Heat has been known to make people do crazy things. Like walk barefoot in the park, go streaking or worse — wear cargo shorts. These things may sound unthinkable, but there's a far worse side effect of heat — violence. That's right summer loves — when temperatures rise, so does crime. This according to a study done by Paul A. M. Van Lange of Vrije Universiteit, in Amsterdam. Citizens of places with perpetually warmer climates operate under something called "fast life" strategy — basically, people living in warmer places live their lives focused on the short term rather than the long term. So things like streaking and those awful cargo shorts, seem like great ideas. After all, as Ke$ha says: "We're all gonna die young" This may seem small, but the study does link warmer climates to actual violence!
"Violence comes from people assuming that they're going to have shorter lifespans, less time to plan for the future, and less self-control. We see the evidence of fast life strategy in hotter climates with less temperature variation. According to researchers-- people from warmer climates tend to be less strict about time, use less birth control, and have children earlier and more often.
In case you were wondering if people in cooler climates are more... chill (forgive the pun) Yes, they are! According to the study; people who live in cooler climates with more seasonal variation, live their lives in what's called "slow life" strategy. "Slow lifers" are more future oriented and place a higher value on self-control. Lang's study shows a 14% increase in conflicts between individuals and groups the closer the subjects were to the equator. Lang goes on to say that climate affects the way people plan-- especially colder climate. Winter gets people into planning mode. "We basically figure out how we are going to survive the bleakness of Winter and that's good for our well-being." Looks like the Starks of Game of Thrones were right to say...
So if you want to live a less violent more productive life... move North! With this, plus the US election season in full swing -- Canada seems more attractive by the minute!
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