Summer time Due to heat our thinking ability sinks significantly

How Does Heat Affect Cognitive Abilities??

In summertime the temperatures rise. How do the higher temperatures affect the performance of the brain? Researchers have now found that extreme heat can have negative effects on cognitive abilities. These will even stop when temperatures have already dropped again.

The scientists of internationally recognized Harvard T.H. Chan's School of Public Health found in their recent research that extreme heat has a negative effect on cognitive abilities. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "PLOS Medicine".

High temperatures affect perception

The study focused on the effects of intense heat periods on participating students. Of course, it was already known that extreme weather conditions (such as heat waves) can negatively affect physical health, the experts say. This applies in particular to the health of older people. However, the current study is one of the first to suggest that high temperatures, regardless of age, may also affect perception, the researchers explain.

Study included 44 subjects

As part of the study, 44 students were divided into two groups. One group was accommodated in a building with air conditioning, while the other group was housed in a building that had no air conditioning. The study lasted 12 days and was conducted at the height of the summer of 2016. The first five days of the study were seasonally warm, followed by a five-day heat wave. The remaining two days of the study marked a significant cooling period.

How was the investigation done??

In the current investigation, all subjects had to do a quick test on their smartphone every morning after waking up. The students without air conditioning did worse. In addition, five different measures of perception also deteriorated. If the protestors were to answer basic arithmetic questions, the participants without air conditioning achieved 13.3 percent lower scores compared to subjects with air conditioning. In addition, it took 13.4 percent longer to respond to a test where participants had to identify the color of specific words in the text.

Influence of heat waves persists after temperature drop

As temperatures cooled in the remaining two days of the study, the effect continued. This suggests, according to the study authors, that the influence of a heat wave can persist for at least some time after a temperature drop, which is partly due to the design of buildings. Buildings were often designed to store heat, say the experts. Such a design naturally has unpleasant consequences, considering that American adults spend 90 percent of their time indoors, the authors add to the study. There are many indications that people in the warmer months suffer from impaired perception without knowing their situation or their causes. With climate change causing temperatures to rise, the problem could become even more serious soon.

The population needs to be informed

The researchers involved in the study hope that more people will be concerned about climate change when they are made aware of the personal effects of extreme heat and global warming. Making people aware of how climate changes affect individuals at an individual level could encourage people to be more proactive in combating climate change, the researchers emphasize. (As)