Subjective Thermal Comfort, Affect, and Task Performance: The Role of Subjective Experience Under Heat Stress

This study examines how subjective thermal experience, particularly thermal comfort, relates to emotional responses and task performance under heat stress. While prior research has focused primarily on objective temperature, less is known about the role of subjective perception. Using a within-subjects design, participants (N = 26) completed tasks under three temperature conditions (control, moderate heat, and high heat), during which perceived temperature, thermal comfort, and affect were repeatedly assessed. Temperature manipulations successfully altered subjective thermal experience, but condition showed limited direct associations with affect. In contrast, thermal comfort was consistently associated with both positive and negative affect, whereas perceived temperature exhibited a nonlinear relationship with affective responses. Positive affect was associated with higher bonus-based task performance, as measured by total bonus earnings, whereas negative affect was not. However, the relationship between negative affect and performance emerged under high heat conditions, indicating a context-dependent effect. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between perceived temperature and evaluative comfort, and suggest that subjective experience may play an important role in shaping emotional and behavioral responses to thermal environments.