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Smog in Our Brains: Gender Differences in the Impact of Exposure to Air Pollution on Cognitive Performance

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  • Chen, Xi
  • Zhang, Xiaobo
  • Zhang, Xin

Abstract

While there is a large body of literature on the negative health effects of air pollution, there is much less written about its effects on cognitive performance for the whole population. This paper studies the effects of contemporaneous and cumulative exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance based on a nationally representative survey in China. Bymerging a longitudinal sample at the individual level with local air-quality data according to the exact dates and counties of interviews, we find that contemporaneous and cumulative exposure to air pollution impedes both verbal and math scores of survey subjects. Interestingly, the negative effect is stronger for men than for women. Specifically, the gender difference is more salient among the old and less educated in both verbal and math tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Xi & Zhang, Xiaobo & Zhang, Xin, 2017. "Smog in Our Brains: Gender Differences in the Impact of Exposure to Air Pollution on Cognitive Performance," GLO Discussion Paper Series 32, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:32
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Xi, 2018. "Smog, Cognition and Real-World Decision Making," GLO Discussion Paper Series 266, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Juliana Carneiro & Matthew A. Cole & Eric Strobl, 2024. "Foetal Exposure to Air Pollution and Students' Cognitive Performance: Evidence from Agricultural Fires in Brazil," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 86(1), pages 156-186, February.
    3. Guo, Lei & Han, Xing & Li, Youwei, 2023. "The smog that hovers: Air pollution and asset prices," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    4. Nguyen, Hung T. & Pham, Mia Hang, 2021. "Air pollution and behavioral biases: Evidence from stock market anomalies," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    5. Qi He & Xinde (James) Ji, 2021. "The Labor Productivity Consequences of Exposure to Particulate Matters: Evidence from a Chinese National Panel Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-22, December.
    6. Austin, Wes & Heutel, Garth & Kreisman, Daniel, 2019. "School bus emissions, student health and academic performance," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 109-126.
    7. Singh, Tejendra Pratap, 2022. "Beyond The Haze: Air Pollution and Student Absenteeism - Evidence from India," OSF Preprints pcva2, Center for Open Science.
    8. Damini Singh & Indrani Gupta & Sagnik Dey, 2022. "Effect of Air Pollution on Cognitive Performance in India," IEG Working Papers 452, Institute of Economic Growth.
    9. Shujaat Abbas & Muhammad Ibrahim Shah & Avik Sinha & Olohunlana Aminat Olayinka, 2023. "A Gender Differentiated Analysis of Healthy Life Expectancy in South Asia: The Role of Greenhouse Gas Emission," Evaluation Review, , vol. 47(6), pages 1066-1106, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cognitive performance; air pollution; gender difference;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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