How does extreme heat from climate change affect human behavior?

Physiologically, people’s bodies are not made to withstand heat beyond humid (or wet bulb) temperatures, it is a combined measure of heat and humidity, taken with a thermometer covered by a cloth soaked in water, and 35°C of humid temperature is the limit that the human body is capable of supporting and is not capable of cooling itself through sweat.

Mounting evidence shows that when heat affects people’s bodies, their performance at various tasks, as well as general coping mechanisms, are affected as well. Researchers have linked extreme heat to increased aggression, decreased cognitive ability, and loss of productivity.

With rising global temperatures and unprecedented heat waves becoming more common in many parts of the world, the effects of extreme heat on human behavior could pose a growing problem.

The heat tends to make people more irritable, and as a result, they tend to perceive things as unpleasant when they are in a very hot place than when they are comfortable. Research suggests that such perceptions can lead to actual violence when people have no escape route; This, as well as other studies, show that violent crimes increase on days with high temperatures.

The fact that temperatures have reached that physiological limit in some places on Earth is essential knowledge for us as a species, and if carbon emissions are not reduced dramatically and immediately, these extreme and relatively rare cases will become increasingly more common and will spread to the entire planet. These are conditions that would be unbearable for people without technologies such as air conditioning, and make any outdoor activity or work virtually impossible.