I've been thinking about this a lot. There's a great study called "that swimsuit becomes you" in which participants are asked to try on a swimsuit or sweater and then take a math test. A thread. 1/ https://twitter.com/NinaStrohminger/status/1312063578032275456

Women who tried on a sweater did ok on the math test, as did men--irrespective of what they tried on. Women who tried on swimsuits did poorly on the math test. The idea being that for (at least cis)women, thinking about what we look like from outside takes a cognitive load. 2/

The study is more nuanced and complex that that - so go read it. It's super interesting. But the gist that I am interested in right this moment is that our body image causes deteriorations to cognitive performance. 3/

So then what are the cognitive effects of worrying about our rights, worrying about a pandemic, worrying about racial justice, worrying about our democracy and our country's future, worrying about our health and the health of loved ones, 4/

worrying about our own futures, jobs, finances, worrying about voting, worrying about access to healthcare, worrying about our kids' development, and on and on. The cognitive load, frankly, is astounding. That we are able to do much of anything is a huge feat. 5/fin.