Working in IT, I see this every day. It baffles me how some people are able to survive until adulthood, let alone get a job paying many times my salary. (I work in finance)
Idiots doing well is definitely detrimental to society as a whole.. perhaps we should deliberately make life more dangerous and competitive. It wouldn't be right or fair, but at least it would be more of a meritocracy, where smart people and psychopaths would succeed. We would have to deal with the psychopaths but they are already disproportionately represented in management and government.
Bro, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho (formerly: porn star, and five time Ultimate Smackdown Champion) is a better leader than Trump... Wow. Just... Wow.
I prefer prez Camacho. He actually cared about the people and looked for the smartest guy to solve the problems instead of cutting off funding for sciences, education etc. I’d rather live in Idiocracy than 2026 MAGA-land. Ow my balls
As expected... 🤷🏽♂️ Literally just going to keep doing the same thing until I finally get completely kicked off reddit so I have an excuse not to use it anymore. It literally only makes me angry these days.
Plenty of adults too... Guy is straight up just a terrible person/influence... My BIGGEST concern with that guy is not so much what he does, but how others respond to it... He validates terrible behavior...
And the majority of people. Not like I'm a bright bulb myself, but if you voted for that guy 2 times...and those who stayed home...But hey, we're complaining about AI taking our brain....it was long gone anway.
Yep, then add in our lack of downtime and we have a disaster.
Active pondering, daydreaming, imagining and creating are all "exercise" for our brain and cognitive processes. We dont get a chance to practice much anymore with the screens, constant demands, unfinishable to do lists and constant barage of stimulation and "content".
Our brains have been actively hijacked.
By design.
this makes me feel better about the fact that sometimes I like to just sit & daydream. Like I'll literally just lay on my couch and imagine stuff instead of watching the tv sometimes. My brain has really good graphics
I have measurable effects. I was a top student in college, 4.0 for the first 3 years. Senior year comes and Im doing well in each course, until finals when i got covid - I failed two classes, which i had to retake. I kmew the material i just couldnt think it was like it all got erased. It impacted my graduation date, my financial aid, my GPA, my loans and I changed majors because i noticeably felt dumber. Now still noticing thing i used to be sharp at tale significant effort to get right.
I agree with you on this 100%. I had no issues with my memory, critical thinking, snap judgement, etc. Then as best as we tried to avoid it we both came down with that damn plague. It's now been 4 years and I still have waves of brain fog and feel as dumb as a box of rocks. There's times where I struggle from a few days to a few weeks with my work and there have been no drastic changes in the workplace. And let's not forget to mention the physical health that has also deteriorated as a result of getting sick. I can't imagine getting it again. I'm so scared if I do it'll be even worse and I can't believe young folks have to deal with trying to pass exams and then try to retain it all to get their foot in their first position for the career they picked out.
Do NOT take my advice without consulting a medical professional but my psychiatrist recommended I try taking creatine for the brain fog. I only take it when I’m going through a foggy period and it really helps. It can make some folks have upset stomachs.
I've certainly gotten much slower/forgetful at my job that I've been at for over a decade now. I chalked it up to age (over 40) more younger staff coming in and taking over more tasks, but everything I do feels much slower than pre-covid and I'm constantly second guessing my work. I do legitimately feel far less snappier than I used to. Sucks to know my brain possibly shrank.
I absolutely feel less sharp and with it since. It doesn't help that it dramatically changed my habits and coping mechanisms. I didn't realize how much it affected me because I stayed social and active the entire time, but with every covid positive test I've felt slower, and less myself. I haven't had one in 2 years, but that last one was rough.
I've really been thinking my vocabulary has declined but never seen anyone relate it to COVID. I had COVID at least 6 times. I'm meant to be writing a PhD, and it constantly feels like all the words I used to know are on the tip of my tongue.
Yes, it would be nice if our government realized that long COVID is such a strain on everyone... Super articulate. Very high vocabulary. I stumble for my words often. I've had COVID four times. The brain fog is immense. People that know me understand the people I meet for the first or second time I have to explain them to them. I'm dealing with the brain fog.....
It's a huge struggle what seems to help with me as I've been picking up random video games that make me think hard, puzzle games, driving games, old school, running gunners, anything to make my brain work in different ways.
This happened to my wife as well. She feels like she has recovered now but for at least 2 years she felt like she couldn’t articulate herself properly using language due to brain fog.
We know Covid infections damage brain tissue. Each infection seems to reduce between 1 and 10 IQ points. Fatigue, vocabulary, mid dysregulation, and brain fog are the most common symptoms of Long Covid.
No, we don’t know that. That study was done with a whopping 475 participants only 20% of whom consented to a follow up assessment. It was also comprised only of people who were hospitalized in the first wave of the pandemic. Who was hospitalized most in that first wave? Elderly people. Who’s likely to suffer cognitive decline over the course of 3 years in general? Elderly people. The article literally says the study may not be generalizable.
That's ok, there are lots of other studies & articles. If the links below aren't enough for you, you're welcome to search for yourself. I suggest the terms "Study Covid Brain Damage" though duckduckgo.com so google's AI slop doesn't damage your results.
Here are a few; the top two I find to be extremely definitive. Worth the read.
Severe COVID-19 that requires hospitalization or intensive care may result in cognitive deficits and other brain damage that are equivalent to 20 years of aging.
Laboratory experiments in human and mouse brain organoids designed to emulate changes in the human brain showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers the fusion of brain cells. This effectively short-circuits brain electrical activity and compromises function.
Autopsy studies of people who had severe COVID-19 but died months later from other causes showed that the virus was still present in brain tissue. This provides evidence that contrary to its name, SARS-CoV-2 is not only a respiratory virus, but it can also enter the brain in some individuals. But whether the persistence of the virus in brain tissue is driving some of the brain problems seen in people who have had COVID-19 is not yet clear.
