High temperatures are associated with an increase in suicides

Until now we knew that the harsh winter has psychological effects, causing disruptions in 5% of the world's population, but the heat can create feelings of confinement, loneliness and suicidal tendencies, report the scientists of Stanford and Berkeley Universities in California, adding that if the temperature continues to rise, as it is estimated, in thirty years we will record 21,000 more suicides.

By 2050, the average global temperature will rise by two degrees Celsius, which can not only undermine crops and raise sea levels but also affect people's minds and moods.

The University's research team looked at suicide rates and statuses on social media platforms such as Twitter.

The hotter the region, the more people tweeted about feeling lonely, trapped and suicidal. And indeed regardless of their social or economic level. The heat appears to have destabilized their emotional state, increasing violent and aggressive behavior and undermining empathy and kindness towards fellow humans.

"We have been studying the effects of heat on psychology for years. "We found that people become more violent in areas with high temperatures," said Solomon Hsiang, one of the study's leaders from the University of Berkeley.

Scientists estimate that by 2050, suicide rates in the U.S. will increase by 1.4% while in Mexico by 2.3%. The increase is comparable to that observed in periods of economic recession.

High temperatures are not the only or the most important factor that increases the risk of suicide, the scientists say, but their findings clearly show that rising temperatures are associated with worsening mental health and a tendency towards violent behavior that sometimes turns and to oneself.