If it seems like people are dumber or "stupider" than they used to be, maybe it's because we really ARE getting dumber: A new study found America's collective IQ may have dropped for the first time in almost a century.
Not surprising to me. I've been doing my own unofficial research in certain settings like complex traffic intersections, grocery store lines and my "DAAATA" say people are getting "Stupider" and that's not even legit word or is it?
According to this report, IQs tend to go up from generation to generation, something called the "Flynn effect". In the last 90 years, they've increased an average of about three points per decade. But a study at Northwestern and the University of Oregon found the trend may have stalled out since 2006, or even reversed.
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The biggest change they saw was in kids. If you have a teenager you may have your own hypothesis but they found a slight dip in IQs across ALL age groups, even adults. That includes being worse at problem-solving, math skills, and verbal reasoning. They didn't look at what's causing it, but suggested it might have to do with our education system. That said, it's not just happening here. Separate studies have found IQs might be dropping globally. Other theories for what's behind it include more pollution . . . changes in our diet . . . and our new obsession with phones and social media
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