Chess players objectively perform worse and make more sub-optimal moves when there are more fine particles in the air, according to a new study. The study, co-authored by a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said researchers assessed and measured chess players’ moves through computerized analysis of their games. More specifically, given a modest increase in fine particulate matter, the likelihood that chess players will make those errors increases by 2.1 percentage points, and the magnitude of those errors increases by 10.8 percent. The study says that in this setting, at least the clean air leads to a clearer mind and sharper thinking.
“We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more mistakes, and they make bigger mistakes,” said Juan Palacios, an economist at MIT and co-author of the study. The study appears in the journal Management Science. Fine particulate matter refers to the smallest particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less, known as PM2.5.
They are often associated with burning matter – whether through internal combustion engines in autos, coal-fired power plants, wildfires, cooking indoors through open fires, and more. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes more than 4 million premature deaths worldwide each year due to cancer, cardiovascular problems and other diseases.
Scholars have conducted many studies examining the effects of air pollution on cognition. The present study adds to that literature by specifically analyzing the subject in a controlled setting.
According to the study, researchers studied the performance of 121 chess players in three seven-round tournaments in Germany in 2017, 2018 and 2019, which involved more than 30,000 chess moves.
The study said the scholars used three web-connected sensors inside the tournament venue to measure carbon dioxide, PM2.5 concentrations and temperature, all of which can be affected by outdoor conditions, even indoor ones. Even in settings. The study noted that each tournament lasted eight weeks, so it was possible to examine how changes in air-quality related to changes in player performance.
In a replication exercise, the authors found similar effects of air pollution on some of the strongest players in chess history using data from 20 years of play from the first division of the German Chess League.
Meanwhile, to evaluate the players’ performance matters, scholars used software programs that assessed each move made in each chess match, identifying optimal decisions and flagging critical errors, as That said in the study.
The study said that during the tournament, PM 2.5 concentrations ranged from 14 to 70 micrograms per cubic meter of air, which is commonly found in the US and other cities.
The researchers examined and ruled out alternative possible explanations for the decline in player performance, such as increased noise. They also found that carbon dioxide and temperature changes did not correspond to performance changes, the study says.
Using the standardized ratings chess players earn, scholars also account for the quality of opponents each player faces. Ultimately, analysis of potentially random variation in pollution driven by changes in wind direction confirms that the findings are driven by direct exposure to airborne particles, the study said.
“It is pure random exposure to air pollution that is driving the performance of these people,” Palacios said. “Against comparable opponents in the same round of a tournament, exposure to different levels of air quality makes a difference to the quality of moves and the quality of decisions,” Palacios said.
The researchers also found that when air pollution was worse, chess players performed worse during time constraints. Tournament rules state that 40 moves must be made within 110 minutes; The study noted that for moves 31-40 in all matches, a 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in air pollution increased the probability of error by 3.2 percent, with the amount of those errors increasing by 17.3 percent.
“We find it interesting that these mistakes are particularly common at a stage of the game where players are under time pressure,” Palacios said. “When these players don’t have the ability to compensate [for] lower cognitive performance with more deliberation, [that] That’s where we’re seeing the biggest impact,” Palacios said.