Studies show that even when the virus is mild and exclusively confined to the lungs, it can still provoke inflammation in the brain and impair brain cells’ ability to regenerate.
COVID-19 can also disrupt the blood brain barrier, the shield that protects the nervous system – which is the control and command center of our bodies – making it “leaky.” Studies using imaging to assess the brains of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed disrupted or leaky blood brain barriers in those who experienced brain fog.
A large preliminary analysis pooling together data from 11 studies encompassing almost 1 million people with COVID-19 and more than 6 million uninfected individuals showed that COVID-19 increased the risk of development of new-onset dementia in people older than 60 years of age.
Drops in IQ
Most recently, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed cognitive abilities such as memory, planning and spatial reasoning in nearly 113,000 people who had previously had COVID-19. The researchers found that those who had been infected had significant deficits in memory and executive task performance.
This decline was evident among those infected in the early phase of the pandemic and those infected when the delta and omicron variants were dominant. These findings show that the risk of cognitive decline did not abate as the pandemic virus evolved from the ancestral strain to omicron.
In the same study, those who had mild and resolved COVID-19 showed cognitive decline equivalent to a three-point loss of IQ. In comparison, those with unresolved persistent symptoms, such as people with persistent shortness of breath or fatigue, had a six-point loss in IQ. Those who had been admitted to the intensive care unit for COVID-19 had a nine-point loss in IQ. Reinfection with the virus contributed an additional two-point loss in IQ, as compared with no reinfection.
We now know that, unfortunately, COVID can damage the brain in many ways. (...) Finally, the lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, and difficulty thinking that can last for several years after COVID — called long COVID or post-acute COVID syndrome — may well be caused by ongoing low-grade brain inflammation caused by the virus.
You suggest searching for terms that confirm what you already think and the point you’re trying to make? Cool got it. You clearly didn’t even read the entirety of the original one you linked because you missed the point at the end. I get it more than a headline and paragraph is tough. As much as I’d love to thoroughly read all your search results and give you an actual human summary using critical thinking ima have to pass. This discussion has actually turned into solid anecdotal evidence of people’s brains turning to mush.
I posted one study, you gave a mostly acceptable takedown on how the study itself doesn't convince.
I posted 19 links from 5 excellent peer-reviewed studies/articles, with excerpts carefully taken which explicitly prove the thing you said wasn't proven. I include a suggestion to find more studies you might find convincing if needed, with a note on how to avoid AI hallucinations.
You respond with emotional digs on my intelligence, while admitting to not reading even the excerpts I C&P'd. Not sure who you're yelling at in this convo but it's not me.
For other's reference, here's u/heatmoon 's response:
You suggest searching for terms that confirm what you already think and the point you’re trying to make? Cool got it. You clearly didn’t even read the entirety of the original one you linked because you missed the point at the end. I get it more than a headline and paragraph is tough. As much as I’d love to thoroughly read all your search results and give you an actual human summary using critical thinking ima have to pass. This discussion has actually turned into solid anecdotal evidence of people’s brains turning to mush.
I'm going to politely interrupt you. This conversation should have stopped when you gave information about Covid-19 with sources to the other person, and they replied with "no, it's not true".
I'll take it from here. Mahalo for adding helpful info to the mix.
I didn’t say it wasn’t true. I said that their extrapolation from the Oxford source was incorrect. I quite literally cited their source verbatim. It just happened to be a point that was contradictory to what they were claiming the article is about. They then went on to tell me how I should just search a handful of phrases that would confirm their bias. It would be like thinking a song has a specific lyric and instead of searching ‘what’re the lyrics to this song?’ Someone searched ‘are the lyrics to this song…(whatever their thought the lyrics were)?’ I also very clearly stated COVID is no joke and very serious. I’m aware of the risks and lost people to it during the first wave. I also know that saying “it lowers your IQ by 10 points every time you get it!” Based on a study done on 475 where only 20% (that’s a sample size of less than 100) is complete BS.
Information quality must be kept high. More detailed information regarding our approaches to specific claims can be found on the Misinformation & False Claims page.
Good air purifiers measurably remove viruses/particulate from inside air every cycle. Low/lower virus concentrations are positively associated with less or no Upper Respiratory Infections.
One of the clearest signs I had of recovery after 2 and a half years with long covid rotting was I could suddenly express myself more like I used to in the past.
When I started with covid I took so many vitamins and stuff to see if anything could help and nothing did, I kept deteriorating. And the recovery was the same, I wasn't doing anything special, it just happened.
Holy shit that's been the same for me for about 6 years now. My brain just stopped working correctly. I can't remember anything and I can't speak beyond just unga bunga simple words. While reading I know what's happening but I am trying to force myself to use a larger vocabulary and it just isn't working.
It’s both comforting to know that so many others are going through the same thing, and also horrifying to know that so many others are going through the same thing. Also, I had to look at my thesaurus app to find an appropriate word for how it makes me feel almost validated (because brain power and memory nowadays is defunct), but couldn’t find one that really resonated so I settled on “comforting”.
Yeah many of us have been reduced to Homer Simpson level if speech at tines. "Atoms they are like carousel of.. Stuff , spin like spin disc... Thing. yeah that will do".
I have zero stamina now, even though I've lost practically no strength. Basic tasks like taking out the trash are something I need to recover from.
Exercise intolerance (exercise is harder and the fatigue feels much worse) leads to a vicious cycle of decaying fitness which is not helped by the need to isolate from others to reduce the rate and severity of reinfection. It's hard to say how much of it is directly LC and how much is from turning into a potato.
I thought I was just losing a step to old age or too much social media. Only recently did it occur to me that it might have been COVID (at least partially).
I used to be able to multitask. I used to be able to focus better.
I really resonate with this. I feel things have not been the same and I can’t remember things now. But before I was sharp. Early 30’s so I’m getting old but damn.
