Hot temper, or hot temperature?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Climate change is intensifying. Extreme heat days are becoming more frequent.
Alongside temperatures, mental health diagnoses are also on the rise! How climate change affects mental health remains an important gap in research! Is there a link between the two?
Aneta Kwak at Rush University and team analyzed data from all fifty U.S. states. They found extreme heat days were associated with increased mental health concerns! This included anxiety and depression.
But researchers suggested the findings could improve policies and healthcare strategies, particularly for vulnerable populations.
Ugggh, and that’s got me all HOT and BOTHERED!
Kwak, A., Pendleton, D., & Li, C. C. (2026). Mental health impacts of extreme heat exposure in the United States: Results from a state-level analysis. Journal of psychiatric research, 193, 447–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.12.015