Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour

Thermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment, and it is assessed through subjective evaluation, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. While research has traditionally emphasised physical facto...

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Main Authors: Mehmet Furkan Özbey, Cihan Turhan, Neşe Alkan, Gulden Gokcen Akkurt
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Buildings
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2538
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author Mehmet Furkan Özbey
Cihan Turhan
Neşe Alkan
Gulden Gokcen Akkurt
author_facet Mehmet Furkan Özbey
Cihan Turhan
Neşe Alkan
Gulden Gokcen Akkurt
author_sort Mehmet Furkan Özbey
collection DOAJ
description Thermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment, and it is assessed through subjective evaluation, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. While research has traditionally emphasised physical factors, growing evidence highlights the role of the state of mind in shaping thermal perception. In a prior Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis, six mood subscales—Anger, Confusion, Vigour, Tension, Depression, and Fatigue—were examined for how they affect the absolute difference between actual and predicted thermal sensation. Depression and vigour were found to be the most influential, while confusion appeared least impactful. However, to accurately assess the role of confusion, it is necessary to consider its potential interactions with other mood subscales. To this end, a mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS tool. The mediation analyses revealed that confusion partially mediated depression’s effect in males and vigour’s effect in females. These results suggest that, despite a weak direct impact, confusion critically influences thermal perception by altering the effects of key mood states. Accounting for the indirect effects of mood states may lead to more accurate predictions of human sensory experiences and improve the design of occupant-centred environments.
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spelling doaj-art-a7548e99849b4b2a882c6e49005e845a2025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-07-011514253810.3390/buildings15142538Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and VigourMehmet Furkan Özbey0Cihan Turhan1Neşe Alkan2Gulden Gokcen Akkurt3Mechanical Engineering Department, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Atılım University, Ankara 06830, TürkiyeEnergy Systems Engineering Department, Atılım University, Ankara 06830, TürkiyePsychology Department, Atılım University, Ankara 06830, TürkiyeDepartment of Energy Systems Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, İzmir 35430, TürkiyeThermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment, and it is assessed through subjective evaluation, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers. While research has traditionally emphasised physical factors, growing evidence highlights the role of the state of mind in shaping thermal perception. In a prior Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis, six mood subscales—Anger, Confusion, Vigour, Tension, Depression, and Fatigue—were examined for how they affect the absolute difference between actual and predicted thermal sensation. Depression and vigour were found to be the most influential, while confusion appeared least impactful. However, to accurately assess the role of confusion, it is necessary to consider its potential interactions with other mood subscales. To this end, a mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS tool. The mediation analyses revealed that confusion partially mediated depression’s effect in males and vigour’s effect in females. These results suggest that, despite a weak direct impact, confusion critically influences thermal perception by altering the effects of key mood states. Accounting for the indirect effects of mood states may lead to more accurate predictions of human sensory experiences and improve the design of occupant-centred environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2538cognitive uncertaintymediation analysisProfile of Mood States questionnairethermal sensation
spellingShingle Mehmet Furkan Özbey
Cihan Turhan
Neşe Alkan
Gulden Gokcen Akkurt
Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
Buildings
cognitive uncertainty
mediation analysis
Profile of Mood States questionnaire
thermal sensation
title Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
title_full Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
title_fullStr Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
title_full_unstemmed Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
title_short Latent Psychological Pathways in Thermal Comfort Perception: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Uncertainty on Depression and Vigour
title_sort latent psychological pathways in thermal comfort perception the mediating role of cognitive uncertainty on depression and vigour
topic cognitive uncertainty
mediation analysis
Profile of Mood States questionnaire
thermal sensation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/14/2538
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