I wonder if this has something to do with attention span. Like in the time roughly 2005-2015 during any downtime I was seeking out information regarding my interests and job on Internet forums and wherever. But since smartphones and social media really took hold I just… don’t. I just doomscroll. Or maybe all the chemicals and microplastics. Or increasing CO2.
I’m trying every day to smoke as much weed and spend as much time on my phone as possible and yet I am still constantly aware of the horrors. I WANT TO BE AN IDIOT
I have been sober for a few weeks, not by choice, but it's eat or smoke some weed right now, and food wins. I am noticing how angry I really am as a person and that smoking weed chronically for 20+ years has really clouded that fact. I think I'm gonna buy and ounce this weekend and just get back into it and buy lower quality groceries to compensate.
Apparently, it is. I'm too damn old for this nonsense and refuse to put it in my lexicon. LOL. I'm also embarrassed to admit I use "ain't." Covid has made me too complacent, and all the onscreen time I accrue, the worse my grammar and spelling skills become. Or is it "worser?" ;)
It's also easy to use when you see all the gaps and flaws it does. I worked training ai models and I can see how people use it. The fact that they train it to be sycophantic yes man renders any use it could have had moot. How can you trust something that agrees with you on everything?!?
Same. It makes me mad that my husband uses it for shit that he has done for years. Sure it takes less time to get the info he is looking for but I fear he is getting lazy and just blindingly trusting whatever ai says. I refuse to use it for anything, at least knowingly.
I work in web dev and using AI is mandated by my employer. Learning comes from the struggle and now I have an easy solution to reach for. When it fails, and it does fail, suddenly I'm a bit lost. Already in less than a year I feel myself regressing because the skills hard won are going unused.
In a way it's like becoming a child again. I didn't feel like learning to tie my shoelaces when mom was doing it for me.
For us adults its different because while we will probably be losing many of our skills and letting our brains atrophy, we did at least have to actually learn a lot of stuff.
I can't imagine what it will be like for future generations when there genuinely is no point in learning certain basic skills because an AI in your pocket can tell you instantly whenever you need to know something.
Yeah, it's like our teachers telling us "you won't always have a calculator in your pocket" when it came to math and arithmetic, right?
Even if they had said "you won't always have a supercomputer with multiple times more processing power than the computers here at school or at the library or that you might have at home, in your pocket," it wouldn't fully capture the reality of AI and its future implications...
But I guess it'd be a little heavy to tell kids, "oh none of what we're teaching you is really all that important, you'll always have instant access to infinite information when you need it. In fact, in what we commonly consider a human lifetime today, you might not even need your human body anymore, you may be able to upload your consciousness to the cloud so your essence and personality can live on infinitely!"
My partner works back end web development for a silicon valley "startup." You'd recognize the name. For the last year their entire performance metric has been pegged to how many AI tokens they spend. The more they spend, the higher their job performance is rated. Has absolutely nothing to do with delivering functional code or delivering projects on time. It's completely insane.
We haven't gone that crazy. We kept our systems of code review in place and personal responsibility. It's an additional tool in our team and not a new workflow in that sense.
Despite what I see as "sensible adoption" I miss the problem solving and there are no easy wins now. It is just jumping straight to the hardest parts that the AI doesn't get when it isn't able to solve a problem. Woe be upon those who didn't try and understand everything it was doing before it hits it's point of failure.
I feel more confident and smart recently actually… I just feel our leaders are REALLY dumb and since realizing this I just don’t do social media anymore besides… this… and I don’t look up to anyone else anymore. I’m confident in my own abilities, and I’ve called out many things years before it happened because I pay attention and connect shit. It’s wild! But I’m going with it. Positivity in MYSELF and that’s it. The world? Eh they are doing it wrong.
That’s my attitude now in a world of grifting and makeup made up marketing.
I’m media trained, animator, worked with huge companies, most of you have seen my stuff but have no idea (and it’s dumb lol) but I was connected once. Very technical too, and I just can’t help thinking like a robot. I’m inherently curious so i make sure to check everything for accuracy and truth.
So yeah, I can see human intelligence declining. Perhaps a brute force release of ai in its infancy did this, or perhaps the “marketing” of the president not fitting in reality. Or the constant grifts since 2016 that shaped our economy like kalshi.
It’s all these things plus more that make you realize no… I’m not dumb… these people fucking are!! I’m being gas lit!
Like when we bombed school children. Only took me like 10 seconds to think “oh we had Claude drama that week about not being used for military decisions in the pipeline” then the us going “no fuck you. We’re gonna ban you.” ad they bomb kids.
Why? Oh right. Ai data is trained off old data. Oh right no current map of Iran… oh right no double checking… cause they are dumb. And thus executed their command.
I think we’re still deliberating on what happened there, but it was so obvious.
Everyone is making you think you’re dumb. But we are not. Our leaders are and we’re just being gas lit to infinity.
And much, much more. For example it also degrades your immune system.
Genuinely, looking up studies into the long term effects of COVID is an information hazard. Make sure you're psychologically prepared before you open those eldritch tomes.
I saw a study the other day that shows that half of the population now has insufficient T cells. T4/T8 cell ratio is how AIDs is measured, yep we are talking about Covid degrading the same part of the immune system as HIV. How will it present, increasing TB and other weird cancers, precisely what we are seeing in the press daily now.
Sits latent in a lot of people after failing to fully infect them and then when the immune system is weakened it flares up and becomes a big problem. Very opportunistic disease that attacks the immune compromised.
I know, it wrecks havoc on the system pretty much everywhere. I suspect we won’t have a full understanding of this virus for decades while we slowly see the damaging effects unfold. It’s really a tragedy, but it’s so common I don’t know what we can do about it.
