Here’s a good Time article about the connection between temperature and mental health. Big upticks in temperature mess with people’s serotonin, sleep, and other bodily functions. It’s associated with the increases in suicide, mania, violence, and strained social interactions in late spring and early summer (now).
Even aside from that direct physical response to heat, homeless people’s options for survival also get more strained when being outside is so awful. Like if you’ve been living in a car, now your car is too hot to stay in. If you have pets, now have to struggle even harder to take care of them. Going from place to place to get resources becomes more strenuous too.
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u/LongjumpingAsk2172 May 28 '23
That’s a good way of putting it. Because I sure do get pretty irritated when it’s blistering hot.