Article: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/07/psychology-why-summer-makes-us-lazy.html
In this article, the author is concerned about how summer can decrease productivity. She begins the article with a hook, which is a complaint by the Harvard librarian John Langdon Sibley about the summer heat. Recent studies suggest that Sibley's observation is still accurate today because people tend to be less productive when the weather is pleasant, and it is the opposite with bad weather. Even the thought of nice weather can interfere with people's cognitive abilities. The author primarily uses surveys throughout the article to explain the role of weather on productivity. She also says that a person's cognitive ability seems to improve up to a certain temperature and then deteriorate. She concludes the article by suggesting that a person can maintain the level of his or her concentration when the weather gets hotter by eating something cold and sweet such as ice cream.
Overall, I found this article to be intriguing. It obviously makes sense that extreme weather can affect a person's concentration, and I already sort of knew that pleasant weather can lead to thoughts on doing fun activities. However, I was mostly surprised by what research has shown because I have never imagined that weather or even the thought of it can play such a significant role in a person's cognitive ability and his or her ability to work. I tend to be a little unproductive sometimes, and it was interesting to hear about one of the possible reasons why. I also found the conclusion striking.
The article itself is well-organized, well-explained, and has an effective hook. These aspects, along with the surveys the author provided, make the content logical and easy to comprehend. Therefore, the article gives ideas of what a good essay should look like.
Hi Nathan!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your analysis of the author's writing style and technique. You had an excellent blend of commentary and analysis that I thought was extremely helpful in understanding the article better. I too was surprised that weather played such a large role in our daily productivity. I made the assumption that it only played a small part but was shocked that warm or cold weather could have such a large effect on my willingness to work. Your article and commentary were intriguing and extremely helpful.