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Destructive Behaviour, Judgement and Economic Decision-making under Thermal Stress

Author

Listed:
  • Ingvild Almås
  • Maximilian Auffhammer
  • Tessa Bold
  • Ian Bolliger
  • Aluma Dembo
  • Solomon M Hsiang
  • Shuhei Kitamura
  • Edward Miguel
  • Robert Pickmans

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that environmental temperature substantially affects economic outcomes and violence, but the reasons for this linkage are only partially understood. We study whether temperature directly influences behaviour by evaluating the effect of thermal stress on multiple dimensions of economic decision-making, judgement and destructive behaviour with 2,000 participants in Kenya and the United States who were randomly assigned to different temperatures in a laboratory. The main finding is that most major dimensions of economic decision-making are unaffected by temperature. We also find that heat significantly increases willingness to voluntarily destroy other participants’ assets in the Kenyan sample.

Suggested Citation

  • Ingvild Almås & Maximilian Auffhammer & Tessa Bold & Ian Bolliger & Aluma Dembo & Solomon M Hsiang & Shuhei Kitamura & Edward Miguel & Robert Pickmans, 2025. "Destructive Behaviour, Judgement and Economic Decision-making under Thermal Stress," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 135(672), pages 2483-2508.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:135:y:2025:i:672:p:2483-2508.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueae116
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    Cited by:

    1. Fabian Scheidegger & Vincent Glatz & Bruno Lanz, 2026. "Violent crime, weather shocks, and climate adaptation: Evidence from Swiss municipalities," IRENE Working Papers 26-07, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    2. Joo Young Jeon & Shakun Mago, 2026. "The Dark Side of Human Decision-Making: A Review of Behavior in the Joy-of-Destruction Experiments," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2026-05, Department of Economics, University of Reading.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D74 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Conflict; Conflict Resolution; Alliances; Revolutions
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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