The influence of physical experiences on our behavior, performance. decisions and judgments- a review

Proceedings of The 4th International Conference on New Trends in Social Sciences

Year: 2022

DOI:

[PDF]

The influence of physical experiences on our behavior, performance. decisions and judgments- a review

Thalma Lobel

ABSTRACT: 

I will review findings showing how amazingly and without our awareness, our behavior, cognitive performance,  judgments and decisions are influenced by seemingly irrelevant stimuli such as the temperature and texture of the things we touch, the colors we see,  and the cloths we wear  For example, people in a warmer room perceived the opinions of others as being more valid and were more willing to conform to those opinions, as opposed to people in a colder room. A woman whose photo was depicted against a red background was perceived as more attractive than the same woman whose photo was depicted against a white or green background. People who stared at a green color even for a very short time performed better than those who stared at a achromatic surface, and people exercise more self-control in a well-lit room than in a room with dim lighting. People who had a cell phone on their desks performed significantly worse than those who did not, even when the cell phone was turned off.
The findings have direct implications to almost every aspect of our personal and professional life. They have implications to business negotiations, to interactions with our children, parents, spouses and friends, to dating, job interviews, sports and education.

keywords: cognitive performance, decisions, judgments, physical experiences, temperature.