Carbon dioxide isn’t just bad for the planet but it is bad for the brain also. With the increase of Carbon dioxide in the air, the ability of the people to do complex cognitive tasks is halved, according to a new study by the University of Colarado Boulder and the University of Pennsylvania.
The researchers said that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air could double by 2100 if the emissions continue in the present trajectory. They warned that the human beings would score 50 per cent lower on complex though by the end of the century if the emission goes on like this. The complex process involves planning strategies, responding to crisis, making decisions and using new information to reach a goal.
The researchers got 24 people to spend six full working days in a lab controlled office space with different levels of Carbon dioxide. In the afternoons, they had to participate in a computer stimulation where they had to respond to a real world scenario. The computer analysed the complex ability of the participants. The researchers found that the participants consistently struggled with formatting strategies and crisis response when the Carbon dioxide levels increased.
However, they are yet to see how the Co2 affects the brain. The preliminary studies showed that breathing in too much carbon dioxide prevents the brain from the using oxygen in an efficient way.
