Check out this answer from Consensus:
The perception of 65 degrees Fahrenheit as “cold” can be subjective and context-dependent. Research indicates that exposure to cold temperatures can have mixed effects on cognitive performance, potentially enhancing complex task performance while impairing simpler tasks. Physiologically, organisms exhibit significant stress responses to cold shocks, and human mortality rates tend to increase with temperatures below an optimal threshold. Therefore, while 65 degrees Fahrenheit may not be extremely cold, it can still have notable impacts on health and cognitive function, particularly for those not acclimatized to such temperatures.
The perception of temperature as “cold” can vary widely depending on various factors, including geographical location, acclimatization, and individual physiological responses. This synthesis examines research findings related to the effects of cold temperatures, specifically around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 18 degrees Celsius), on human health and cognitive performance.
Key Insights
- Cognitive Performance and Cold Exposure:
- Exposure to cold temperatures (10 degrees Celsius) and dim lighting conditions can lead to improved performance on complex cognitive tasks but a decline in accuracy on simple tasks. This suggests that cold temperatures may increase arousal, enhancing performance on tasks requiring higher cognitive effort1.
- Physiological Responses to Cold:
- In the hyperthermophilic methanarchaeon Methanococcus jannaschii, a cold shock to 65 degrees Celsius (from an optimal growth temperature of 85 degrees Celsius) resulted in upregulation of genes involved in transcription, translation, and protein folding. This indicates a significant physiological response to what is considered a cold shock for this organism2.
- Mortality and Temperature:
- In the Dutch population, mortality rates increase with temperatures below the optimum of 16.5 degrees Celsius. Specifically, for each degree Celsius decrease below this optimum, mortality rates increased by 0.22% for malignant neoplasms, 1.69% for cardiovascular diseases, 5.15% for respiratory diseases, and 1.37% for total mortality. This suggests that temperatures around 65 degrees Fahrenheit could be associated with increased health risks, particularly for vulnerable populations3.