Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2014
  • Article
  • Journal of Applied Psychology

Rainmakers: Why Bad Weather Means Good Productivity

By: Jooa Julia Lee, Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

People believe that weather conditions influence their everyday work life, but to date, little is known about how weather affects individual productivity. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we predict and find that bad weather increases individual productivity and that it does so by eliminating potential cognitive distractions resulting from good weather. When the weather is bad, individuals appear to focus more on their work than on alternate outdoor activities. We investigate the proposed relationship between worse weather and higher productivity through four studies: (1) field data on employees' productivity from a bank in Japan; (2) two studies from an online labor market in the United States; (3) a laboratory experiment. Our findings suggest that worker productivity is higher on bad rather than good weather days and that cognitive distractions associated with good weather may explain the relationship. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our research.

Keywords

Productivity; Opportunity Cost; Distractions; Weather; Performance Productivity; Cognition and Thinking

Citation

Lee, Jooa Julia, Francesca Gino, and Bradley R. Staats. "Rainmakers: Why Bad Weather Means Good Productivity." Journal of Applied Psychology 99, no. 3 (May 2014): 504–513.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • January 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments

    By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
    • December 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Ed Catmull: Lessons from Leading Pixar Animation Studios

    By: Francesca Gino, Linda Hill, Gary Pisano and Ruth Page
    • December 2022
    • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    'Just Letting You Know…': Underestimating Others' Desire for Constructive Feedback

    By: Nicole Abi-Esber, Jennifer E. Abel, Juliana Schroeder and Francesca Gino
More from the Authors
  • Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
  • Ed Catmull: Lessons from Leading Pixar Animation Studios By: Francesca Gino, Linda Hill, Gary Pisano and Ruth Page
  • 'Just Letting You Know…': Underestimating Others' Desire for Constructive Feedback By: Nicole Abi-Esber, Jennifer E. Abel, Juliana Schroeder and Francesca Gino
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College