Effects of Ambient Temperature and Seating Arrangement on Personal and Environmental Evaluations

Abstract
Forty male and 40 female undergraduates participating in same-sex pairs were seated either facing each other or adjacent to each other in a room maintained at either 73°F (23°C) or 97°F (36°). The warmer room led to more negative affect and to marginally more negative evaluations of the environment. Moreover, males and females evaluated the environment more favorably when seated adjacent to each other than when across from each other. None of the independent variables influenced interpersonal attraction, performance on a symbol cancellation task, nor responses to two self-report measures of personal space.