DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Lifestyle
German news & articles
Extreme heat and cold make people angrier on the internet, German study finds
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Extreme heat and cold make people angrier on the internet, German study finds

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

German man dies after being hit by lightning at top of ZugspitzeGerman man dies after being hit by lightning at top of Zugspitze
Summer storm chaos: Berlin fire brigade declares state of emergencySummer storm chaos: Berlin fire brigade declares state of emergency
Dredging floated as low Rhine water levels hit German industryDredging floated as low Rhine water levels hit German industry
Heatwave: Germany braces for temperatures of up to 40CHeatwave: Germany braces for temperatures of up to 40C
40C forecast: Left calls for public "cold rooms" to help people cool off40C forecast: Left calls for public "cold rooms" to help people cool off
Hitzefrei: How hot is too hot to go to work or school in Germany?Hitzefrei: How hot is too hot to go to work or school in Germany?
Solidarity with Ukraine: 200 German radio stations play "Give Peace a Chance"Solidarity with Ukraine: 200 German radio stations play "Give Peace a Chance"
Storm Ylenia causes damage, travel chaos and flooding in northern GermanyStorm Ylenia causes damage, travel chaos and flooding in northern Germany
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Sep 11, 2022
Abi Carter

Editor in chief at IamExpat Media

Abi studied German and History at the University of Manchester and has since lived in Berlin, Hamburg and Utrecht, working since 2017 as a writer, editor and content marketeer. Although she's happily taken on some German and Dutch quirks, she keeps a stash of Yorkshire Tea on hand, because nowhere does a brew quite like home.Read more

Have you ever noticed that when the weather outside is bad you feel a little bit… short-tempered? Well, according to a new study in Germany, extreme bouts of weather have a marked effect on how people interact with each other on the internet. 

Hate speech on Twitter increases with extreme weather

According to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), there is a connection between extreme temperatures and hate speech on the internet, rbb reports. Scientists at the institute analysed more than 4 billion messages posted on Twitter in the US between 2014 and 2020, using an AI algorithm to detect hateful tweets, and cross-referenced them with weather data. 

Overall, they found that incidences of hate speech increased when the daily maximum temperature fell outside of a so-called “feel good window” of between 12 and 21 degrees celsius. The pattern was consistent, the institute said, across all climate zones, differences in income, religious and political beliefs, and location. 

As the scientists explain in the abstract of their article, published in The Lancet, the study provides “empirical evidence that hot and cold temperatures can aggravate aggressive tendencies.” 

While extreme cold temperatures between -6 and -3 degrees celsius increased the prevalence of hate tweets to 12,5 percent of all tweets, hot weather had an even more marked impact: extreme heat between 42 and 45 degrees celsius  pushed the proportion of hate tweets to 22 percent of total tweeting activity. 

Potsdam study shows connection between weather and aggression also online

The connection between weather and aggression has already been proven for “offline settings” - that is, in real life - but this is the first time that scientists have managed to show a correlation for the online world. 

The scientists said that the results shone light on a hitherto underestimated social impact of climate change, rbb reports - conflicts on social media can affect both social cohesion and individuals’ mental health. They further argued that the study suggests that humans struggle to adapt to temperature extremes. 

By Abi Carter