Trick Your Brain Into Beating the Heat
Trick Your Brain Into Beating the Heat
August 23, 2016
The Globe and Mail — Extremely hot days never feel good. In fact, a recent study conducted in the U.S. shows that high temperatures actually markedly reduce people’s emotional well-being, causing fatigue and increased sadness, stress and anger.
Luckily, Dr. Idit Shalev, of BGU’s Department of Psychology, may have found the answer to beating the summer blues, and it’s easier than you might think.
Dr. Idit Shalev
To conduct the study, Dr. Shalev and her team asked 87 participants to touch either a cool, room-temperature or warm object before conducting a computer-based test of their cognitive control. Those who were asked to touch the cool object performed better on the test.
“Coldness is an indicator for alertness and self-control,” says Dr. Shalev.
What’s more, the researchers found that just telling participants to look at photos of icy landscapes and picture themselves being there produced similar effects.
“You don’t need to be really hungry or really cold or really under pain,” she says. “It’s enough that you have some kind of perception that you’re in a real state of hunger or pain or cold temperature, and it activates the same mechanism.”
While this can be a good trick for temporary heat relief, Dr. Shalev cautions against using it as a panacea.
“The environment can perhaps support your motivation, but the environment is not a substitute for your motivation,” she explains.
Read more on The Globe and Mail website >>
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