Divergence between physical and emotional heat resilience in Chinese cities

Under increasingly frequent urban heatwaves, public emotional responses do not always align with levels of physical heat exposure, but the relationship between the two remains unclear. Here, using social media and meteorological data, we quantify the mismatch between physical heat exposure and public emotional responses from 2010 to 2024 in China, identify its drivers and project this relationship under different shared socioeconomic pathways. The results show that 84.9% of cities suffered high-intensity emotional shocks, substantially exceeding the 52.1% facing severe physical exposure, with underdeveloped regions showing especially prolonged emotional recovery. Physical resilience is mainly driven by socioeconomic and land-cover factors, while emotional resilience is more sensitive to the intensity and characteristics of heat events. The projections indicate that emotional responses declined about 26% faster than physical heat exposure over 2025–2050. The identified mismatch offers a scientific basis for differentiated heat-action planning to address physical and emotional vulnerabilities. Heatwaves threaten both physical and mental health, yet physical heat exposure and emotional responses often diverge. The study shows that 84.9% of Chinese cities experienced severe emotional shocks, compared with 52.1% facing severe heat exposure, driven by socioeconomic and environmental factors.