Many reports and analyses noticed that crimes, particularly violent crimes, increase in occurrence during the summer, especially if it is hotter than average. Some argue that the physiological reactions to heat are responsible. Raised temperatures cause an increase in heart rate, testosterone, and other metabolic reactions that trigger the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, so people are more inclined to fight. There are also numerous psychological theories. One is based on discomfort; unless you have access to climate control technology like air conditioning, it’s very hard to escape the heat. When people are experiencing discomfort and the resultant stress due to something they have no control over, it makes them angry, and the anger is often displaced onto something else, like someone being irritating in the street. This has also lead into other applications and theories, like the cognitive neoassociation theory, which argues that people exposed to unpleasant “negative” stimuli will be predisposed to anyone they associate with the unpleasant thing, which in the heat is potentially everything.

Hat tip to ABA Behavioral & Neuroscience Law Committee

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