RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MOOD STATES AND PEDESTRIANS’ THERMAL PERCEPTION

Abstract

Studies reveal that psychological aspects such as those triggered by mood states can influence subjective thermal assessment. It is investigated whether the mood state reported during the thermal comfort interviews is a psychological factor that influences the pedestrians’ thermal perception in outdoor environments. Thermal monitoring was conducted alongside the administration of questionnaires in outdoor locations in Cuiabá City - Mato Grosso State (Brazil), a region with a tropical climate. The thermal sensation vote (TSV), segmented according to the reported Mood State (neutrality, positivity, and negativity) was correlated with thermal conditions, expressed by the UTCI index. Greater thermal sensitivity was evidenced in individuals belonging to the group with negative moods, indicating that they feel more heat as thermal stress rises, wish for milder thermal environments, and declare themselves uncomfortable in thermal environments compared to those belonging to the neutral and positive groups. A higher neutral temperature and angular coefficient derived from the linear trend curve obtained between UTCI and TSV confirm this behavior of the negative group. The variance between thermal environment conditions and mood states did not explain the variation in thermal sensation between the groups, and other intervening factors in thermal perception should be considered.