Will growing up in San Diego make you more friendly and outgoing? A new study says yes

Can growing up in San Diego make you more friendly and outgoing?

A new study published in Nature on Monday found that people who grew up in regions with milder temperatures scored higher on personality factors related to socialization and stability — agreeableness, conscientiousness and emotional stability — than people who grew up in less mild areas.

The Washington Post compared kids from San Diego and Marquette, Michigan, as examples in a story it published about the study on Monday.

The Post pointed out that the average high temperature is about 70 degrees in San Diego, while a child — with a similar background — raised in Marquette, Michigan, would experience an average high of about 50 degrees.

“All else being equal, the kid in San Diego is more likely to grow up to be friendlier, more outgoing and more willing to explore new things,” The Washington Post reported.

Researchers studied individuals in both the U.S. and China and hypothesized that temperature is a key factor that relates to personality. They even went so far as to say “as climate change continues across the world, we may also observe concomitant changes in human personality.”

“As a warm-blooded species, humans have the existential need for thermal comfort,” the study says. “Clement (that is, mild) temperatures encourage individuals to explore the outside environment, where both social interactions and new experiences abound; by contrast, when the ambient temperature is too hot or too cold, individuals are less likely to go outside (for example, to meet up with friends, or to try new activities).”

With the threshold of its study being 72 degrees, though not mentioned specifically by the researchers, it’s pretty safe to say San Diego would fall into the group with the *better* personalities.

So native San Diegans should be more agreeable, conscientious and emotionally stable, the study says.

The Washington Post’s report — shared on Twitter — comparing kids from Michigan and San Diego set off a whirlwind of debate.

Some immediately agreed with the comparison.

Others were confused by or skeptical of the study.

What do you think, San Diego?

Send us a tweet to @sdutideas or email abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com and we may add your opinion to this page.

You can read more about the study here.