Eli5:why heat makes us hostile and prone to being belligerent?
In: Biology
Heat affects the [brain](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711182748.htm) .
People in hotter climates like Africa have some of the lowest [IQ averages ](https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-iq-by-country) while people in Japan have some of the highest averages.
Heat can make us feel really cranky and irritable for a few reasons. First, when it’s super hot, we just feel uncomfortable, which can make us less patient with others. If we don’t drink enough water in the heat, we can get dehydrated, and that can make us even more moody and quick to snap. Also, our bodies react to heat by getting tense and stressed, which can lead to more arguments. Plus, when we’re hot, it’s hard to focus, and that can make us frustrated over little things. All of these factors together can make people act more aggressive and short-tempered.
The question has a false premise. You might as well ask why heat makes us lethargic and prone to being lazy, which is a lot more plausible.
Being irritable makes us hostile and high inescapable heat is one of many things that makes us irritated. Not all irritants are inescapable.
Additionally it usually affects all parties so things can escalate quickly because all parties are irritated. A headache, for example, also irritates people but that is localized to one person.
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