Every summer, when temperatures reach record levels and heat waves are becoming more and more frequenta question emerges that interests both science and social sciences: do all humans perceive heat in the same way? At first glance it might seem so, but the reality is much more complex.
The ability to support high temperatures depends in fact on a combination of biological, cultural, historical and environmental factors. The hot is not just a meteorological condition: And an experience lived and interpreted in different ways by human societies.
How the climate influences society’s lifestyle: some examples
The idea that the climate influence the way we live is not new. Cultural ecology anthropologists, including Julian Stewarthave highlighted how environmental conditions contribute to shape social organization, the economy and even daily habits.
In warmer regions of the planet, many cultural practices can be interpreted as true adaptation strategies to high temperatures.
The famous siesta spread to many areas of the Mediterranean and Latin Americafor example, does not arise simply from a cultural preference, but from the need to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
Likewise, in the countries of Persian Gulf or North Africamost traditional activities are concentrated at dawn or after sunset. Architecture also tells this story: the internal courtyards of Arab houses, the narrow streets of Moroccan medinas or the houses built in raw earth in the Sahel are the result of centuries of collective experimentation to create cooler environments without resorting to modern technologies.
In this sense, heat is not just something we suffer, but a force that contributes to shaping the way in which societies organize time, space and social relations.
Living with extreme heat: lessons from desert people
They exist communities that inhabit some of the hottest areas on the planetwhere temperatures can regularly exceed 45 or even 50 degrees. Studying these populations allows us to understand how humans have developed extraordinary forms of resilience.
THE Tuareg of the Sahara they are often cited as a case in point. Their long dresses and the traditional veil covering the face they may appear counterintuitive to those who associate heat with the need to discover oneself.
In reality these garments protect against direct solar radiationreduce fluid loss and create a sort of microclimate around the body. Similarly, i Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula they have built up a detailed knowledge of the area over time. of air currents and water sources that allows them to move in apparently hostile environments.
Him too Australian Aborigines they have developed surprising techniques for living with extreme heat. Some research has highlighted how traditional knowledge of the landscape, handed down orally for generations, allows for identification natural refuges, safe routes and invisible water resources to external observers.
These examples demonstrate that climate resilience does not only depend on the physiological, but above all on theaccumulation of cultural knowledge that allows us to interpret and manage the environment.
The ability of the human body to adapt to high temperatures
One of the most fascinating results of modern physiology concerns the ability of the human body to change in response to the environment. This process is called acclimatization.
The studies conducted on agricultural workers, soldiers and athletes they show that they are enough two to three weeks of regular exposure to heat to produce significant changes. Sweating becomes more efficient, blood circulates better to the skin and the heart works with less effort during physical activity.
Some researchers have observed that the inhabitants of tropical regions they start to sweat earlier than those who live in temperate climates and often have a greater efficiency in heat dissipation.
However, such differences are primarily the result of prolonged exposure to the environment and not of presumed biological superiority. This finding has important contemporary implications. A person born in Scandinavians who spend years in the Persian Gulf can develop a tolerance to the heat much higher than someone who grew up in southern Europe but had little exposure to high temperatures. There biologytherefore, it is less deterministic than previously thought.
Cultures’ adaptation strategies to the heat
The French anthropologist Marcel Mauss (1934) he argued that every society develops some “body techniques”, that is, culturally learned ways of using one’s body in the environment. The relationship with heat is a perfect example of this.
Many practices that today we consider simple traditions can be reinterpreted as sophisticated climate adaptation strategies. The Mediterranean siesta, the white houses of Andalusia, the internal courtyards of Arab homes, the Persian wind towers and the shaded spaces of North African markets represent solutions developed long before the invention of air conditioning.
Also nutrition plays an important role. In many tropical societies, minimally processed foods are consumed, rich in water, spices and fermented ingredients. Some studies suggest that the use of hot spices can promote sweating and indirectly contribute to body cooling.
Ultimately, the heat it’s not just a matter of degrees Celsius. It’s a biological phenomenon, cultural and historical. Societies that have lived for centuries in extreme environments demonstrate that climate resilience does not depend solely on genetics or technology, but also on collective capacity to develop knowledge, practices and ways of inhabiting the world.
