How temperature differences affect the cognition of different genders

The University of Utah published 1998 a report ('Cold hands warm heart') showing that women have 1,6 degrees Celsius colder hands than men even if they had 0,2 degrees Celsius warmer body temperature. In a report published in May 2019, tests were carried out on 543 people in Berlin evaluating the individual's productivity in terms of simple math, verbal ability (see words from a set of letters), and more problem-solving-oriented tasks. It turns out that women perform significantly better at slightly higher temperatures than normal office temperatures, while men become less efficient when temperatures rise. Below you can see how the temperature affects the ability of the different variants of tasks.

Women passed about 10% more math tasks at five degrees higher temperatures and passed about 5% more word tasks. Men became worse at solving these tasks at increasing temperatures. For the more complex tasks, there are no major differences for men, but women slightly improved at higher temperatures.

Conclusion?

To give all individuals, regardless of gender or other causes, the optimal condition to perform to their very best ability, the employer must provide the staff with an individually adaptable indoor climate. This is exactly what our heated desk pads enable without affecting the indoor climate system. Very little power is required to heat exactly where you want it; your hands.

Are you an employer?

Invest in heated desk pads for those freezing at the office! There are few measures so simple and inexpensive that give this much effect. There is scientific evidence of differences in how we perform at different temperatures. Allowing employees to perform at the top of their ability with such simple means is not only smart it is also important from an equality of the sexes perspective.

Are you employed and freezing?

With the following research results, you can claim that a heated deskpad pays back the money invested in less than a week. Whether it's 21 or 23 degrees. It is your subjective experience of temperature that affects your efficiency. Some days you feel a little more frozen than others.

SEK 35000 in monthly salary * 1.5 (soc. Avg + ITP etc.) / 172 hours / month * 0.05 (5% efficiency increase) * 40 hours / week = SEK 610
The research report can be found here: Battle for the thermostat: Gender and the effect of temperature on cognitive performance. How temperature differences affect the efficiency of different genders