The effect of temperature on language complexity: Evidence from seven million parliamentary speeches.

ABSTRACT: Climate change carries important effects on human wellbeing and performance, and increasingly research is documenting the negative impacts of out-of-comfort temperatures on workplace performance. In this study, we investigate the plausibly causal effect of extreme temperatures, i.e., out-of-comfort, on language complexity among politicians, leveraging a fixed effects strategy. We analyze language complexity in over seven million parliamentary speeches across eight countries, connecting them with precise daily meteorological information. We find hot days reduce politicians' language complexity, but not cold days. Focusing on one country, we explore marginal effects by age and gender, suggesting high temperatures significantly impact older politicians at lower thresholds. The findings propos

SUBMITTER: Conte Keivabu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11270029 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature