Indoor Air Pollution Perturbs Players

[SorellaLaBefana]

That's the bottom line of a newly published study co-authored by an MIT researcher, showing that chess players perform objectively worse and make more suboptimal moves, as measured by a computerized analysis of their games, when there is more fine particulate matter in the air.

More specifically, given a modest increase in fine particulate matter, the probability that chess players will make an error increases by 2.1 percentage points, and the magnitude of those errors increases by 10.8 percent. In this setting, at least, cleaner air leads to clearer heads and sharper thinking.

"We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more more mistakes, and they make larger mistakes," says Juan Palacios, an economist in MIT's Sustainable Urbanization Lab, and co-author of a newly published paper detailing the study's findings...[more at]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/02/230201134204.htm

This is as disquieting as it is interesting and perhaps not unexpected that breathing polluted air isn't good for you.

Who would've guessed?

[MiHale]

1. Old saying...GIGO

Garbage in, garbage out. Quite fitting.

[Ziggysmom]

2. And of course poor people tend to live closer to sources of air pollution. Inner city kids

from lower income homes often struggle with asthma related to pollutants.

Love the red panda❤️

[C0RI0LANUS]

3. Poor Air Quality may affect musicians as well (vocal and instrumental). Thank you for the Post.

"Italy is shaped like a boot! Who knew!?"

The Red Panda is adorable.