Thermostat Temp

I have read a lot of threads and owner descriptions of their cars and always come across the 180 thermotat.Now I was hoping someone would tell me exactly what is to be gained by this change.
I am fairly new to the SC world (long time coming) and am really enjoying this site .......and thankful for it's help in learning about these cars inside and out.

Our cars realy suffer from high heat and run a lot better in cold temps. You living in Canada my never need to change to the 180 due to the cooler temps in your climate. Ever notice that your car on a realy hot day dosnt run as fast as it should? Well Ford had a better idea, Ya right.