Gen Z is now officially the only generation to measure lower than their predecessors in intelligence. A neuroscientist says this is because short videos and summarised texts are being increasingly relied on, but this is not how the human brain works.
As a Gen X whose brain cells were supposedly fried in childhood breathing tons of leaded gas, I look upon my Gen Z offspring and have to say, a drop in intelligence is not at the top of my list of concerns for that generation. They seem a generally dispirited bunch. So much depression, anxiety, and isolation, coupled with bleak future prospects. I just want to give them all a hug, honestly.
Fun fact: Depression affects many things. Attention span, reaction time, engagement, memory, higher reasoning, spatial awareness… All things that (tangentially or directly) affect perceived intelligence.
Pretty damn good chance that we’re all sad because we know damn well just how fucked the world is, and we burned out before we ever got a chance to try.
… that said, I’ll totally take that hug. Hugs are great. 🫂
And yet, intelligent people are also far more likely to be depressed. Imagine how smart all those sad smart people would be if they weren’t sad about the state of the world all the time!
Yep, we got shit thrown at us, and in some ways it built good traits in us. But there was still some hope along with the fears in our time. I don’t think we passed much of that down.
Same. However, it doesn’t make this any less true. And things aren’t boding well for Gen Alpha.