I genuinely think that Tiktok and its demon spawn were an inflection point. I can feel it in myself - I used Tiktok a lot for about a year, and my ability to concentrate got meaningfully worse. I got worse at reading, which I've always been good at and loved doing. It got harder for me to watch a whole YouTube video, even just something 5-10 minutes long. Scary bad. Had to delete it.
Those kinds of apps are a type of brain input that I believe is really especially insidious in undermining sustained thought.
All age groups are addicted to short form content rn, and this trend really kicked off at the same time as COVID. I think it's much simpler to assume that a lower vocabulary stems from decreased interactions with others due to increased social media use, rather than from a virus that made you ill for a week 5 years ago.
it's work too, some people are just unable to listen to what the customers/patients are saying. For example -
my friend made an appointment with her Dr. for xyz, when she got there they had her booked for something else.
I went to a cardiologist visit - in my chart, now shows a condition dated in 2023, which neither me nor him knew about. I insisted on screening because face it, it's been 3 years and nobody told me about it. Guess what? I don't have that, it's an error? somebody else's records mixed in with mine? who knows.
I think this is a cop out, I played video games since I was 4 (30 years straight), was doom scrolling forums since I was 10, and I still work a big brain job. Most coworkers would have a similar story. Intelligence is fixed and your ability to focus is a seperate thing
You might thing it's a cop out, but experts don't. Look up the Screen Time Effect and read about it.
Yes... people have been saying "screens will rot your brain" since TV was invented. I've been watching television since I was born in the 70's. Been playing video games since my family got Pong in 1976 (50 years straight). I've been on the internet since it started to become popular (since 1993). I've been exposed to screens my entire existence.
THIS is different. Putting kids in front of the screens of 2026 is not the same as when Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers were looking at screens. It's night and day now.
You're free to have your opinion on the matter, of course. But I respectfully disagree.
From a Google search asking "Why are adults getting dumber?". You'll note the first one has to do with screen time and the type of content people are now exposed to. (Which to our developed brains is causing harm... imagine the harm it's causing brains which aren't developed at all.)
The primary culprits behind this perceived cognitive decline include:
Digital Distraction: Constant scrolling and short-form video content replace deep reading and focused problem-solving with superficial, quick dopamine hits. Studies suggest that just having a smartphone nearby can reduce your effective IQ by temporarily taxing your working memory.
Outsourcing Memory: With all human knowledge available instantly online, the brain is less conditioned to retain information, causing our natural memory and recall skills to atrophy.
The "Reverse Flynn Effect": For decades, human IQ scores rose. However, recent cognitive research in developed nations shows a reversal, with scores in verbal reasoning and spatial skills steadily declining.
Age-Related Biological Changes: As adults age, natural processing speeds and executive function (the brain's ability to plan and focus) can slow down, which is often exacerbated by poor sleep, chronic stress, and a lack of cardiovascular exercise.
I also agree with you that Covid has had a massive impact on people's brains. I have long covid and my brain simply doesn't work like it used to. I have literal dementia type symptoms where I ask the same thing 3 times in a 5 minute conversation, have trouble following the plot of a TV show, use the wrong words for common things, forget what I'm doing literally in the middle of what I'm doing... It's rough, that's for sure.
I agree that intelligence and focus are two separate things. However, you could be Stephen Hawking and if you can't pay attention or stay engaged with something for more than 5 minutes at a time, you won't actually commit anything meaningful to memory. This compounds because if you never grep basic informal then you won't be able to understand other information that builds on those basics.
And actively pushing misinformation through news outlets, or specific extremist viewpoints via social media algorithms.
And increasing wealth gap/decreasing spending power leading to parents being less physically and mentally present in their children's lives.
And idiotic education administration fucking up curriculum while simultaneously hamstringing actual in-classroom teaching and pushing kids through school even when theyre failing because they don't want to be caught with the hot potato.
And increasing wealth gap/decreasing spending power leading to parents being less physically and mentally present in their children's lives.
I think there's also been a pretty clear link for decades between chronic socioeconomic stressors and poor school/work performance, and with poor cognitive performance in general.
Though there has been a demonstrably steep decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the educational disruption it presented
I would like to point out that SARS-CoV-2 is known to cause brain and neurological damage. There is no shortage of studies on this, they are easy to find if you search pubmed for "SARS-CoV-2 brain damage" or "SARS-CoV-2 neurological." The "school disruption" explanation does not hold up as well as literal brain damage.
This is my thought. Anecdotally, people have generally declined in ability and I’ve seen it in a lot of areas. I’m under the impression that people who didn’t have intense long haul symptoms still had some level of cognitive decline, it’s just that so many people have so much to worry about already that it goes by unnoticed.
Its everyone. The British study on a bunch of young healthy men who were intentionally infected(!) showed cognitive decline and loss of IQ in every single one of them but none of them were aware of the loss. Since that study we have determined the effect is cumulative, its about 3 IQ points per infection. Most people are on 1.5x infections on an annual basis. The maths looks bad for human cognition.
Yeah, if it were just school disruption then the decline wouldn't also affect children who were too young to be in school when the disruption was happening. But they are also affected. Also you would expect some recovery within a few years of the disruptions, if it were just due to that and not due to the effects of brain damage. But it continues to get worse, because the infections continue and the brains keep taking hits.
I would also throw out there, the possibility that it has something to do with the copious number of confirmed toxic, and likely to turn out to be toxic, substances that we are being increasingly exposed to in the last several years.
Crucial regulatory practices are not only failing to keep up with advancing industry, but are actively being repealed in many places.
Many substances this risk could apply to likely aren't even on researchers' radar, due to how fast new ones are being put into circulation without sufficient testing.
I mean sure, there are multiple factors involved. The decline started pre-2019. But if you look at any measure of health at the population level of just about any country, there's a sudden and sharp decline that starts in 2020 and continues through the present day. Which to me, points to something specific.
Crucial regulatory practices are not only failing to keep up with advancing industry, but are actively being repealed in many places. It's legitimately scary.
