Temperature discomfort impairs everyday cognition: a pilot study using smartwatch-based ecological momentary assessment

Abstract High ambient temperatures are associated with a variety of negative outcomes, from exacerbated mental illness to aggression to increased dementia symptoms. One possible proximal mechanism influencing these impacts is heat-related changes in cognition. These effects of extreme heat on cognition have been widely investigated; however, the relationship between thermal discomfort at typically experienced temperatures and everyday cognition has received minimal attention. This pilot study evaluates the feasibility of a smartwatch-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) design for effectively assessing this relationship. We examine whether thermal discomfort and distracting temperatures are sufficient to impair both objective ( N -back task performance) and subjective (self-reported alertness) cognitive function. Results demonstrated that thermal discomfort led to worse performance on the N -back task. These effects were not affected by time of day but did show an interaction with acclimatization effects. The presence of distracting temperatures was also associated with lower scores on the N -back task. Taken together, the results of this pilot study demonstrate that deviations from comfortable temperature conditions can impair executive attention and cognitive control in daily life. Further, they highlight the utility of using combined EMA surveys and cognitive tasks to examine the effects of the physical environment on cognitive performance.