The effects of temperature on work performance in the typical office environment: A meta-analysis of current evidence

What the study found

Temperatures above about 25 °C tended to worsen accuracy or response time in some conditions, especially longer exposures and skilled tasks; moderately cooler conditions were less consistently harmful.

Limitations

Task and exposure-duration effects remain heterogeneous; pooled thresholds should not be treated as universal.

Neurodesign interpretation

The emerging pattern is not a magic temperature. It is asymmetry: sustained warmth may impose a larger cognitive cost for some skilled tasks than modest cool conditions.

Possible design implications

Design thermal zones and adaptive systems around task duration and individual variation.

Why it stays in the corpus

Retain for the most recent office-temperature performance synthesis.

Study design

Meta-analysis

Population

Participants across 30 studies

Setting

Typical office conditions

Field

Thermal environment

Mechanism

Heat exposure, task accuracy, response time

Spatial variable

Office temperature

Keywords

temperature, office, performance, meta-analysis