I think this is US-centric (if Europe is repealing regulatory practices I'm unaware and will be shocked) while the dumbing down is more or less global.
From what I could tell in the article, the effect is far more pronounced in the US. There are plenty of other factors that could be attributed to, but it's worth noting.
There's lots to say about the question of why journalists are ignoring this. I'll just say quickly that in my reading of it we have been under a society-wide denial of Covid's historical and ongoing impact that is playing out both in a top-down way (governments and large corporations wanting us to "act normal" and keep being loyal economic actors) and at an individual level (people not wanting to admit how damaging this thing was and being unwilling to engage in collective behaviors). Journalists are no exception to that.
I wonder why journalists keep pushing this idea when the simpler, more obvious, and actually evidence based explanation is the brain damage from SARS-CoV-2?
Still not as bad as the brain damage boomers got from leaded gasoline. It's still early to tell for COVID, but it seems that the damages may be entirely reversible from a physiological point of view. You can't take back the years spent at a lower cognitive capacity though.
It appears that neurological symptoms in long COVID like brain fog and chronic fatigue are closely tied to neuro inflammation and energy production in the mitochondria. My partner has lived with long COVID for five years now. She can't work, can't stay awake the whole day, can't do basic chores. We tried a bunch of different treatments, none of them have a sustained and marked benefit. Until she began microdosing tirzepatide (GLP1). It's been literally magic. The brain fog has almost entirely disappeared in less than a month. The fatigue is reduced by at least 50%. She barely needs any naps anymore. She recovers from crashes in hours instead of days. It's hard to explain the toll of PEM. You may go slightly above your step count limit and you're basically fucked for two days straight afterwards. Or if you're stressed, it can set you way back. Now the crash happens much sooner and she recovers much quicker, usually within the same day, which is astonishing.
If you know someone with long COVID, please tell them about this, it's been essentially a miracle for us. The recovery rate for long COVID patients of longer than six months is essentially zero. But this drug has been life-changing. She may never recover a hundred percent, but going from ten percent to sixty is like being granted a new life.
It's still early to tell for COVID, but it seems that the damages may be entirely reversible from a physiological point of view
There is no evidence for this? Especially when you consider that cognitive damage done during young crucial development windows has a habit of causing permanent issues, this is actually how lead damage operated.
I think you may be right about cognition in adults, but I fear we're messing a lot of kids up permanently.
It's so easy to find an endless scroll of horrifying implications of the effects of COVID (yes, even if you're vaccinated and asymptomatic) and utterly maddening that most people are either ignorant of it or just shrug and move on.
Watching the same people who condemned anti-vaxxers for spreading death and disease choose continuous human sacrifice at the altar of putative normalcy, just not as egregiously, has been the most black-pilling experience of my life.
This is the primary reason I’m still masking with a KN95. I have no interest in optional cognitive impairment and I find it SO WEIRD that everyone around me is fine with it.
The growing evidence that not just Covid but even the Flu have long term neurological damage is growing. This is thought to be why folks that get the yearly Flu vaccine tend to have a much lower cases of dementia. Don't see a reason why Covid wouldn't be the same.
I got a prednisone pack due to an inflammation in my throat... I never felt so alive in my life. It was like a thick heavy blanket was lifted off of my brain and I was myself again for that whole week. It's sad to know what I could be but am not anymore.
"Though there has been a demonstrably steep decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the educational disruption it presented, these trends have been in evidence since at least the mid-2010s, suggesting that whatever is going on runs much deeper and has lasted far longer than the pandemic."
I am taking issue with the specific claim embedded in the part of the paragraph that I quoted -- not the rest of the paragraph. There's no disagreement that the trend started before covid. There is disagreement about what caused the "demonstrably steep[er] decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic."
Shhhh don't let the cookers know about these studies or they will just claim the vaccine did it and if COVID does do it, the vaccine does it worse etc. just like with the damage to the heart
Exactly.
Every time I hear someone go off about lockdowns, always ignoring any of the effects of COVID itself, a part of me dies.
I try not to get upset with individuals, as there was, and continues to be, mass gaslighting by those in power in order to keep capitalism running.
I’m not sure people are becoming less intelligent.
But I do think many are becoming less mentally present.
Reading trains something scrolling never will: sustained attention.
The ability to stay with an idea long enough for it to transform you.
When people stop reading deeply, thinking slowly, reflecting quietly, something subtle weakens. Not IQ necessarily — but cognitive endurance.
A mind raised on fragments starts processing reality in fragments.
And honestly, this began long before AI.
The shift probably started the moment infinite stimulation replaced contemplation as the default mental environment.
The real question may not be whether technology is making us “dumber,” but whether modern culture still rewards depth at all.
The essay blames COVID and brain rot algorithms, but increased CO2 in the atmosphere make brain not work good 2. More see oh too means less brain thing go more
Yes this is an important point. It doesn't really affect people until above 1000ppm, which is some way off in the atmosphere, but it builds up easily in enclosed spaces. In offices or meeting rooms with lots of people the CO2 increases and people get drowsy and slow. The solution is to ventilate with outside air....but the higher CO2 is outside, the more ventilation is needed to dilute the concentration inside. So as atmospheric CO2 increases, traditional offices become worse and worse places to actually think about things.
In the long term CO2 above 1000ppm could also be an existential threat to humans. We have big brains because of all the survival advantages that intelligence provides, but it comes at a half GH calorie cost. If CO2 makes everyone stupider and unable to use their big human brains, especially if there is also famine, then there will be selection pressure for people with smaller, less energy hungry brains. In an environment where thinking does not provide significant advantages, we can survive climate change but become monkeys again.
I don't know what you mean by 'we' here but yes the plane will experience Satya yuga where eligible living beings will be born. Although this material world is not the goal of our life , it's a containment zone for souls wanting to enjoy or act independent of the Supreme, so to that end this plane exists. But there is opportunity to learn about the beyond...
