Between Freezing and Purgatory
Not only do men and women perceive the same temperature differently – it also affects their cognitive performance in different ways.
How do you define your comfort level?
D) everything under 40 degrees
It doesn't matter what temperature a room is, it's always room temperature." Unfortunately, this sentence by comedian Steven Wright only sounds half as good when translated: "No matter how warm it is in a room, the room always has Room temperature." While researching the climate crisis, I came across a study that opened my eyes to the perennial bickering between men and women who share a communal office - or, worse, bedroom. Thesis title: "The Battle of the Thermostat: Gender and the Impact of Temperature on Cognitive Performance". Two researchers, a woman and a man, had more than 500 test subjects solve all kinds of mentally demanding tasks. Meanwhile, the room temperature was varied. And lo and behold: when it got warmer, women were better at doing mental arithmetic on average, while men's performance fell. Roughly summarized …
