Physical temperature affects response behavior

Abstract

Physical temperature can fundamentally affect psychological processes. Among other things, physical warmth typically fosters the motivation to affiliate. We argue that physical warmth can increase affirmative and acquiescent response behavior in psychological surveys and experiments as a result of such an affiliative motive. In Study 1, we find that participants give more biased answers in a memory test in warmer, compared to colder, environments. In Studies 2–3b, physical warmth fosters a response bias toward the affirmation of unrelated items in questionnaires. In Study 4, the effect of physical warmth on the affirmation bias is amplified when the person reading a participant's answers is a friend (stronger affiliation prime) compared to a stranger. Taken together, temperature affects general response behavior by fostering affirmation. Thereby, physical temperature has deeper psychological as well as methodological consequences than previously thought.