Smog, Cognition and Real-World Decision-Making.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Cognitive Science
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Cognitive functioning is essential for daily decision-making, particularly in high-stakes markets.
• Decision-making processes are susceptible to environmental stressors like air pollution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize evidence on the link between air pollution, cognitive performance, and real-world decision-making.
• To explore physiological and psychological pathways connecting air pollution and cognition.
• To inform environmental health policies based on the social costs of air pollution.

Main Methods:

• Review of economic and epidemiologic evidence.
• Illustration of physiological and psychological pathways.
• Documentation of patterns in cognitive test performance affected by air pollution (by test type, gender, exposure window, age, education).
• Review of real-world decision-making affected by air pollution-induced cognitive impairments.

Main Results:

• Air pollution affects cognitive test performance across various demographics and exposure windows.
• Cognitive impairments from air pollution extend to real-world decision-making.
• Specific patterns emerge based on cognitive test type, gender, age, and education.

Conclusions:

• Air pollution poses a significant threat to cognitive function and economic decision-making.
• Understanding these impacts is crucial for developing effective environmental health policies.
• Economic evaluations of air pollution's social costs highlight the need for mitigation strategies.