Warmer climate makes people more hot-tempered?

There is one very unpleasant fact: some countries, and in the US - some states, have a higher level of cruelty than others. To understand what makes society and the state more violent is a very difficult task for sociologists. If it were possible to establish what prompts a quick temper, it would not be difficult to neutralize the problem. Not so long ago, the results of new studies were published that are devoted to the relationship between self-control of a person, aggressiveness and climate.

Research data

Scientists say that the climate, in the form of a culture, the development of which it promotes, can be the main reason for aggressive behavior. If you live in a region with a clearly defined seasonal change and low temperatures, you think about the future more and appreciate self-control. This is the so-called "slow life" strategy.

It differs from the "quick life" strategy, which is characteristic for more hot places with a minimum of seasonal changes, that is, located closer to the equator. The climate is a factor of wide and diverse influence on how culture organizes society, what norms become important, how people behave and how they think.

Difference in thinking

The climate affects how you plan life, and the impact manifests itself in many areas. For example, you need to prepare differently for the winter and plan the next season both as a person, as a member of the family, and as a representative of the society. Winter protects people from many natural threats, and in more hot countries there are more predators and infectious diseases, which makes the future less predictable. Other factors, such as the prosperity of the country, are also associated with the climate.

Relationship with cruelty

According to scientists, cruelty manifests itself in a person because he realizes that his life can be short enough, he needs less to plan the future, he does not control himself too harshly. Life in a warm climate moves faster. If the temperature in the country does not change much during the year, the perception of time becomes more blurred, people are not afraid to have children more often, they do it at an earlier age. The connection between cruelty and climate is quite real. Back in 2013, a large-scale study was conducted, analyzing sixty experiments on the relationship between climate and human conflicts. It was found that as the temperature rises, the number of conflicts both between groups of people and between individuals becomes higher.

The obvious connection

So, there is a very obvious link between the country's proximity to the equator and cruelty. In 2013, an analysis of domestic violence in different regions was also conducted. One hundred thousand people in Central America account for twenty-six cases, in Central Africa - 18 cases. In Europe, there are only 5 cases of violence per 100,000 people, just like in North America. This connection can also be traced at the regional level. For example, in the south of Europe, in Turkey, Albania or Montenegro, the number of murders is higher than in Scandinavia.

In the United States, crime is higher in the south than in the north. The only exception is Alaska, where there is also a high level of crime. Researchers also note that the activity of the mafia is much higher in the south of Italy than in the north. However, it is also necessary to take into account the standard of living. In Africa and Latin America, it is much lower than in Europe or North America. Inequality in the society and problems in the economy are also closely related to the level of cruelty.

Previous research

This is not the first attempt to find a connection between temperature and cruelty. There are also data that demonstrate that, in a hotter weather, a person becomes emotionally less stable, which leads to impulsive, aggressive behavior. The crime rate increases with the temperature, because people spend more time in public places, and this provides the ground for more conflicts. Scientists believe that these studies are not very accurate and rely on them with confidence is not worth it.

According to some reports, aggressiveness due to hot weather is not too common. In the opinion of researchers who are dealing with the issue at the moment, the climate forms a culture, and culture determines the predisposition to cruelty. That is, there is no direct connection between a person and his reaction to the heat. In addition, cruelty often occurs at home, between relatives and friends, so that being in public places can only help unite people. However, the data on this issue is very contradictory, because a large number of people on the streets can still lead to conflicts. This is a very complex topic that is difficult to assess and analyze unequivocally.

Controversial moments

In the latest data there are a lot of controversial points. For example, information is provided as material for discussion, and not as an empirical study. According to scientists, such a model contributes to further research, however, this indicates a lack of data. In addition, there is something idyllic about trying to reduce the complexity of conflicts between people to something so primitive. This is very radical, as if someone said that cruelty in the equatorial countries is connected only with the colonial past or that one simply needs to introduce democracy in all countries, after which world peace will come. There are too many factors causing cruelty, so there is no point in trying to find one of its main reasons. Moreover, do not connect this cause with something as vague as the weather.

Contradictions in research

Among other things, there is evidence that contradicts the claim that the weather forms a culture, and culture causes cruelty. Just read the statistics in American cities. In Chicago and New York in the summer, the crime rate increases: according to some sources, from June to August, the number of crimes increases by ten percent. This does not mean that every June, the inhabitants of Chicago suddenly start to prefer a "quick life", and with the fall of temperatures return to the concept of "slow life". These are more short-term processes. Finally, this approach suggests that people's behavior is related to the region they come from, which is extremely close to the assertion that behavior is associated with an ethnos.

The position of scientists

Scientists do not comment on their conclusions from a racist point of view. They argue that the climate is really very important for culture, and therefore for social behavior, and for thinking and behavior, while people moving to a cooler country adapt quickly to a new cultural environment. For example, the researchers found that people moving from Turkey to Northern Europe, soon begin to show greater confidence in people. The same applies to the orientation toward a future, and self-control. However, studies confirm only that immigrants, and especially their children, adapt to the conditions of a new culture, to say that this is due to the climate, there are no grounds. People adapt, but this does not indicate that the climate causes cruelty. In short, scientists definitely need to work on this topic further, since at the moment the communication is too unobvious and unreasonable.