So I don't know about your background understanding on the topic and I will give you a basic Idea that it's based on levels of spiritual progress and their consciousness levels, which they will further improve upon after being born in that Yuga... Although each Yuga has its own advantages.(Yes kali Yuga, despite of its dense darkness and utter ignorance, does provide certain unique spiritual advantages for progress)
So is it a separate concept to the meterial understanding of the cycle of civilisation and history? More metaphysical and akin to reincarnating as different beings as part of a spiritual journey?
Yes, our reality is metaphysical, it's not merely a concept but the factual reality we exist inside.. The human form of life on this material plane is the highest opportunity provided to the soul (the opportunity is due to consciousness progression) for true spiritual inquiry and thus exit the cycle forever. There are 84 million species of material beings, the human form is the most suitable for real progress of the soul, and the location is also important, earth being in the middle of the universe is ideal for that. Because the higher dimensions provide for more finer heavenly delights, while the dimensions lower than us are even more materialistic than our current reality. [You can ask further if you are curious, I'll try to reply]
There's a growing trend of anti-intellectualism which has become more prominent since Covid.
There's this idea that everyone's opinion is as valid as everyone else regardless of intelligence or qualification and until societies place value on education this isn't going to change - but the elites don't want that to happen as the uneducated are easier to control.
If you think you are dumb and know your limitations, there is an overwhelmingly good chance you're way at the upper percentiles of intelligence. People who are stupid never think they're stupid. Usually on the contrary. It's one of the true pillars of looking stupid. Not knowing that you're stupid.
Maybe we’ve always been this stupid, but the smart people always held a lot of sway in society. But now the stupid are gaining ground in their rise to the top of the heap? History is written by the victors, but what if the victors can’t tread and write? And don’t call me Victor!
Can I suggest that it's not just covid, screen addiction, or educational cuts? Perhaps it's related, but... people just don't seem as intellectually curious or honest as they used to be. Additionally, and again relatedly, critical thought and basic logic often seems completely absent in most people. It's a fundamental cultural crisis as I see it.
I'm a big fan of Socratic dialogue, but whenever I try to talk about something important, or just academic, I can barely ever get a straight answer from anyone. It's often like the "Patrick's wallet" meme, but in real life. People are barely ever able or willing defend their positions while they do the discourse equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears while screaming "LA, LA, LA, LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"
Admittedly I like to debate, but... that shouldn't be seen as some sort of evil witchcraft -- I'm just trying to discuss things thoroughly and accurately. It also doesn't help that people want to avoid discussing anything at all unpleasant -- thereby making many problems impossible to solve. It's really quite disturbing.
The general socioeconomic system (hothoused by social media) has to inhibit the foundational skill of intelligence in order to protect its shape.
If we are not encouraged to use this vital and instinctual skill, if we don't practice it, then naturally our intelligence will suffer, and we are only able to react to information with ideas of emotion (which is how the predominant industries of PR and marketing like it).
It is important to note that this skill has never been ascribed any formal value in the culture generally and education in particular.
What is the answer to the Fermi Paradox? At this point, I could believe it might be social media! A civilization develops to the point of social media... then it's all downhill from there. And here we are, alone in a stupid universe.
Well, social media is designed to wprk on our most basic emotional.level,, so it certainly doesn't encourage asking and checking (the foundational skill of intelligence).
However, it is just a tool, and like all tools we can decide how to use it. Should we use the hammer to build a house or bash someone brain’s in?
The choice is ours, but we are at a point in human history when the skill we need to even consider that choice is not even considered.
I work in education, and have spent decades developing asking and checking practice. To be clear, the practice of the only way we can try to understand anything better. It is incredibly difficult to even get people to consider this possibility, let alone take an interest. I can't give it away.
I agree and run into the same issues. I think it is a combination of a ton of things, including the loss of shared culture. I think another huge contributing factor to what we are experiencing is individual and societal depression. I think a lot of people are just on the verge of losing it and discussing/debating something serious is just too much for a lot of people to handle. You do this over a long time and many people will just become completely disinterested. I think this all started happening in 2016 and solidified during covid.
I also think we have lost shame. People are far to comfortable out in public now. This leads to people who don't put the energy into growing because no one is expecting them too and when someone does it is annoying to them but it is so few people that it doesn't matter. They look around and see everyone else just checking out, why shouldn't they? It makes the people who "think" and "ponder" look out of place now. Obviously this isn't everyone but I think the combined reasons are causing the phenomenon we are experiencing now in the world.
We are all just depressed. Some just check out and some like me need to talk it out and find a solution and each get frustrated with each other as we all deal with the societal trauma we are actively living.
Additionally, and again relatedly, critical thought and basic logic often seems completely absent in most people. It's a fundamental cultural crisis as I see it.
This one is firmly laid at the feet of technology unfortunately, vindication for the Unabomber
Since the 1980s–2000s, several developed countries have reported a plateau or reversal in specific cognitive measures. Norway, for example, found declining IQ scores in cohorts born after the mid-1970s. This is important because it corresponds with the time period where rates of Autism started increasing. Also, it is unavoidable to note that developed countries show higher rates of automobile use per capita, and at this point there have been numerous studies showing the impact to the brain from small particulate matter, SOx, and NOx, all of which are present in fossil fuel combustion exhaust.
These declines aren’t sudden. They aren’t due to COVID. They aren’t due to screen time. Reasoning and some IQ measures have been in decline since the 70s and 80s, becoming more prominent and accelerating in the 90s and early 2000s.
