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People who grow up in warmer climates are more sociable, extroverted and open-minded, according to a new study.

Researchers at Peking University, in Beijing, found that the more people went outside at a young age, the more used they become to socialising and sharing ideas.

The study looked at 1.7 million American adults who spent their childhoods in 8,100 different locations across the US, pointing to a strong link between temperature and temperament.

The figures showed a cold or warm home city was the single biggest factor in determining how open, friendly and emotionally stable people grew up to be.

The best temperature for nurturing a more sociable character was deemed to be 22C (72F), the approximate average temperature of Sicily.

Lead researcher Lei Wang said: "As warm-blooded species, humans have the existential need for thermal comfort."

The findings were published in the Nature Human Behaviour academic journal.