Impact of Temperature on Human Performance: Evidence from Online Game Behavior in China

Assistant Professor, WISE, Xiamen University

Personal Webpage:

http://www.wise.xmu.edu.cn/people/faculty/85baa506_9087_4c89_979e_4a9fd19ff60b.html

This paper provides the first empirical evidence for short-run impacts of outdoor temperature on human performance in China. We provide a new measurement on human performance using gamers' productivity in a popular computer-based online game. After exploiting cross-player and cross-day variations of temperature and game records, we find that low temperature leads to longer game time and lower gamer performance. Each degree decrease in temperature below 0 C degrees leads to 6.5 more minutes on gaming and 1.6% decrease in gamers' productivity on average. Temperature impacts show heterogeneity based on gamers' devotion ot the game and weekly pattern. Human adaptive behavior through heating decreases negative impacts of outdoor temperature significantly. We also find some evidences of negative impacts on gamers' productivity from high temperature above 21C degrees. Our results draws attention to potential damages of low temperature on human performance, especially in regions with limited access to heating while being exposed to extreme cold.