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Temperature

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Abstract

Temperature has been claimed to be systematically and bidirectionally related to social cognition and action. In this chapter we review the available studies on this relationship and discuss its nature with respect to affection and social proximity, perceived interpersonal similarity, language use and attentional focus, interpersonal trust, and the impact of extreme temperature ranges. Although more research is needed to fully understand the effect that temperature exerts on social cognition, we conclude that warm (as compared to cold or hot) temperature promotes prosocial behavior, self-other integration, more concrete language use, and trust, and lead to less hostile behavior. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive Psychology Unit and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Lorenza S. Colzato, Roberta Sellaro & Bernhard Hommel

  2. Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Lorenza S. Colzato

  3. Institute for Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Christina Trepkowski

Authors
  1. Lorenza S. Colzato
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  2. Christina Trepkowski
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  3. Roberta Sellaro
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  4. Bernhard Hommel
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Correspondence to Lorenza S. Colzato .

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Colzato, L.S., Trepkowski, C., Sellaro, R., Hommel, B. (2017). Temperature. In: Theory-Driven Approaches to Cognitive Enhancement. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57505-6_18

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