Investigating the Relationship between Thermal Comfort and Human Psychology: A Review

Abstract

The state of mind is a crucial factor in thermal sensation and should be thoroughly understood in studies of thermal comfort while integrating human psychology into the literature. Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percentage of dissatisfied percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) method is a cornerstone in thermal comfort research. On the other hand, the adaptive thermal comfort (ATC) model provides a broader perspective by including behavioral and psychological adjustments, along with the personal and environmental parameters outlined in Fanger's PMV/PPD method. However, literature investigates the ATC model predominantly focuses on behavioral adaptations, neglecting psychological adjustments emphasized by ASHRAE as integral to "the state of mind. Moreover, qualitative approaches dominate the literature, with limited quantitative investigations. Therefore, this paper aims to address the importance of human psychology by systematically reviewing previous field studies to elucidate the magnitude and significance of psychological adjustments to the thermal comfort. Additionally, it introduces the Turhan and Özbey coefficients, derived from a quantitative study, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of psychological factors on thermal comfort. This work is highlighted the importance of the human psychology to achieve better indoor environmental quality in aspects of thermal comfort.