Physiological, Comfort, Performance, and Social Effects of Heat Stress.

This paper reviews research on the relationship of high ambient temperatures to physiological adaptation, performance, and the social behaviors of attraction, aggression, and helping. In general, very high temperatures reduce performance, attraction, aggression and helping behavior. Moderately warm temperatures, however, have less predictable effects, sometimes facilitating a given behavior and at other times reducing it. High temperatures may either increase or decrease arousal, narrow attention, and cause discomfort. The mediators of arousal, adaptive capacity, and negative affect are employed to explain the empirical data, and to suggest directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]