Influences of Indoor Air Temperatures on Empathy and Positive Affect

Rania Christoforou (), Hannah Pallubinsky, Tobias Maria Burgholz, Mahmoud El-Mokadem, Janine Bardey, Kai Rewitz, Dirk Müller and Marcel Schweiker
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Rania Christoforou: Healthy Living Spaces Lab, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Hannah Pallubinsky: Healthy Living Spaces Lab, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Tobias Maria Burgholz: Institute for Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate, E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Mahmoud El-Mokadem: Institute for Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate, E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Janine Bardey: Healthy Living Spaces Lab, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Kai Rewitz: Institute for Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate, E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Dirk Müller: Institute for Energy Efficient Buildings and Indoor Climate, E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Marcel Schweiker: Healthy Living Spaces Lab, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: 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 η 2 = 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 positive affect, the difference was smaller and the results were not significant. Thermal sensation had a significant effect on changes in empathy too ( F (1, 54) = 7.015, p = 0.01, with an R 2 = 0.115), while mean skin temperature had no effect on empathy ( F (1, 6) = 0.53, p = 0.89, with an R 2 = 0.81). No effects were observed for positive and negative affect and social disconnection. Longitudinal studies are needed to support these findings.

Keywords: cool; warm; social connection; empathy; thermal sensation; skin temperature (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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