Outdoor thermal comfort characteristics in the hot and humid region from a gender perspective

Chien Hung Tung, Chen Peng Chen, Kang Ting Tsai, Noémi Kántor, Ruey Lung Hwang, Andreas Matzarakis, Tzu Ping Lin

研究成果: Article同行評審

94 引文 斯高帕斯(Scopus)

摘要

Thermal comfort is a subjective psychological perception of people based also on physiological thermoregulation mechanisms when the human body is exposed to a combination of various environmental factors including air temperature, air humidity, wind speed, and radiation conditions. Due to the importance of gender in the issue of outdoor thermal comfort, this study compared and examined the thermal comfort-related differences between male and female subjects using previous data from Taiwanese questionnaire survey. Compared with males, the results indicated that females in Taiwan are less tolerant to hot conditions and intensely protect themselves from sun exposure. Our analytical results are inconsistent with the findings of previous physiological studies concerning thermal comfort indicating that females have superior thermal physiological tolerance than males. On the contrary, our findings can be interpreted on psychological level. Environmental behavioral learning theory was adopted in this study to elucidate this observed contradiction between the autonomic thermal physiological and psychological–behavioral aspects. Women might desire for a light skin tone through social learning processes, such as observation and education, which is subsequently reflected in their psychological perceptions (fears of heat and sun exposure) and behavioral adjustments (carrying umbrellas or searching for shade). Hence, these unique psychological and behavioral phenomena cannot be directly explained by autonomic physiological thermoregulation mechanisms. The findings of this study serve as a reference for designing spaces that accommodates gender-specific thermal comfort characteristics. Recommendations include providing additional suitable sheltered areas in open areas, such as city squares and parks, to satisfy the thermal comfort needs of females.

原文English
頁(從 - 到)1927-1939
頁數13
期刊International journal of biometeorology
58
發行號9
DOIs
出版狀態Published - 2014 10月 9

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • 生態學
  • 大氣科學
  • 健康、毒理學和誘變

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