A team of researchers from Ohio State University and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam found new model to analyze levels of violence in hot climates. CLASH - Climate Aggression and Self-control in Humans - helps to explain hot climate impacts on higher levels of violence in various parts of the world.
According to Brad Bushman, co-author of the research, climate affects the culture and the way people live. Research on hot climate impact on violent crime rates has been studied before but there isn't any confirming report that could explain the reasons - such as why higher temperature can lead to higher violence levels.
The CLASH study explains that people in hot climates areas with less seasonal variation, do not have to prepare foods for the winters and they tend to have 'faster life strategy'. Moreover, it is not just about the high temperature but the less seasonal variation in regions near equator make the people less strict about time.
People living in hot climates are 'more focused on the present' - which means, with the heat induced, they react easily on something and often using violence or aggression. People are also more concerned with the immediate stress caused by parasitic infections and venomous animals - some of the risks of hot climates.
However, researchers do not think that climate makes a person. Rather, it shapes the culture and it influences each person. The study does not suggest that people who live in hot climates countries cannot help themselves in term of violence. It is not a deterministic theory.
Read more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160624110035.htm