As a student living in East Halls (and I’m sure many people in this class can relate), the heat is a huge part of my day. I can’t keep count of how many complaints my roommate and I have thrown out about how hot it is in our room. It seems like it is harder to focus on anything when the heat just never goes away. Which made me wonder, does heat have an effect on academic performance and grades? It would make sense if it did; .when working or taking a test in a room that is unbearably hot, it would seem harder to focus on the task you are trying to do. According to this article, the results say that yes, heat does have an impact on academic performance. The article shows lower test results occurred in classes that were warmer. They explain that there could be variables that affect the results, but overall, the temperature of the room had a significant impact on test scores and the attention span of students. This may be something to consider when picking your next study spot.
I agree that cold temperatures definitely have an impact too. My Econ class is always freezing and I find it hard to focus on the lessons just as much as I can’t focus in my room when it’s too hot. Being comfortable is really important during class time and studying because you really need to learn and retain as much information as possible. Choosing an article about all temperatures that make a room uncomfortable when you’re trying to concentrate would have been more effective.
I completely agree with this article, and it does make perfect sense. I grew up in Florida so I know first hand how energy-deprived you can get by just standing in the heat. It makes you more tired and incapable of concentrating. That’s why my go-to study spot is in Findlay Commons. There’s air-conditioning and you aren’t sweating like crazy in your dorm. Like you, I’m also in east, so don’t worry you aren’t alone.
I completely understand where you are coming from, I live in South and like you, I am also A.C deprived. Unfortunately my 6 roommates and I are attempting to manage the heat with a measly three fans.
The heat has proven to have an impact on my academic performance, not because it effects the quality of my work, but because it affects my ability to fully complete my work. When I find myself becoming extremely irritated by the heat I often become week and tired.
According to globalbioweather.com (http://www.globalbioweather.com/why_am_i_so_tired.html), the body responds to heat by producing sweat and opening blood vessels in order to carry more blood to the skin. Despite the fact that widening blood vessels helps the body cool off it “results in a drop in blood pressure…. the oxygen level in the blood is per volume lower than it was before the high temperature arrived”. As a direct result of both low blood pressure and low oxygen levels people such as myself can become tired, thereby effecting my school work.
I think this is a really interesting topic! I noticed that it’s always hard to concentrate when it is too hot or too cold, so then I wondered what happens when your body is too hot. Basically this article says that when its too hot out the body has to protect the internal organs from overheating, which is done by sweating, but when it’s humid out the humidity will make sweat actually overheat the organs (because it can’t evaporate) and people can suffer serious organ damage. Point being, all dorms should be air conditioned for health and safety.
I definitely agree. I also live in East and have trouble doing just about anything in my dorm room when it is too hot. My roommate and I also constantly complain about how unbearably hot it is in there sometimes. We can’t eat, sleep, or let alone think without dripping sweat. Heat has an affect on work performance because how can anyone concentrate on anything when it is so disgustingly hot?
I agree completely with this statement. I think heat or, like Abigail mentioned, the cold is a huge distraction in a learning environment. The same as when the person sitting next to you won’t stop clicking their pen or stomping their foot. Most students need to focus completely on what the professor is saying, and if the people around you are doing things on their computer or being disrespectful it is hard to get the most out of the class. These common distractions have a major impact on students’ performances in the classroom.
I think that you hit a good point, when temperatures are extreme, students do not perform well. I read the article you referenced though, and I think it’s worth noting that it said, “The average test scores for students in different classes were similar in the same category (cold 78% and 74%); (too warm 72% and 73%); (control 87%, 92% and 93%).” Although the warm temperatures had the worst scores, the cold temperatures also had substantially lower scores than the control group. That makes sense to me, because if I find myself in an over-air-conditioned room, I am too preoccupied by the cold to focus as well as I should.
Also, I checked out this article on the same subject and it said that controlled temperature classrooms are better academic environments not only because of comfort, but also because students felt less fatigued. Excessively warm environments, it said, made the students more drowsy and fatigued.