Psychology as a Component of the Thermal Experience

We spend about 90% of our time indoors hence thermal comfort is a central theme in the building environment community. Providing thermal comfort requires the application of physiological, environmental, behavioural and psychological variables as well as considering preferred conditions. The definition, though, leans quite heavily towards psychological mechanisms as the most widely accepted definition is “that state of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment”.

However, our industry approach to meeting thermal comfort does not usually consider the psyche of individuals. From comfort models to thermostats, most methods employed use a rather statistical approach to derive what is accepted as comfortable thermal settings. Therefore, it can be argued that the derived thermal comfort settings and the experience of these comfort settings do not always synchronize. Notably, numerous studies have observed that subjects accept and often prefer settings outside the comfort bands of most models. The notion that mathematically derived comfort settings are successful in providing comfortable settings; for the majority of occupants is being questioned; especially as some researchers are devising personal comfort models.

Thermal sensation is the physiological perception of the thermal environment. Psychophysiology, the study of mental state and physiological responses, demonstrates that perception can be influenced by a person's psychological condition. Although there have been numerous studies on psychophysiology, most are from the field of psychology. Little has been researched into how emotions or mental state influence thermal perception; which can inform the way in which we provide comfort settings.

Despite the lack of research, the effects of poor thermal comfort conditions in workplaces have become of particular interest in recent years; the introduction of the WELL Building Standard which encourages a holistic approach to design concerned with the wellbeing of potential occupants. This has empowered companies, and facilities teams capture data on conditions influence absenteeism, productivity and high energy demand.

Issues like stress and job dissatisfaction can increase heart rate, which makes the body more sensitive to the environment or sometimes less adaptable to temperature variations. Some have even cited psychosis as having an impact on comfort perceptions as a person's ability to ascertain actual comfort settings may be impaired after trauma. The industry is starting to recognise this as the Wellcome Trust's 6-month exhibition ‘Living With Buildings - Health & Architecture’ highlighted the requirement to consider other methods to quantify comfort in buildings including the health of occupants in hospitals.

Architects are now taking on the responsibility for designing spaces that enhance how occupants feel and interact spatially and socially. An example of such is the exhibition ‘Losing Myself’ Venice, Biennale that allows visitors to explore how those with dementia experience and interpret buildings spatially. The exhibition demonstrates the multidisciplinary nature required for research in this area as architects engaged with psychologists, neuroscientists, health workers, philosophers and anthropologists.

The industry needs to consider how psychological principles influence the delivery of thermal comfort models to improve overall thermal experiences; this would support lower energy use and higher comfort satisfaction.

Incorporating these principles means encompassing multivariate research methods used by psychologists and other fields such as physiological and environmental aspects.

As the industry considers innovative ways to meet sustainability aims; we should consider the influence of psychology and mental health has on achieving thermal comfort, and the cost of not providing this on energy consumption. New paradigms for comfort standards would greatly optimise energy conservation. Personal comfort models are a way of achieving this since they promote lower energy consumption, and are specific to occupants.