Based on a newly published study co-written by an MIT researcher, chess players tend to perform worse and make more unfavorable moves as shown by a computer analysis of their games when there's an increase in fine particulate matter in the air. With a slight rise in the fine particulate matter, the likelihood of chess players making a mistake jumps up by 2.1 percent and the errors made become more significant by 10.8 percent. In other words, fresher air leads to improved mental clarity and better thinking.
The findings of a newly published paper in the journal "Management Science" indicate that when individuals are exposed to higher air pollution levels, they tend to make more mistakes and larger mistakes, according to Juan Palacios, an economist at MIT's Sustainable Urbanization Lab. The paper, co-written by Steffen Künn (associate professor at Maastricht University), Palacios (head of research at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning), and Nico Pestel (associate professor at Maastricht University), is titled "Indoor Air Quality and Strategic Decision-Making."
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) refers to small particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that are produced from sources such as combustion from automobiles and power plants, forest fires, indoor cooking, etc. According to the World Health Organization, air pollution causes more than 4 million premature deaths globally each year due to illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Chess Players Versus the Air Quality
Previous studies have investigated the impact of air pollution on cognitive abilities, and the latest study contributes to this field by conducting research in a controlled environment. The researchers examined the performance of 121 chess players in three seven-round tournaments held in Germany from 2017 to 2019, covering over 30,000 chess moves. They used three web-connected sensors within the tournament venue to assess the levels of carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and temperature, which can all be influenced by external factors even indoors. With each tournament lasting eight weeks, the researchers were able to examine the correlation between changes in air quality and changes in player performance.
The authors conducted a replication study and discovered that air pollution had the same impact on some of the most skilled players in chess history, based on data from 20 years of games in the first division of the German chess league. To assess the players' performance, they utilized software programs that analyzed each move made in each chess match, identified the optimal decisions, and marked significant errors.
Science Daily adds that during the tournaments, the PM2.5 levels ranged from 14 to 70 micrograms per cubic meter of air, which is common in cities in the US and other places. The researchers explored and dismissed alternative explanations for the decrease in player performance, such as increased noise. They also found that changes in carbon dioxide and temperature levels were not related to changes in performance. By using the standardized ratings of chess players, the researchers also considered the quality of each player's opponents.
Worse Performance on Worse Air
The analysis using the random variation in pollution caused by wind changes confirms that the results are directly attributed to exposure to air particles. Palacios added that purely the air quality affects the cognitive thinking of the players. The researchers also discovered that chess players performed even worse under time constraints when the air pollution was worse. The rules of the tournament required that 40 moves be made within 110 minutes; An increase in air pollution of ten micrograms per cubic meter resulted in an error probability of 3.2 percent and an error magnitude of 17.3 percent for moves 31-40 across all matches.
According to the findings of the study, Palacios emphasizes that people may be affected by air pollution even in settings where they might not believe it makes a difference. In addition, even though chess players are the primary focus of this study, the authors of the paper state that the findings have "strong implications for high-skilled office workers," who may also be required to perform difficult cognitive tasks in environments with varying levels of air pollution.
Palacios observes that the fact that when air pollution rises, even chess players, who spend innumerable hours preparing for a variety of possible scenarios in matches, can perform worse suggests that a similar issue could affect people's cognitive abilities in a variety of other settings.
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