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Fischer S, Naegeli K, Cardone D, Filippini C, Merla A, Hanusch KU, Ehlert U. Emerging effects of temperature on human cognition, affect, and behaviour. Biol Psychol 2024; 189:108791. [PMID: 38599369 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Human body core temperature is tightly regulated within approximately 37 °C. Global near surface temperature has increased by over 1.2 °C between 1850 and 2020. In light of the challenge this poses to human thermoregulation, the present perspective article sought to provide an overview on the effects of varying ambient and body temperature on cognitive, affective, and behavioural domains of functioning. To this end, an overview of observational and experimental studies in healthy individuals and individuals with mental disorders was provided. Within body core temperature at approximately 37 °C, relatively lower ambient and skin temperatures appear to evoke a need for social connection, whereas comparably higher temperatures appear to facilitate notions of other as closer and more sociable. Above-average ambient temperatures are associated with increased conflicts as well as incident psychotic and depressive symptoms, mental disorders, and suicide. With mild hypo- and hyperthermia, paradoxical effects are observed: whereas the acute states are generally characterised by impairments in cognitive performance, anxiety, and irritability, individuals with depression experience longer-term symptom improvements with treatments deliberately inducing these states for brief amounts of time. When taken together, it has thus become clear that temperature is inexorably associated with human cognition, affect, and (potentially) behaviour. Given the projected increase in global warming, further research into the affective and behavioural sequelae of heat and the mechanisms translating it into mental health outcomes is urgently warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Fischer
- University of Zurich, Institute of Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Kathrin Naegeli
- University of Zurich, Department of Geography, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniela Cardone
- University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Department of Engineering and Geology, Chieti, Italy
| | - Chiara Filippini
- University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Department of Engineering and Geology, Chieti, Italy
| | - Arcangelo Merla
- University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Department of Engineering and Geology, Chieti, Italy
| | - Kay-Uwe Hanusch
- Bern University of Applied Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Berne, Switzerland
| | - Ulrike Ehlert
- University of Zurich, Institute of Psychology, Zurich, Switzerland
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Yu L, Zhou T, Shao M, Zhang T, Wang J, Ma Y, Xu S, Chen Y, Zhu J, Pan F. The role of meteorological factors in suicide mortality in Wuhu, a humid city along the Yangtze River in Eastern China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:9558-9575. [PMID: 36057060 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22832-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As the climate continues to change, suicide is becoming more frequent. In this study, absolute humidity (AH) was included for the first time and Wuhu, a typical subtropical city along the Yangtze River, was taken as the research object to explore the impact of suicide death risk on meteorological factors. The daily meteorological factors and suicide mortality data of Wuhu city from 2014 to 2020 were collected. Guided by structural equation model (SEM), a time series analysis method combining distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) and generalized additive model (GAM) was adopted. To investigate the correlation among different populations, we stratified age and gender at different meteorological levels. A total of 1259 suicide deaths were collected in Wuhu. The results indicated that exceedingly low and low levels of AH short-term exposure increased suicide mortality, with the maximum effect occurring at lag 14 for both levels of exposure, when the relative risk (RR) was 1.131 (95% CI: 1.030, 1.242) and 1.065 (95% CI: 1.006, 1.127), respectively. Exposure to exceedingly high and exceedingly low levels of temperature mean (T mean) also increased suicide mortality, with maximum RR values of 1.132 (lag 14, 95% CI: 1.015, 1.263) and 1.203 (lag 0, 95% CI: 1.079, 1.340), sequentially. As for diurnal temperature range (DTR), low-level exposure decreased the risk of suicide, while high-level exposure increased this risk, with RR values of 0.955 (lag 0, 95% CI: 0.920, 0.991, minimum) and 1.060 (lag 0, 95% CI: 1.018, 1.104, maximum), sequentially. Stratified analysis showed that AH and DTR increased the suicide death risk in male and elderly people, while the risk effect of T mean have no effect on young people only. In summary, male and elderly people appear to be more vulnerable to adverse weather effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingxiang Yu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Tingting Zhou
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Ming Shao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Jinian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Yubo Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Shanshan Xu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Yuting Chen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China
| | - Jiansheng Zhu
- Wuhu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wuhu, Anhui Province, China
| | - Faming Pan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China.
- The Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, Anhui Province, China.
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