Does weather affect productivity?

With the fall season now fully in swing, the weather here at Penn State ranges from beautiful, 65 degree sunny days, to rainy and freezing ones. This got me wondering wether or not the weather outside had any affect on my schoolwork and productivity.

This study by researchers at Harvard looked at just what I had been questioning. The study focused around a Japanese bank in the city of Tokyo. They looked at research, complied by the bank itself, on the productivity of employees for 2 and a half years. The researchers compared that data to the weather patterns in Tokyo over the same time period. They found that rain, along with low temperatures and visibility, correlated with a spike in worker’s productivity, while sunny days were met with lower productivity rates. However, the researchers took into account that correlation does not equal causation, and decided to further study the hypothesis through a controlled study in a research lab. It is not made clear what kind of controlled trial it is. The study involved 136 students at Harvard, and the participants were split into 4 different groups- 2 control groups, one rainy-day and one sunny-day, and 2 manipulated groups, one rainy-day and one sunny-day as well. The control groups went into the labs on days where the forecast was either rainy or sunny, depending on which group they were in and asked to describe their average. The manipulated groups went in on their assigned forecast days as well, but while they were in the lab they looked at photographs of outdoor activities and explain, in detail, which activity they liked to do best. They then had all of the groups fill out spreadsheets about written questionnaires. The study ultimately found that the rainy-day control group participants performed the best, which means that the lab data was consistent with the bank data- people tend to be more productive on rainy days.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind. The lab participants were aware that the amount of money they made from participating was based on how fast they completed the activity, so it’s possible that time is a cofounding variable. As well, the questionnaires were in Italian to make it more different for “english-speaking” participants, which makes me think that maybe the participants weren’t random, as it’s never specified in the article. As well, this study, published in the International Journal of Bio Meteorology, which also studied college students, found that while, “the weather appears to influence mood and productivity, but only to a small extent compared with the aggregate of other controlling factors”.

Overall, while there are definitely some things that must be taken into account concerning the study and it’s findings, from now on I’m gonna pay attention to the weather for more than just picking out what I’m wearing that day.

Four seasons - spring, summer, autumn, winter. Art tree beautifu

3 thoughts on “Does weather affect productivity?

  1. Hailey Tully

    I think you did a great job on the post and I personally thought people would’ve been less productive in the winter when they’re more likely to get depressed with the cold weather, staying indoors and constantly circulation of illnesses. But, after I read your post I started thinking about how I react to weather change during school and I can 100% agree with your post. When it gets warm all I do is stare out the window day dreaming about all the things I could be doing instead of being stuck in class. Opposed to in the winter when its too cold to go outside that id rather be inside and have nothing better to do than my homework. So, maybe something that would be beneficial for you to add would be, why are people less productive in nice weather? (maybe use a study of elementary school kids waiting for summer vacation as an explanation)

  2. John McGranaghan

    I found this blog post quite interesting. Weather has been linked to people feeling down or depressed during the winter time, but I never took into account that it could work in the opposite way for the nice days. I know on days when it is 65 degrees out, sunny and breezy, I feel much better walking around campus compared to 10 degrees out and there is snow on the ground. Transitioning this logic to someone’s productivity makes total sense and never occurred to me until after reading this. Here is an article found in Psychology Today about how weather can in fact have a big impact on your mood.

  3. elb5372

    This is a very well done blog post. I really noticed how you were able to incorporate different things that we learned and studied in class, for that shows just how detailed you are with your research. Strictly to content, I find myself to be almost the opposite of what you stated in the beginning. I always find myself getting down, and wanted more and more sleep when it is raining. This is opposed to the energy and attentiveness that I can see in myself when the weather is good. I find this very interesting and is definitely something that I will start to consciously notice! Thank you.

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