Temperature-Productivity Curve
Human performance follows a temperature curve, not a flat line: it holds near a comfort band, then deteriorates as rising heat taxes the capacity available for cognitive work.
At 30°C, an office can look perfectly functional—yet routine task performance may already be 10% below its best. The desks, tools, and people are unchanged; only the air is warmer.
E1Heat consumes the margin used for work
Performance peaked around 21–22°C and began declining above 24°C. The important model is therefore a curve with a threshold: modest warming inside the comfort band may have little visible effect, but once conditions cross that band, each additional degree can subtract from effective output. Temperature is not merely a comfort preference; it is an input into the system producing the work. Thermal Stress helps explain the underlying constraint: coping with heat competes for bodily and attentional resources that would otherwise support the task.
E1Not every cooler room is a better room
The evidence describes a peak and a decline above it, not a rule that productivity rises whenever temperature falls. Treat 21–22°C as an observed optimum for these office tasks, not a universal setting for every person, activity, building, or climate.
E1Test the thermostat as an operating variable
For one week, record room temperature alongside a repeated output measure—completed cases, calculation errors, or task time. Compare results below and above 24°C before blaming motivation, hiring, or process design for a heat-shaped performance loss.
E1Episodes that teach this
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High Temperature Kills Productivity | Future IQ
· explained at 2:08
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Office-task performance peaked around 21-22 C, began falling above 24 C, and was only 90% of best performance at 30 C.