In the well-received book "Factfullness", the authors write that everything has gotten better. We live longer, are healthier and live in a safe world without so many murders and wars. Contrary to the impression when reading today's newspapers. But at one point it doesn't get any better. We seem to be getting more and more stupid. At least in the western world. Why is that so?
For over 100 years, the average human IQ, as measured by traditional intelligence tests, has been getting smarter. At least we are getting better at IQ tests. We have increased the average IQ score by 30 points in the last 100 years. Because we have become smarter, they have also been forced to make intelligence tests more difficult. A person who today gets 100 points on an IQ test, 100 years ago would get 130 points and be among the absolute smartest. In the same way, someone who at the beginning of the 20th century got 100 points today would get 70 points and be considered untalented.
The development is probably due to the fact that we humans have become accustomed to complex problem solving. We are more trained in abstract thinking, as measured in traditional intelligence tests. In addition, today's workplaces force us to think increasingly logically and structured. Some school classes have even introduced programming into the courses.
That each generation received a higher IQ score has become known as the "Flynn effect", after the late professor James Flynn. But towards the end of his life he himself became increasingly troubled. Since the end of the 1990s, the increase has slowed down. With each passing year, we in the Western world now get lower and lower scores in traditional intelligence tests.
Scientists disagree about why. Perhaps it could be because the school is less demanding and not as demanding as before. Maybe it's because we don't read as much or let AI and Chat GPT write texts for us. Instead of counting, we let the calculator do the work. Digital technology means that we use our brains less and less and "intellectual laxity" seems to be spreading more and more. Even in terms of knowledge, the researchers agree that the level of knowledge among university students has dropped dramatically, with negative consequences for society as a whole.
Sources:
Svenska Dagbladet. Våra hjärnor blir latare -frågan är om de också blir dummare. 1 September 2024.
The Economist. Falling behind. July 13, 2024.
Factfullness. H., Rosling, O., Rosling & A., Rosling Rönnlund. Natur&Kultur, 2023.
B., Bratsberg, O., Rogeberg.Flynn effect and its reversal are both environmentally caused. PNAS, June 2018.
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