A "clash" of causes for climate change.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Researchers long have struggled to explain why some violent crime rates are higher near the equator than other parts of the world. Now, a team of researchers have developed a model that could help explain the phenomenon. This new model goes beyond the simple fact that hotter temperatures seem to be linked to more aggressive behavior.

The researchers believe that hot climates and less variation in seasonal temperatures leads to a faster life strategy, less focus on the future, and less self-control--all of which contribute to more aggression and violence, adding that "climate shapes how people live; it affects the culture in ways that we don't think about in our daily lives."

In the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences, the researchers call the new model CLASH (CLimate Aggression, and Self-control in Humans). Many studies have shown that levels of violence and aggression are higher in hot climates but, according to the researchers, "the two leading explanations of why that is so aren't satisfactory."

The General Aggression Model says high temperatures make people uncomfortable and irritated, which makes them...