Vaping Causes ‘Mental Fog,’ New Study Finds

A man smokes an e-cigarette at a cafe in Dubai. Photo: Reuters
A man smokes an e-cigarette at a cafe in Dubai. Photo: Reuters
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Vaping Causes ‘Mental Fog,’ New Study Finds

A man smokes an e-cigarette at a cafe in Dubai. Photo: Reuters
A man smokes an e-cigarette at a cafe in Dubai. Photo: Reuters

Two new studies from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have uncovered an association between vaping and mental fog. Both adults and kids who vape were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than their non-vaping, non-smoking peers. It also appeared that kids were more likely to experience mental fog if they started vaping before the age of 14.

While other studies have found an association between vaping and mental impairment in animals, the URMC team is the first to draw this connection in people in two studies that were published in the recent issues of the journals Tobacco Induced Diseases and Plos One.

"Our studies add to growing evidence that vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to tobacco smoking," said study author Dongmei Li, associate professor in URMC in a report.

The studies analyzed over 18,000 middle and high school student responses to the National Youth Tobacco Survey and more than 886,000 responses to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System phone survey from US adults. Both surveys ask similar questions about smoking and vaping habits as well as issues with memory, attention and mental function.

Both studies show that people who smoke and vape, regardless of age, are most likely to report struggling with mental function. Behind that group, people who only vape or only smoke reported mental fog at similar rates, which were significantly higher than those reported by people who don't smoke or vape.

The youth study also found that students who reported starting to vape early, between eight and 13 years of age, were more likely to report difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions than those who started vaping at 14 or older.

"With the recent rise in teen vaping, this is very concerning and suggests that we need to intervene even earlier. Prevention programs that start in middle or high school might actually be too late," said Li.

Adolescence is a critical period for brain development, especially for higher-order mental function, which means tweens and teens may be more susceptible to nicotine-induced brain changes, she explained. While e-cigarettes lack many of the dangerous compounds found in tobacco cigarettes, they deliver the same amount or even more nicotine.



Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
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Labubu Fans Dote Over Ugly-Cute Doll Trending at Comic-Con 

Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)
Customers walk around plush figures and toys on display in the first Pop Mart store selling Labubu toys in Berlin, Germany, 25 July 2025. (EPA)

San Diego Comic-Con is the latest location where the ugly-cute dolls named Labubu have been trending, with fans carrying the plushies globally popularized by celebrities Rihanna, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, and Lisa from the K-pop group Blackpink.

The wide-eyed and grinning doll was created in 2015 by Hong Kong artist and illustrator Kasing Lung. In 2019, Lung allowed them to be sold by Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company that sells collectible figurines, often in "blind boxes".

"Blind boxes" are sealed boxes containing a surprise item that is usually part of a themed collection.

Naomi Galban, from San Diego, waited in line on Sunday at the Pop Mart booth in the San Diego Convention Center for a chance to get her first Labubu.

"Every time I go to a Pop Mart store, they're sold out," the 24-year-old told Reuters. She hoped to buy one for her little sister.

Emily Brough, Pop Mart's Head of IP Licensing, spoke to Reuters on Thursday about Labubu fans at Comic-Con.

"We love to see how fans are personalizing it (Labubu) for themselves," Brough said next to the Pop Mart booth.

While Brough noted that there were many people with a Labubu strapped to their bags and backpacks at Comic-Con, the doll's popularity did not happen overnight. Labubus had a huge boost in 2019 after Pop Mart began selling them, and in 2024, when Blackpink's Lisa, who is Thai, created a buying frenzy in Thailand after she promoted Labubu on social media.

Pop Mart saw sales skyrocket in North America that same year, with revenue in the US in the first quarter of 2025 already surpassing the full-year US revenue from 2024, Pop Mart said.

When he created Labubu, Lung gave the character, who is female, a backstory inspired by Nordic mythology.

He called her and his other fictional creatures "The Monsters."

Diana Goycortua, 25, first discovered Labubu through social media, and before she knew it, it felt like a "game" to try and collect the dolls.

"It's a little bit of gambling with what you're getting," the Labubu fan from San Diego said on Sunday while waiting at the Pop Mart booth, concluding that her love for the character made it worth trying blind boxes.

Goycortua already has three Labubus, and was hoping to score her a fourth one at Comic-Con.