Research has shown the detrimental effects of working without air conditioning. Unfortunately, the current UK heatwave many of us are experiencing is taking place during the week, meaning many of us are attempting to get through work while dealing with sweltering temperatures. As a result, we might be a little slower than usual at getting through our workload, and there is a completely valid and scientific reason to explain why this happens in the heat and why you'll hear people say "it's just too hot to do anything". A 2016 study has explained the correlation between temperature and brain function, showing that the hotter it is, the slower our minds work.
Conducted during a heatwave in Massachusetts, USA, researchers followed the behaviour of 44 university students to measure how they reacted to test questions at different temperatures. For 12 days researchers sent the students two cognition tests on their phones and asked them to fill them out at home, some of which had air conditioning and some which did not. The first test looked at attention and processing speed, and the second evaluated cognitive speed and working memory. Results showed that students living with air conditioning (average 22°C) not only did better in both tests but completed them faster too. Those in buildings without air conditioning (average 27°C) seemed to be mentally affected by the heat and were unable to gather their thoughts quickly or fill out the questions speedily.
Joe Allen, co-director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard University, led the research. He said: "We found that the students who were in the non-air-conditioned buildings actually had slower reaction times: 13% lower performance on basic arithmetic tests, and nearly a 10% reduction in the number of correct responses per minute." Allen explains that most of us think we can "do just fine" in a heatwave and don't think that creeping temperatures will affect us. "I think it's a little bit akin to the frog in the boiling water," he continues. There's a "slow, steady – largely imperceptible – rise in temperature, and you don't realise it's having an impact on you."
The study points out that heatwaves have consequences on public health, and that outdoor temperatures can exacerbate the humidity of indoor environments too. Dr Elisabeth Philipps, a clinical neuroscientist, has also shared how heatwaves often result in brain fog and affect our ability to be productive. "As the temperature goes up, the cognitive function goes down because heat affects our brain," she says. "Higher temperatures can stop nerve fibres from working properly. This means that sometimes messages cannot get to and from the brain, which is why you may experience fatigue, weakness, or problems with balance or vision. The hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates our temperature, has to work very hard in warmer weather. Combined with the heat, this can slow brain messages from getting through, which will affect our brain function, mood and cognition."
So if you're working from home with no air conditioning and relying solely on a fan and the occasional gust of breeze, it's understandable why you may be a little slow when it comes to getting things done – and there's no reason to feel bad about it.