How Climate Affects Violence
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Researchers have long struggled to explain why some violent crime rates are higher near the equator than other parts of the world. Now, a team of researchers have developed a model that could help explain why.
This new model goes beyond the simple fact that hotter temperatures seem to be linked to more aggressive behavior.
The researchers believe that hot climates and less variation in seasonal temperatures leads to a faster life strategy, less focus on the future, and less self-control --all of which contribute to more aggression and violence.
"Climate shapes how people live, it affects the culture in ways that we don't think about in our daily lives," said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University.
Paul van Lange, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) added, "We believe our model can help explain the impact of climate on rates of violence in different parts of the world."
The researchers call the new model CLASH (CLimate Aggression, and Self-control in Humans). They describe the CLASH model in an online article in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Many studies have shown that levels of violence and aggression are higher in hot climates, according to the researchers.
"But the two leading explanations of why that is so aren't satisfactory," Bushman said.
The General Aggression Model (which Bushman helped develop) suggests hot temperatures make people uncomfortable and irritated, which makes them more aggressive. "But that doesn't explain more extreme acts, such as murder," he said.
The CLASH model states that it is not just hotter temperatures that lead to more violence -- it is also climates that have less seasonal variation in temperature.
