Is it true that people living in a warmer country tend to be lazy and less productive in their work? Why?
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Name : Jenny, Gender : F, Race : Asian, Age : 26, City : Sunny Isles, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Whose standards are we going by when evaluating whether cultures from warmer environments are 'lazy'? Western? Yes, if you view other cultures through the lenses of Western eliticism, some may appear to be more laid-back, particularly those that are tribal. Why are they more 'laid-back'? It's probably because many of them are located in areas where food is plentiful and easy to get. So they have more time to enjoy their lives and put their energy into developing their spirituality. This DOES NOT MEAN that people who originated from these types of cultures are prone to be lazy and less productive. All of that is based on a person's personality.
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Name : Kristina26248, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 23, City : DC, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : Word Processor, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, In hot climates a slower pace is just a survival adaptation. In many pleaces work ceases for the hottest part of the day; it cuts down on death. Laziness is not the issue.
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Name : Vail, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, This is a myth developed as a result of Spanish colonization. The siesta is a Spanish cultural legacy that was imported to their South American colonies and fit right in with native practices - taking a break in the middle of the day makes a great deal of sense when you're in a tropical region. Furthermore, working at a back-breaking pace was a sure ticket to sun stroke or heat exhaustion, so workers tended to proceed slowly but steadily. The result is that visitors saw natives who (gasp) weren't in constant motion and concluded that they were lazy. While the siesta is of questionable necessity in the United States, it is a cultural legacy of many people from South American and tropical cultures.
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Name : Alex29024, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 21, City : Beloit, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, Tell that to the Ancient Egyptians. The Sumerians. The Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico. The Kingdoms of Ghana and Mali and Ethiopia in Africa ... you get my point. There have been hard-working and productive people in all parts of the globe. The stereotype of lazy tropical people came from European racists who wanted to justify their domination of tropical countries.
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Name : ACC25032, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, Age : 38, City : San Antonio, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I don't think we should classify all of the citizens in a country as lazy or less productive. I do remember track coaches wanted us to sit in the shade or wear the warmups before we ran. It was supposed to prevent us from absorbing the sun and getting tired, which I think worked (thinking back to how tired I was after sitting on the deck at home for a few hours). Maybe those who work out in full sun and heat absorb it and must take more water breaks than those in shade/air conditioning, which makes them seem 'lazy' or less productive.
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Name : Anne23841, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : Cedar Falls, State : IA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I do not know if that is true, but one thing I have noticed is that most countries near the equator (where it is the warmest) tend to be the least productive or the poorest.
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Name : Kari, Gender : F, Race : American Indian, Age : 19, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Warm weather slow your motions. This makes you lazy and indeed less productive at work unless of course work is done under controlled weather conditions. A/C is not common use everywere and no way outdoors. You should know f.e. up north in my country (Peru, S.A.)businesses will close from 1 PM to 5 PM in order to cope with the heat at that time
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Name : Ricardo, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 45, City : Lima, State : NA Country : Peru, Occupation : Insurance, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, My only experience of this alleged phenomenon was in Kenya. Some people of European and Asian descent who live in or visit Africa hold the opinion that black Africans are lazy and less productive than other races. I think one factor that has contributed to this impression is a cultural distinction that goes back centuries, because tribal people lived without the tyranny of the clock or a sense of urgency about 'work' -- they worked hard at what was necessary for survival, and enjoyed whatever leisure time they could manage to get. Another factor that I have observed but have never heard anyone else talk about is chronic illness. In some parts of Africa, diseases like malaria and sleeping sickness are endemic -- not to mention HIV/AIDS, which has decimated Africa in the last decade. Naturally, someone who is sick will not be at their best and will probably appear to be tired and 'lazy' because the disease saps their mental and physical energy. So perhaps the fact that Africans in colonial times were often chronically ill, and perhaps malnourished to a degree, is at the root of the impression that they are 'lazy' -- as well as a cultural disinclination to be ruled by a 9-to-5 way of thinking about work. Just a guess!
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Name : Sarah, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 50, City : Frederick, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : business owner, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Lazy? I don't think so. Less productive? Maybe. I beleave they move more slowly to help keep down body temperatures in the heat. In some cases this may result in lower productivity, in others it may increase. I'm guessing a little but it makes sense to me.
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Name : Don B, City : Greeley, State : CO Country : United States, I lived near the equator for 10 years and found people to be productive and hard-working. In many Latin American countries, people take a long break in the middle of the day to enjoy a relaxing lunch. The custom is built into their systems, and no one seems willing to change it at this point to conform to the Protestant work ethic (would you?). Modern Latins don't hang in hammocks or shun the sun at midday. They eat, shop, nap, and even WORK! Besides, there is a growing school of thought that Americans would do well by following the 'siesta model.' Turns out that a short midday nap can be refreshing and be good for your health and long-term well-being. Perhaps it would end road rage, bigotry, workaholism, and some of the other ills of our 'advanced' society.
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Name : Deborah-W25780, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 46, City : Denver, State : CO Country : United States, Occupation : Journalist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, If you travel in tropical Africa you will understand. Endemic malaria, dysentary and other tropical diseases sap your energy and leave you listless. The heat and humidity take there toll. Been there, done that.
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Name : Scott-M28177, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Vancouver, State : WA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, I lived in Florida for a while and people were lazy as hell down there. I think that when every day is laying-on-the-beach-and-drinking-frozen-margaritas weather, people don't want to stay in the office all the time.
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Name : Kate, Gender : F, Age : 26, City : Jersey City, State : NJ Country : United States, I think it has to do with survival of the elements. In colder climates, People had to better protect themselves from the winter. They had to ensure their survival by building shelter that would withstand harsh winters. They had to grow food that could be stored so they could eat, they had to come up with ways to preserve food, Protect their livestock. They had to make clothes to keep warm This entails hard work. In warmer cliamtes all you needed was a grass shack shelter which could easily be rebuilt if destroyed from the occasional storm. Fruit and game are around all the time due to warm temp all you needed was maybe a small boat and pair of shorts.
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Name : Ted Turko, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 33, City : Yonkers, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Construction Mgr., Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I am from Arizona, and have spent 5 years in Saudi Arabia, so 'hot' is likely not to be the cause. I suspect cultural 'brainwashing' over the last 300-400 years has resulted in a tendency to perhaps slow things down a bit in the hot part of the day, like the colonial 'roll models' did. Sure, there may be some of this evident, but there is also a good chance that a lot of work gets done at cooler times of the day, in many cultures.
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Name : Ron29646, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Lutheran, Age : 56, City : APO, State : NA Country : Forward Location, Occupation : Pilot Training, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 
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