Are you heated? I’m cool! Why our office temperature preferences can differ significantly from those of our colleagues

As the weather gets warmer, offices turn on the air conditioning. But with such different temperature preferences, where should you set the thermostat?

Finding the optimal temperature that suits everyone can be an impossible task. So why do we have such different temperature preferences? And doesn’t it just affect our comfort level?

Women prefer a slightly warmer office

Although there are always more similarities than differences between the sexes, women tend to feel cool more often than men.

AND 2021 study of over 38,000 participants found that 38% of respondents were dissatisfied with the temperature in their office. Almost two thirds of the dissatisfied were women.

When asked in other studies less satisfied women said they preferred higher temperatures, while less satisfied men preferred a cooler office environment.

Although the details vary, optimal temperature in the office Down women is often about 1°C higher than in men. One study reported that the optimal temperature is 24.0°C for women and 23.2°C for men.

Can temperature affect your ability to work?

Room temperature can impact productivity. It has been found that men perform better in warmer environments (above 25°C). worse in math and verbal tasks, while women performed worse at lower temperatures (below 25°C).

But for other tasks, temperature has no effect. The researchers found no difference in the sexes’ performance on a range of cognitive tasks, such as cognitive reflection tests (where the questions are such that the intuitive answer is the wrong answer), or cognitive load tasks (in which working memory is overloaded).

It is often suggested that temperature may influence concentration, but this is not always the case.

When subjects (men and women) completed a series of cognitive tasks, the results were the same not applicable at temperatures from 22°C (considered cool) to 25°C (considered heated).

These researchers argued that maintaining a higher temperature is optimal for environmental benefits and energy savings.

What is behind the temperature differences between the sexes?

Hormones play a key role in our temperature preferences.

Testosterone causes greater muscle development around the arms. Muscles produce heat, which is why men are more likely to have warmer necks than women. This area is particularly sensitive to low temperatures.

Estrogen promotes and maintains difference fat distribution in women who tend to wear lithe more fat between skin and muscles in many areas. It makes the skin feel cooler and causes a preference for slightly higher temperatures.

Women also tend to lower metabolic rate (or slower metabolism) than in men. This means women produce less heat and their bodies are more susceptible to feeling cool in lower temperatures.

Women’s preferences can change from week to week

The menstrual cycle has a significant impact on temperature preferences. After ovulation, the ovaries release more progesterone. This causes the core temperature of the body warm by approximately 0.3–0.6°C. This means that women will perceive the outside temperature as lower than men due to the greater temperature drop compared to their core temperature.

Progesterone helps too save heatdraining blood from the skin to the organs. This means that women’s hands, ears and feet can be ready 1-2°C colder than men’s. It is more complex to feel sultry in a cool environment when your hands and feet are very cool.

At other times of the month the situation may be the opposite. Estrogen causes blood to flow into the skinresulting in greater heat dissipation and potential heated flashes.

During pregnancy and menopause, hormones change again and can flow in different directions. This can make you feel cool, but also hot flashes and a transient augment in feelings of warmth, with cooler environments being strongly preferred.

This means that some women may prefer a lower temperature one week and then a higher temperature the next.

What else influences temperature preferences?

Generally, body size and composition has a powerful influence on temperature preferences. Since muscles produce heat, the more muscle mass we have, the more heat we generate, keeping us warm.

Temperature perception can also be influenced by many individual factors, such as age, height and weight. Overweight body size is associated with a greater preference for cooler environments.

Age can also affect thermoregulatory mechanisms, such as our body’s ability to sweat, as well as noticing changes in the body temperature. Children too less likely notice cool than adults.

Of course, the type of work you do also has an impact. The more you move, the more heat you produce.

The dress code in the office also has an impact. If ponderous business suits or formal attire are expected, a cooler environment may be more appropriate.

Ethnicity may also have an impact. After side-by-side comparison in one study, Asian participants reported that they did more convenient in environments 5°C warmer than participants of European descent.

And finally, we cannot ignore individual preferences. Some people may have grown up in a cool environment and simply become accustomed to the cool, or vice versa.

What about the environmental impact?

Heating and cooling can provide 20–50% energy household exploit i 40-70% energy exploit in office buildings.

In summer, higher temperatures in the office do not exploit as much energy. In fact, energy consumption increases by 5-10% for each of them 1°C the temperature is lowered.

However, you don’t want to close them down too much. Air conditioning systems also reduce humidity by removing moisture from the air, which is an vital measure to prevent moisture from forming in indoor spaces mold growth.

Because hormones that influence temperature preferences change throughout the month, health status, body composition, individual experiences and age all play a role, there may never be a one-size-fits-all approach to setting the office thermostat.

Therefore, it is recommended that employees be encouraged to have open conversations about temperature, and that managers should listen to each member’s needs and be willing to replace the thermostat if necessary.