Effect of Mood States on Thermal Sensation: Cultural and Gender Differences in Türkiye and Switzerland

¹ Integrated Comfort Engineering Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, Atılım University, 06830, Ankara, Türkiye
³ Department of Psychology, Atılım University, 06830, Ankara, Türkiye
⁴ Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Atılım University, 06830, Ankara, Türkiye

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Thermal comfort is a multidimensional phenomenon governed not only by environmental parameters but also by physiological, behavioral, and psychological factors. Within the adaptive framework, while behavioral influences have been extensively studied, the role of human psychology remains relatively underexplored. This study examines the influence of mood states on thermal sensation, with particular attention to cultural and gender differences. Data were collected from participants in Türkiye (n= 1159) and Switzerland (n=125), where mood was assessed using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire and thermal sensation was measured with a 13-point scale. Correlation analyses revealed striking quantitative differences: while the dataset from Switzerland exhibited thermal independence with only 4 significant correlations (1 for females and 3 for males) out of 65 items, the magnitude of these few associations was notably higher (0.26 ≤ |r| ≤ 0.30) compared to the widespread but lower-strength correlations observed in the dataset from Türkiye (|r| < 0.20). In addition, contrary to traditional models, this study identified a significantly more widespread psychological influence among males. Specifically, male participants exhibited a considerably higher number of significant correlations compared to females. These results highlight the complex interplay between mood states and thermal perception, suggesting that cultural and gender-specific factors play a critical role.