Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution May Impair Focus and Emotion Recognition: Study Finds - Video

People's ability to interpret emotions or focus on performing a task is reduced by short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution, potentially making everyday activities, such as the weekly supermarket shop, more challenging, a new study reveals.

Scientists discovered that even brief exposure to high concentrations of PM may impair a person’s ability to focus on tasks, avoid distractions, and behave in a socially acceptable manner. Findings are published in

Nature Communications.

Researchers exposed study participants to either high levels of air pollution - using candle smoke - or clean air, testing cognitive abilities before and four hours after exposure. The tests measured working memory, selective attention, emotion recognition, psychomotor speed, and sustained attention.

Researchers reveal that selective attention and emotion recognition were negatively affected by air pollution – regardless of whether subjects breathed normally or only through their mouths.

air pollution,focus,emotion,PM,nature communications

The experts suggest that inflammation caused by pollution may be responsible for these deficits noting that while selective attention and emotion recognition were affected, working memory was not. This indicates that some brain functions are more resilient to short-term pollution exposure.

Co-author Dr Thomas Faherty, from the University of Birmingham, commented: “Our study provides compelling evidence that even short-term exposure to particulate matter can have immediate negative effects on brain functions essential for daily activities, such as doing the weekly supermarket shop.”

Reference: Faherty, T., Raymond, J. E., McFiggans, G., & Pope, F. D. (2025). Acute particulate matter exposure diminishes executive cognitive functioning after four hours regardless of inhalation pathway. Nature Communications, 16(1), 1-14.