--- title: You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside description: You’re not a nice person when it’s hot outside. But don’t be so hard on yourself: A new study says it happens to everyone. canonical: https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-26T19:35:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:13.606Z article:section: Health og:title: You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside og:description: A really hot day can induce feelings of grumpiness and even hostility og:url: https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4396039f7717f64e/6988d35d7cdbac9453d58f01/gettyimages-540761642.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5000 og:image:height: 2813 og:image:alt: Thermometer Sun 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside twitter:description: A really hot day can induce feelings of grumpiness and even hostility twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4396039f7717f64e/6988d35d7cdbac9453d58f01/gettyimages-540761642.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ed5119ca-539d-460d-8d5c-ab137056c424&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ed5119ca-539d-460d-8d5c-ab137056c424&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=ed5119ca-539d-460d-8d5c-ab137056c424&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Is the Summer Solstice Making You Happier? [Watch (HLS stream): Is the Summer Solstice Making You Happier?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rl1DI5wC.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2016-06-20. The summer solstice is June 20, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. But do the extra hours of sunshine make you happier?_ by [Amanda MacMillan / RealSimple.com](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Amanda MacMillan / RealSimple.com Jun 26, 2017 7:35 PM UTC  Thermometer Sun Sky 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures in degrees Celsius and Farenheit. Thermometer Sun Sky 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures in degrees Celsius and Farenheit. Getty Images/iStockphoto by [Amanda MacMillan / RealSimple.com](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Amanda MacMillan / RealSimple.com Jun 26, 2017 7:35 PM UTC The next time a friend calls you and asks for a favor, how willing you are to lend a hand may have a lot to do with one unexpected factor: the heat. According to a new study in the _European Journal of Social Psychol_ogy, uncomfortably hot environments make people [less likely to help](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.2242/abstract) others in need. Past research has demonstrated—and you may certainly agree—that a really hot day can induce feelings of grumpiness and even hostility toward everyone around you. But this is the first study to show a link between ambient temperature and “prosocial” behaviors, which are essentially those selfless deeds that benefit other people, organizations, or society as a whole, but not explicitly ourselves. To study this connection, researchers from Lehigh University and Northwestern University performed three experiments. In the first, they found that retail store employees were 50% less likely to engage in prosocial behaviors—like volunteering to help customers, listening actively and making suggestions—when they were working in an uncomfortably hot store compared to normal conditions. In the second experiment, even just thinking about hot temperatures was enough to influence helping behaviors. Half of the participants taking a paid online survey were asked to recall situations in which they were uncomfortably hot, and then all of the participants were asked to take another survey for no additional compensation. Only 34% of the people who imagined feeling hot were willing to complete the free survey, versus 76% of a control group. Finally, the researchers asked college students seated in either a 69-degree room or an 80-degree room to fill out a survey that would benefit a local non-profit organization. Only 64% of the students in the hot room agreed to answer at least one question, compared to 95% in the cool room. And those in the hot room who did participate answered only about one-sixth of the questions those in the cool room did. The researchers were able to show that hot and muggy environments increased fatigue and reduced positive mood, which directly led to less helping behavior. Understanding this connection may help people better anticipate—and possibly prevent—these types of harmful or undesirable behaviors, they say. “Even though one cannot control or change the weather itself, it is feasible to control one’s ambient environment,” they wrote in their paper. Lead author Liuba Belkin, associate professor of management at Lehigh University, says the study can offer important advice to workplace supervisors and group leaders. “If managers would like to encourage prosocial behavior in their organizations under adverse environment, they should try to minimize job-related stress and create comfortable environments for employees,” she says. Expressing empathy and trying to think about situations from their employees’ point of view may also help, she adds. _This_ [_article_](https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/hot-temperatures-reduce-helping-behavior/?xid=time-rs) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://realsimple.com/?xid=time-rs) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/"},"headline":"You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside","datePublished":"2017-06-26T19:35:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:13.606Z","description":"A really hot day can induce feelings of grumpiness and even hostility","url":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/","keywords":["Research","weather","heat","heat wave","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4396039f7717f64e/6988d35d7cdbac9453d58f01/gettyimages-540761642.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda MacMillan / RealSimple.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4396039f7717f64e/6988d35d7cdbac9453d58f01/gettyimages-540761642.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Thermometer Sun 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures","caption":"Thermometer Sun 40 Degres. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures","creditText":"Getty Images/iStockphoto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/","name":"You're Not a Nice Person When It's Hot Outside"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Is the Summer Solstice Making You Happier?","description":"The summer solstice is June 20, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. But do the extra hours of sunshine make you happier?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/rl1DI5wC/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-06-20T15:15:29.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rl1DI5wC.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/","duration":"PT50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4833530/summer-heat-wave-mood/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```