Extreme heat can make you angrier. Here’s how to stay cool during Charleston’s next ‘hatewave.’

If the people in your life have seemed a bit more agitated than normal recently, there’s a decent chance it’s because of the heat. Call it a hatewave, if you will.

Extreme heat can exacerbate mental health issues and cause an increase in irritability and impulsivity, according to the American Psychological Association.

Susan Clayton, a social and environmental psychologist at the College of Wooster in Ohio, said our brains only have so much processing power. Being uncomfortable and overheated can compromise our ability to think calmly.

 “When you’re using all your cognitive resources to think about how hot you are, you’re less likely to think of alternative perspectives and (you’re) more likely to go with your own instinctive response,” Clayton explained.

She said a growing body of research indicates that violent crime and conflict also increases with the temperature.

“One of the ways in which that’s seen is actually suicide,” she continued. “Suicide is often considered a sort of aggressive act towards yourself, and suicide attempts and successful suicides go up during higher temperatures.”

South Carolina has been smothered under an oppressive heat dome the past several days. Temperatures have repeatedly hit extreme levels, according to the National Weather Service, triggering intermittent warnings from the agency to avoid outdoor activity. Nightfall hasn’t helped much, as the Weather Service reports that overnight conditions also have been miserably hot — depriving South Carolinians a chance to cool off (mentally and physically) after the sun sets.

The heatwave is forecast to start clearing out August 1, according to the Weather Service’s Heat Risk tracker. But it’s just a matter of time until the Lowcountry is hit with another bout of sweaty, sticky conditions — because long-term, things aren’t likely to cool off.

Summers are getting longer and hotter in a changing climate, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA reports that the average number of heatwaves across the country has tripled since the 1960s — from an average of two per year up to six in the 2010s and 2020s.

So will those hotter summers translate to more days of rage?

“Well, I would hate to be that pessimistic,” Clayton said. “That’s a likely effect, but it depends on how we respond.”

One of the best steps to mitigate the mental health impacts of heat starts at the public policy level, according to the American Psychological Association. The group says that cities and local governments should ensure that residents have ample opportunities and avenues to cool off during heat waves. And Clayton said that, long-term, increased psychological and counseling services can help people cope with temperature increases.

In the near-term, Clayton said people should try to cool down (literally and figuratively) and recognize that the heat might be impacting their attitude. Try practicing empathy with others who are in the same predicament — hot, sweaty and annoyed.

“ If your instinct is to yell at somebody or to punch somebody or to do something else that’s aggressive, just take a beat,” she said. “Give yourself time to override that instinctive effect.”

Dehydration also can increase stress, anxiety and irritability, according to the University of California Los Angeles. The university recommends seeking out human connections and socialization during heat waves to boost mental health. (But maybe don’t get too close. Everyone’s sweaty.)

The American Psychological Association reports that “almost all” psychotropic medications, which are used to treat conditions such as anxiety and depression, can impede the human body’s ability to regulate heat — so people taking those medications should be extra cautious of heat exhaustion.