🚨AIR POLLUTION IS MAKING YOU DUMBER Even 1 hour of breathing in air pollution wrecks your focus, decision-making, and ability to read emotions. Researchers exposed 26 people to either clean air or particulate matter (PM)—aka the nasty stuff from car exhaust, candles, and pollution—and found that those breathing polluted air got distracted more easily and struggled to tell if a face was happy or fearful. Some experts even link short-term air pollution exposure to higher violent crime rates, suggesting it messes with emotional control. Meanwhile, your working memory seems to survive the smog—so at least you’ll still remember how bad traffic is. With air pollution causing 4.2 million deaths per year, researchers warn this could affect education, work productivity, and public health policies. Source: Guardian