IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 323: Influences of Indoor Air Temperatures on Empathy and Positive Affect

IJERPH, Vol. 21, Pages 323: Influences of Indoor Air Temperatures on Empathy and Positive Affect International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph21030323 Authors: Rania Christoforou Hannah Pallubinsky Tobias Maria Burgholz Mahmoud El-Mokadem Janine Bardey Kai Rewitz Dirk Müller Marcel Schweiker The consequences of climate change are already visible, and yet, its effect on psychosocial factors, including the expression of empathy, affect, and social disconnection, is widely unknown. Outdoor conditions are expected to influence indoor conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of indoor air temperature during work hours on empathy, positive and negative affect, and social disconnection. Participants (N = 31) were exposed, in a cross-over design, to two thermal conditions in a simulated office environment. Questions on empathy and social disconnection were administered before and after the exposure to each condition, while affect was measured throughout the day. Subjective thermal sensation and objective measures of mean skin temperature were considered. The results indicated a significant difference in empathy (F(1, 24) = 5.37, p = 0.03, with an η2 = 0.126) between conditions. Participants reported increases in empathy after exposure to the warm condition compared to the cool condition, in which reductions in empathy were reported. Although the same pattern was observed for p...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research