In our modern world, we are bombarded by an incessant flow of information and surrounded by a consumer-driven society that constantly vies for our attention. We encounter an average of up to 5000 advertisements per day,[i] shaping our perceptions and influencing our decision-making. In the midst of summer, with longer days and warmer temperatures, our moods are lifted, and a sense of pleasantness is instilled. How does warmth influence our cognitive processing, and what effect does this have in the context of advertising in perpetuating consumerism?

Altered cognition

The warmer temperatures in summer can lead to psychological changes known as embodied cognition. This refers to how our physical sensations unconsciously shape our perceptions, attitudes, decision-making, and cognition.[ii] Temperatures between 20°C and 30°C have been linked to positive emotions and heightened arousal.[iii] Positive emotions like tranquillity, happiness, curiosity, joy, confidence, and encouragement result in positive evaluations of stimuli in our environment. This means things are seen less negatively, and we are less critical of the things we encounter.[iv]

In warmer temperatures, embodied cognition can lead to increased reliance on social proof, which makes us more likely to conform and rely on others’ opinions.  When in a warmer environment (25 °C), we tend to rely on others’ opinions more when forming preferences about products, compared to cooler surroundings (16 °C).[v] For example, in the arena of horseracing and betting, v warmer days on average led to a convergence towards a favourite horse; the option preferred by the majority of bettors, despite typically lower returns.v This increased social reliance indicates reduced cognitive performance and a tendency towards mental laziness when evaluating situations, leading to less informed choices. Heat can result in a depletion of our cognitive processing ability,[vi] evidently in a consumer society, this can result in suboptimal purchasing decisions.

Warmer temperatures also increase the perceived value we place on objects, including products. For example, researchers found that people were willing to pay more for batteries and a chocolate cake after holding a warm pad (45 °C) compared to a cold pad (12 °C).[vii] Both embodied cognition and the elicitation of positive emotions contribute to enhanced evaluations of items and a willingness to pay more for them.

Role of Advertising

In line with our understanding of how warmer temperatures can affect our decision-making, it’s important to consider the implications within the real world. The effect of advertising and media is central to how this altered cognitive state reveals itself in our world. Advertising, in essence, serves as a form of propaganda, not in the commonly associated pejorative term, but instead by “the association, systematic scheme or concerted movement for the propagation of a particular doctrine or concept”.[viii] By this definition, advertising is regarded as the propagation of a consumer system, where companies compete to have their product at the forefront of the consumer’s mind, to purchase their product, instead of their competitors. However, the organisation and dissemination of thought propagated to us can be useful, despite its obvious flaws. Useful in alleviating the burden of meticulously evaluating every product on the market, it also raises questions about the implications of our reduced ability to make rational decisions under the influence of advertising.

The media and marketing that surround us ensure the continuation of consumption, even during the summer months when our sense of liberty and exploration may be heightened. Advertisements in warmer seasons tap into primal desires for social cohesion, freedom, and well-being. Sociologist Jean Baudrillard discussed in The Consumer Society (1970) the role of the media in shaping our perception of reality, through its constant bombardment of images, symbols, and messages, plays a significant role in creating and maintaining a consensus reality. The media not only reflects reality but actively participates in its construction and simulation. This process of manufacturing consent, or creating a consensus reality, occurs through the dissemination of images, narratives, and symbols that influence individuals’ perceptions, beliefs, and actions.[ix]

This interplay between media, industry, and our desire for continuous consumption results in a reality where demand must be perpetually sustained. In Propaganda (1928), Edward Bernays, heralded as the ‘father of public relations’ explains that

“mass production is only profitable if rhythm can be maintained … cannot afford to wait until the public asks for its product; it must maintain constant touch, through advertising and propaganda … to assure itself the continuous demand”[x]

It is within this context that our reduced cognitive capacity, influenced by advertising, becomes particularly significant.

Consider the century-long advertising history of Coca-Cola as an illustrative example. Their Christmas campaigns, featuring the iconic figure of Santa Claus since the 1920s, have solidified the association between Coca-Cola and festive traditions, family togetherness, and the joy of the holiday season. Conversely, the 1969 summer campaign capitalizes on our desires for freedom, adventure, and social cohesion. The use of sand and sunny beaches seems to in be every advertisement in the summer, instilling a sense of familiarity associated with social reliance as previously stated.