Scientific research conducted by Harvard University has shown that heat has an effect on our cognitive performance and found that those who have an air conditioner in the study environment get better test results than students who don’t.
Thus, it has been observed that there are effects of heat on cognitive performance, more specifically negative influences.
- Harvard School of Public Health.
- TH Chan.
- Has published an informative paper on how “extreme heat is related to reducing cognitive performance in adults and young people in buildings without air conditioning.
- “.
It was observed that those living in air-conditioned dormitories during a heat wave performed worse on a series of cognitive tests compared to students who had artificially cooled dormitories.
Harvard Th Chan School of Public Health brings together experts from different fields to educate new generations of world health leaders, so its goal is to produce innovative ideas that improve people’s quality of life on a global scale.
One of the fundamental pillars of the institution is that the joint work of researchers, educators and student leaders can create a joint force to integrate what has been learned within the laboratory into people’s daily lives.
An interesting fact that is important to note is that the institution was founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officials and has since been recognized as the oldest vocational training program in America in public health.
Experimental research shows how the effects of heat negatively influence the cognitive performance of healthy youth. Indoor temperatures during a heat wave significantly affect the ability to develop intellectual skills.
The study takes an important step in the knowledge that has so far been taken on how heat can be detrimental to the well-being of the general population, regardless of the person’s age group or physical condition.
Specifically, to this day, the effects of heat during high-temperature waves were considered only in relation to children or the elderly.
Today, we can see that the issue goes beyond these age groups, because Harvard informs us that young people with higher intellectual abilities are also affected by a heat wave, greatly reducing their innate abilities.
José Guillermo Cedeo, a researcher at Harvard Chan School and lead author of the study, reports that “to remedy this blind spot, we consider healthy students living in dormitories as a natural intervention during a heat wave in Boston. “
In addition, it also supports the importance of knowing the risks in different populations, knowing that in many cities, the number of hot flashes is expected to increase in the coming years due to climate change.
“Most research on the effects of heat on health so far has been conducted with vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, creating a perception that the general population does not suffer the risks or effects of hot flashes. ?- José Guillermo Cede-o- Laurent-
It is important to study the effects of heat, as climate change is present around the world and has serious consequences for public health; precisely, it is the leading cause of death among older adults and the elderly among all weather events.
Climate change has shown a significant increase in global temperature, with 2016 being the warmest year of recent centuries.
While there is a good source of record of heat waves and their adverse health effects, it is only known how this happens for certain age groups, and the most vulnerable population is the protagonist of this knowledge.
In addition, these studies are generally epidemiological, i. e. they use outdoor temperature records.
Continuing research and studies is essential to understand how heat affects us and also to provide solutions to problems that may arise from exposure to high temperatures, which depends on different variables.
Climate change could thus have devastating consequences on our quality of life, so implementing public policies to protect and preserve the environment is critical to presenting the quality of life of future generations.