{"id":14852,"date":"2022-07-03T19:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-07-03T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=121613"},"modified":"2022-07-03T19:16:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-03T17:16:07","slug":"why-do-children-go-hyperactive-when-it-is-windy","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/why-do-children-go-hyperactive-when-it-is-windy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do children go hyperactive when it is windy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Christian Jarrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 03 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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There certainly seems to be widespread belief in this idea. A survey of hundreds of UK headteachers in 2020 found that the overwhelming majority (74 per cent) believed that strong wind is the worst weather for pupils\u2019 behaviour, rather than heat, snow or rain. We probably shouldn\u2019t dismiss these beliefs out of hand, but from a scientific perspective, there\u2019s little evidence to support them.<\/p>\n

A\u00a01989\u00a0study by\u00a0researchers at the\u00a0University of Lancashire<\/a> actually found that slightly fewer children were sent to a \u2018quiet room\u2019 (for disruptive behaviour) on windier days. A University of Nevada study from 1990<\/a> looked at a range of weather variables, including wind, and while preschoolers spent less time on their learning materials\u00a0during stormy weather,\u00a0they instead spent more time engaged appropriately (so\u00a0not aggressively) with peers and with teachers. The researchers surmised that children seek out more human company when the weather makes them feel uneasy \u2013 a possible effect of wind, then, but hardly consistent with the idea\u00a0that\u00a0it makes them hyper.<\/p>\n

Or consider a study\u00a0carried out at\u00a0Carleton University\u00a0in Canada\u00a0that also looked at links between young kids\u2019 behaviour and weather patterns. In this case, stronger wind had no associations with negative emotions, but it was correlated with the kids being less determined and less active. The researchers speculated this was due to the cold time of year, with the biting wind feeling harsh and demotivating \u2013 but again, this doesn\u2019t back up the idea of wind making kids go mad.<\/p>\n

Based on the little scientific research available, the idea that kids go crazy when it\u2019s windy seems to be no more than an urban myth, alongside similar evidence-free but popular beliefs, such as that sugar makes them go wild.<\/p>\n

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