Winter photos make people more cold-blooded
Not only the temperature of the environment in which the person is located, but also its perception, for example, the photograph affects the person’s ability to regulate their own behavior depending on faced long-term challenges. To this conclusion came a group of psychologists and neuroscientists from Israel and the United States. The results of the work presented in the journal Psychological Research.
“Metaphorical phrases like “cold calculation”, “warm feedback” or “cold-blooded” actually have scientific justification, as we have shown in our study — said one of the authors of the article, a researcher from the University named after Ben-Gurion Idit Shalev. Past work has concentrated on how cognitive control affects the real temperature. However, this is the first work in which we were able to measure the impact of perceived temperature”.
In the course of the study, the researchers conducted two experiments. The first was attended by 87 students. First, they performed the task on control of eye movements in front of them had a screen that from different sides appeared distracting the square and, for a split second, the arrow, the direction of which it was necessary to specify. It turns out that in order to have time to notice the arrow, it was necessary to hold the gaze and not look at the square. Thus, scientists have measured the same cognitive control. Then participants were given a small heating pad (cold, warm or at room temperature) and were asked to answer some unrelated to the experience questions. The test arrow was repeated. In the second experiment, the researchers showed 28 participants photos: winter landscape, neutral photos of the street and the sun-drenched landscape.
The results showed that low temperatures increase cognitive control, even if they do not act directly on the person, but only perceived them. “While the heat relaxes, the low temperature forced to come and increase demands on cognitive control,” explained Shalev.