world examples where self-awareness, emotional intelligence and adaptability are critical in real life to reduce future organisational issues in the workplace. Simply recognising the risk of warm weather, being more connected to people and then consciously choosing when to have combative or collaborative discussions could make all the difference.
