Are humans Getting Dumber? The Data Says… Maybe

Summary (≤40 words): International tests show reasoning skills peaked in the early 2010s and are now declining. The culprit may be less about biology, more about how our fragmented attention reshapes thinking.

These are books .. many young people have hardly read one

Not so smart .. anymore?

For decades, we assumed human intelligence was a one-way street: every generation smarter than the last. But recent data suggests we may have taken a wrong turn.

Large-scale international tests (OECD’s PISA and adult-skills assessments) reveal that problem-solving, reasoning, and even math literacy peaked around 2012—then began to slide. By the mid-2010s, teenagers reported more trouble concentrating, and adults in high-income countries showed a striking drop in basic reasoning skills. In the U.S., about one in three adults now struggles with mathematical reasoning (OECD, 2023).

Here’s the twist: this isn’t a pandemic effect. The decline started well before COVID-19. Researchers point instead to our changing information diet. Instead of deep reading and active learning, more of our attention is consumed by scrolling, swiping, and fragmented media. Our brains are prediction engines—but when they’re trained on rapid, shallow inputs, the predictions they make get equally shallow.

Does that mean we’re doomed? Not at all. It means cognition is a skillset, not a fixed trait. And like any skill, it needs deliberate practice.

Micro-skills to sharpen your “mental muscles”:

• Deep focus reps: Set aside 20 minutes daily for one uninterrupted, complex task (no notifications allowed).

• Math in the wild: Do quick estimates before pulling out the calculator—tip, discount, travel time.

• Information sprints: After reading an article, jot down the key point from memory. It trains recall and synthesis.

This isn’t about nostalgia for the “good old days.” It’s about recognizing that our cognitive environment has shifted—and choosing to train the mind we want to live with.

In my Create your growth, we update predictions and habits so your mind sharpens—even in a distracted world.

Mind Skill - Create Your Growth

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Key Takeaways

• International tests show cognitive skills peaked ~2012, then declined across teens and adults.

• The decline links more to attention fragmentation than biology.

• Intelligence is trainable: focus, reasoning, and recall sharpen with practice.