We are poisoning ourselves with fossil fuels folks. It’s clear. And when we stop using them and the situation inevitably improves, perhaps that’s the reason why there are attempts to confuse you. They want you to blame vaccines, Tylenol, diet, screen time, or COVID. They change test criteria so that standardized testing doesn’t show a clear difference between past and current data. They put bots in forums just like this one to try to convince you that Autism isn’t really increasing. They’re lying to you, and one day you’ll realize it. I hope it isn’t too late when that happens.
Without some actual studies, all I see is correlation.
I could highlight that the 80s resurgence of right wing politics, neoliberalism and so on are the trigger for this.
Maybe their changes to society are specifically designed to do this as lower IQ minds tend to be more fearful and close to new ideas, susceptible to the rhetoric or blame. They could have pushed for electric back then but pushed oil.
Anyway, long way of saying. Sources? Would like to learn more.
Ok so... their are a multitude of things that are causing people to appear stupider.
Society has moved towards a short form high intensity format. Everything is designed to hit you fast and hard, leaving a dopamine hit just strong enough to get you through to the next thing. Humans learn through repetition, without that most of this information only sticks around in your short term memory for a few days at most. Its why things go viral and usually are almost forgotten as quickly. Add to this the ability to access of all the information you could ever need from wherever and whenever you need and it means you no longer need to remember things like we used to.
2nd, a purposeful destruction of the education system, that seems to rely more on feelings than actual learning and knowledge, and a shift of nlame to anyone but yourself. Only ever show up for 2 or 3 classes all year, that's fine you still pass or graduate because it night hurr your feeling if you have to take the class again. This is reflected in the current 15-30 generation with much higher numbers of criminals being caught, and released with relatively light sentences for things that absolutely would have been punishable previously.
It has also led to a noticeable increase in entitled people who can't take no for an answer or look at things objectively, and lack a capacity to deal will even minor setbacks without melting down because they never had to experience failure growing up.
Social media doesn't help because everything you see is based on engagement, so the algorithm feeds you things you are more likely to interact with. This can lead to a curated feed that skews heavily towards information you agree with whether is it is true or not. Since its almost all you see, when the occasional thing gets through that questions everything else, many people will immediately assume its fake. Unfortunately something that the likes of Fox News and other media empires have gotten very good at exploiting.
On the biological side, its already proven that higher temperatures and higher CO2 concentrations have a very noticeable negative effect on cognitive functionality, and we are getting a great 2 for 1 deal there.
All that being said, I do think the average person is becoming dumber, at least from an educational view. People being less intelligent is a little harder to prove.
No we're not, this is propaganda to make you dependent on AI and launder the idea that the proles and working class need AI managing them because they're too stupid.
I’m a professor of graphic design, historically, I really loved my job and benefited from the fact that the students who take my class have chosen it because they are passionate major. My classes aren’t a requirement like English or math.
It’s pretty typical to hear the Janet professor complaining about laziness and cheating and lack of investment from students to wear forced to take their classes…
What I am seeing is something completely different- a shift that happened nearly overnight.
My newest batch of students seem to have been body snatched. They’re cognitively low performers who have trouble coming up with interesting and exciting creative concepts, and cannot follow simple directions, even when written out step-by-step.
They seem to be void of personality. Given every opportunity to showcase something they are passionate about in the classroom they shrink away. Not only are the lacking taste, but they don’t even seem to be a fan of anything.
I’ll bring snacks to class and they don’t eat them?
Everything about them is different than students that I’ve had over the last decade. Even just from students last year-there’s a noticeable drastic difference.
Well they say in all these studies that the higher the carbon dioxide saturation atmosphere the more the effects mimic lead poisoning which has everyone knows makes us all stupid…
Reading the article is tough but the studies referenced, the PISA studies are the global gold standard of educational data.
The declines are due to educational technology. Yes even Asian scores. They're just tanking the hit by studying harder.
We just don't remember when information is on screens. Recalling facts actually triggers the part of our brain that's for navigating three dimensions. When were remembering things from a physical book, the dimensionality of where that fact is in the book somehow plays a part.
I'm on my phone (ironic) but there's a lad who studied this whose been doing the rounds on podcasts where I heard about this and it is pretty damn convincing.
This problem would have definitely been solvable, but we let it go too far. Dunning-Kruger is in full effect and it will be difficult for truly intelligent people to be involved in the policy making to address falling IQs.
As far as America goes, let's just split the country and be done with it. Give people a few years to pick a side and move, then we go full Korea. If only this were actually possible. Since it's all but guaranteed that the dumber of the new countries would collapse pretty quickly due to their inability to conduct actual science.
I used to be pretty anti-conflict and open to the idea that with enough exposure to real info, almost everyone was capable of understanding and acting reasonably. Not anymore. I now fully believe that there are a concerning amount of people who are and will always be too stupid to comprehend anything even remotely complex.
It goes in line with what Sam Altman said about that in the future "intelligence" will be a "basic" necessity like water or electricity and they will charge it for use, like people literally paying for AI to think for them. I strongly dislike this future, but strangely, we're somehow headed towards that direction
Yeah, well, um, duh. How else to survive the existential mass of reentry, billions of souls failing to come to grips with the available fot dealio with the current situation.. *shield intelligence lead brain case attack×
It's the lack of critical thinking, reading comprehension, and glaring grammatical errors that make me actually hope I'm no longer alive when Gen Z/A/whatever is in charge. I have a BA in Professional Writing, and I could do a better job than half of the journalists at major publications.
Related to collapse because things are like all complicated with big words and stuff. That requires that scratching on the chin thing to figure all that shit out. We got like all those problems with the dust storms and burrito coverings too. Like that water out of the toilet.
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I can confirm this issue. I work as a maintenance engineer for hotels.
I get calls that the airconditioner is not working. I tell them you have to push the button that says ac.
The power is not working in the bathroom or the coffee maker is broken. It is either unplugged or the gfi is triggered.
There is no hot water in the shower. Try turning the knob the other direction I tell them.
The pancake machine will not make waffles...... they say this as grown adults wearing no shoes and in their pajamas.
