Setting the Thermometer!

This is the season for thermometer debates—the windows open (or close if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere) and in homes and offices people use whatever means at their disposal to get the temperature set at the levels they like.

To end the debate (or at least move it on to a new topic):  Our wellbeing is best, our bodies and our brains do their best work when the thermometer is set at around 70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity levels are moderate—it’s hard to be more precise because air currents through a space, whether windows can be opened or not, and similar factors affect what’s best.

An easy fix if a place seems too warm or too cold: change, over time as resources allow, the dominant colors in a space.  When cool ones predominate a space will seem a little cooler than it actually is and when they’re warmer it will seem slightly warmer than it objectively measures—these effects can be enough to make people happy who previously had lots of negative things to say about the temperature.  When we’re experiencing cool light we’re also cooler than when we’re in a space lit with warm light.

Making a space dimmer makes it seem cooler than when it’s more brightly lit, and changing the amount of light in an area is generally easier than repainting walls or even changing light bulbs.

When we’re lonely we feel cooler, so when your friends are away on vacation, etc., you may need to turn up your heat or turn down your air conditioner.

Going to sleep?  Temperatures around 65 degrees Fahrenheit are best for that.

For more on how temperature influences how we think and behave and what you can do about getting the temperature right (at least the perceived temperature right) in a space, read this article.