Throughout most of human history, humans have become smarter. But now it's the other way around. If in the past the average IQ score increased, now everything is going in the opposite direction and people are getting dumber. Don't think about it - this is not a judgment, but a fact: in many leading countries, IQs have begun to decline. And at the same time, technologies are getting smarter. Creepy, right? But it becomes really scary because there are a lot of scientific studies confirming that humanity is rapidly becoming stupid. Moreover, scientists seriously fear for our common future. Does this mean that idiocracy - the degradation of the world's population due to the rapid deterioration of people's mental abilities - is inevitable?
Were people smarter in the past?
According to the famous psychologist James Flynn, a huge number of factors affect our intellectual abilities - from air quality to the choice of a life partner. Also, do not underestimate the influence of random factors - according to BBC Future, even the loss of a job or personal tragedy can negatively affect the level of intelligence. Moreover, researchers agree that, in general, genes determine approximately 80% of an adult's intelligence.
Flynn, a professor at the University of New Zealand Otago, is seriously concerned about the future of humanity. The professor is convinced that the views of the younger generation on current problems are too superficial, which leaves a lot of room for manipulation of their consciousness by politicians and the media. However, in general, the scientist looks at the situation positively. The fact is that in the first half of the twentieth century, Flynn discovered an obvious increase in IQ scores. This effect is called the Flynn effect. But if we were really getting smarter half a century ago, then what is happening today?
According to the results of an already famous study by scientists from the Norwegian Ragnar Frisch Center for Economic Research, the level of intelligence today is falling by an average of seven points in ten years. In the course of the study, the researchers analyzed 730,000 IQ tests that Norwegian men passed before compulsory military service from 1970 to 2009.
If this trend continues - and the study was heavily criticized for its limited sample size - in about 10 generations, IQ will drop from 130 ("very high") to 69 ("extremely low"). But there is even more frightening news - experts found that IQ fell by 1.23 points every decade. This means that over a century and a half, the overall decline was already 14 points. It is noteworthy that there are many potential explanations for what is happening, ranging from environmental problems and food quality, to a lack of exercise and a long stay at the computer.
Do you also not understand what is written on the board? What does this say about you?
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No less exciting are the results of yet another study, this time of a larger scale. Several years ago, an international team of scientists wanted to test the educational level of modern people and Victorian residents from 1837 to 1901. The conclusions were not comforting - about a century and a half ago, people were much more developed and inventive.
Scientists came to such conclusions after evaluating the reaction rate - in 1889, the reaction rate of men was 183 milliseconds, but men of the 21st century react to external stimuli at a speed of 253 milliseconds. For women, everything is about the same - instead of 188 milliseconds in the 19th century, the reaction rate dropped to 261 milliseconds. Such slowness and lethargy, as the researchers note, is a weak IQ in humans.
Unfortunately, Flynn himself admits today that IQ gains in the 20th century have staggered. A number of studies using a variety of well-established IQ tests and metrics have shown declines in performance in Scandinavia, the UK, Germany, France and Australia. Details vary from study to study and from place to place. But the big picture has become much clearer: since the 21st century, many of the most economically developed countries have experienced declining IQs.
Is idiocracy awaiting us?
As in the movie Idiocracy, the assumption that the average intelligence of humanity is declining due to the fact that families with lower IQs have more children (dysgenic fertility) has been repeatedly expressed. However, a 2018 study in Norway found that IQ falls not only in different societies, but also in families. Even children born to parents with high IQs slide down the IQ ladder. Some environmental factor - or a combination of factors - causes a decrease in the IQ scores of parents and their own children, as well as older children and their younger siblings.
Ultimately, it will be great if we can pinpoint the exact reason for the drop in IQ scores before we get completely dumb. By the way, the fact that everyone is setting new temperature records - and the heat reduces mental capacity by as much as 13% - also does not add optimism. One way or another, the problem really exists and requires the attention of researchers around the world. Especially in view of the threats that climate change brings to the world.
Lyubov Sokovikova