Does distance from the equator predict self-control? Lessons from the Human Penguin Project

Behav Brain Sci. 2017 Jan:40:e86. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X16001035.

Abstract

We comment on the proposition "that lower temperatures and especially greater seasonal variation in temperature call for individuals and societies to adopt … a greater degree of self-control" (Van Lange et al., sect. 3, para. 4) for which we cannot find empirical support in a large data set with data-driven analyses. After providing greater nuance in our theoretical review, we suggest that Van Lange et al. revisit their model with an eye toward the social determinants of self-control.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Aggression*
  • Animals
  • Climate
  • Humans
  • Self-Control*
  • Spheniscidae
  • Violence