The Hidden Connection Between Weather Conditions and Work Productivity

Ever found yourself staring out the window on a lovely spring afternoon, your mind a thousand miles away from that report due at 5pm? Or caught yourself inexplicably pumped to power through your list on a rainy afternoon? Weather affects our productivity in the office in ways most of us never even consider - but decades of science have been tracking these patterns.

Those spikes and dips in productivity are not in your head. Science consistently shows that what is happening outside your window affects what is happening inside your head. It's not just mood, either - certain kinds of weather can measurably impact cognitive function, choice-making, imagination, and focus.

The Temperature Effect

The optimal working temperature? According to research, it's 70-72°F (21-22°C). If it gets too warm in the office, our systems pilfer energy to cool us rather than operating efficiently. One Cornell study showed that the error rate increased 44% when office temperatures dipped below 68°F. The brain, it seems, does not like being too hot or too cold (2).