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The Impact Of High Temperatures On Performance In Work-Related Activities

Author

Listed:
  • Matteo Picchio

    (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche)

  • Jan C. Van Ours

    (Erasmus School of Economics and Tinbergen Institute, The Netherlands)

Abstract

High temperatures can have a negative effect on work-related activities because workers may experience difficulties concentrating or have to reduce effort in order to cope with heat. We investigate how temperature affects performance of professional tennis players in outdoor singles matches in big tournaments. We find that performance significantly decreases with ambient temperature. This result is robust to including wind speed and air pollution in the analysis. There are no differences between men and women. However, there is some heterogeneity in the magnitude of the temperature effect in other dimensions. In particular, we find that the temperature effect is smaller when there is more at stake. Our findings also suggest that the negative temperature effect is smaller if the heat lasts, i.e. there is some adaptation to high temperatures.

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Picchio & Jan C. Van Ours, 2023. "The Impact Of High Temperatures On Performance In Work-Related Activities," Working Papers 484, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    • Handle: RePEc:anc:wpaper:484
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    Cited by:

    1. Edoardo Santoni & Margherita Scarlato & Nicolò Barbieri & Caterina Conigliani, 2025. "Heat and work-related injuries: How temperature measurement affects outcomes," SEEDS Working Papers 0225, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Mar 2025.
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    3. Marin, Giovanni & Oo, Aung Tun, 2025. "Sectoral exposure to heat: heterogeneous impacts of extreme heat on workplace accidents in Italy," FEEM Working Papers 376269, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    4. Belloc, Ignacio & Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto, 2025. "Extreme temperatures: Gender differences in well-being," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Filomena, Mattia & Picchio, Matteo, 2024. "Unsafe temperatures, unsafe jobs: The impact of weather conditions on work-related injuries," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 851-875.
    6. Yu Zhang & Yuta Uchiyama & Masayuki Sato, 2025. "Combined effects of urban blue–green spaces on the thermal environment: a case study of Kobe, Japan," International Journal of Economic Policy Studies, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 59-88, February.
    7. Moustafa Feriga & Nancy Lozano Gracia & Pieter Serneels, 2025. "The Impact of Climate Change on Work: Lessons for Developing Countries," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 40(1), pages 104-146.
    8. Mario Lackner & Hendrik Sonnabend, 2024. "When performance melts away: Heat causes mental errors in high-stakes competitions," Economics working papers 2024-11, Department of Economics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.

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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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