The toilet will not flush.....well you have to let go of the lever.....and after I showed them the toilet worked perfectly but they still demanded a discount.
I was experiencing this issue as well. Reading books and solving real world problems with said information in the books has helped to improved this issue personally (intro to micro and macro economics, algebra, calculus, statistics, developing literary devices for improved language)
But we've already established that a single molecule of water is dry. That much is indisputable. Every water molecule is thus a dry item in contact with water and therefore wet. QED
The argument that a liquid itself isn't wet relies on the scientific and linguistic definition of "wetness," which is officially defined as the interaction between a liquid and a solid surface, rather than an inherent property of the liquid itself. The core arguments that a liquid (like water) is not wet include: Wetness requires a solid: Scientifically, a material is considered "wet" when a liquid adheres to a solid surface—like skin, glass, or fabric. A liquid on its own cannot be covered or saturated with itself. The "Fire" Analogy: Just as a flame produces fire but isn't itself "burned," a liquid produces wetness but is not inherently "wet."
Something wet is something in contact with water. Water is the liquid form of h²o. In order to be considered a liquid at least two molecules of h²o need to be loosely interacting. Water is wet.
“We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.”
-Carl Sagan
Me gesturing broadly to 90% of the people I work with
I live in the deep south US and work blue trade, these people naturally assume I'm MAGA. I've had coworkers approach me to talk about things like replacement theory, or the lazer the Democrats have to control the weather.
It's so absolutely insane what people believe now, I wish we could go back to when conspiracy theories were just aliens and mole people
34 percent of adults in the United States scored at the lowest levels of numeracy, which essentially means that they lack the ability to work with numbers.
This really is a shocking statistic. I do think a lot of these people just can't be bothered to apply themselves and just give up, saying "it's too hard".
Also the amount of plastic in our brains is doubling in less than ten years, now more than a plastic baggie’s worth. It is certainly enough to have an effect.
Combination of obesity and social media. Fasting, exercising, reading real books and getting off the phone brings most people back up to their optimum.
Ah yes, it was the few weeks kids had to learn from home that exacerbated the problem and not the ongoing Pandemic known to reduce IQ and cognitive function more each time you catch the disease.
May as well spend the rest of the article blaming the boogeyman called "screens" since it'll allow you ti pretend this isn't your fault (media) for spreading propaganda on a way that continues to actively harm your readers.
That's the story here, in case you were wondering. You should absolutely shoot the messenger.
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Monsur_Ausuhnom:
Submission Statement,
Related to collapse because things are like all complicated with big words and stuff. That requires that scratching on the chin thing to figure all that shit out. We got like all those problems with the dust storms and burrito coverings too. Like that water out of the toilet and all the garbage avalanches. Where my tv to watch. What said?
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1trc3vx/human_intelligence_sharply_declining/oomjayw/
If intelligence is dealing that quickly, its not all of a sudden. Its the result of several decades of not prioritizing education, a compounding disinterest if you will
I’m not surprised. Some of the arguments people try to start with you online 😳 yesterday someone in a subreddit I moderate said the Canadian government is trying to legalize beastiality and pedophilia and putting anyone opposed in concentration camps 😂
FRYETIME@reddit
Working in IT, I see this every day. It baffles me how some people are able to survive until adulthood, let alone get a job paying many times my salary. (I work in finance)
Nom-De-Gruyere@reddit
Idiots doing well is definitely detrimental to society as a whole.. perhaps we should deliberately make life more dangerous and competitive. It wouldn't be right or fair, but at least it would be more of a meritocracy, where smart people and psychopaths would succeed. We would have to deal with the psychopaths but they are already disproportionately represented in management and government.
Unfair_Creme9398@reddit
Don’t you mean that psychopaths would do less well in a meritocracy?
jwhendrix@reddit
Just look at the President of the United States.
Tyler_Durden69420@reddit
President Kumacho is gonna fix the crops.
SwordsAndWords@reddit
Bro, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Camacho (formerly: porn star, and five time Ultimate Smackdown Champion) is a better leader than Trump... Wow. Just... Wow.
nick4fake@reddit
No, president Kumahcho has empathy
LimeGreenSea@reddit
Nice username. So we gonna talk about it or?
PenaltyFine3439@reddit
No, that's Secretary Not Sure.
earthartfire@reddit
I prefer prez Camacho. He actually cared about the people and looked for the smartest guy to solve the problems instead of cutting off funding for sciences, education etc. I’d rather live in Idiocracy than 2026 MAGA-land. Ow my balls
morganational@reddit
He's fucking 80 or something. I think he's probably not included in the study.
0rlandoBlooming0nion@reddit
Oh, you got downvoted for staying on topic and reading the study. I guess this is another dying sub then. That sucks.
here-i-am-now@reddit
Nope, downvoted for whining about downvotes.
morganational@reddit
As expected... 🤷🏽♂️ Literally just going to keep doing the same thing until I finally get completely kicked off reddit so I have an excuse not to use it anymore. It literally only makes me angry these days.
GringoSwann@reddit
Doesn't matter... He influences others to be just as stupid, slothful & greedy...
morganational@reddit
Yeah, all the youth that follow Trump... 😑
GringoSwann@reddit
Plenty of adults too... Guy is straight up just a terrible person/influence... My BIGGEST concern with that guy is not so much what he does, but how others respond to it... He validates terrible behavior...
morganational@reddit
Yup, that is a great reason not to elect a clown as the president of the most powerful country in the history of the world. 🤦🏽♂️
Seven-is-not-much@reddit
He’s always been an idiotic monster. Age is just exacerbating the issue
morganational@reddit
That's a great opinion and all, but my point is that they aren't going to include someone born 80 years ago in a study on contemporary youth.
zippopwnage@reddit
And the majority of people. Not like I'm a bright bulb myself, but if you voted for that guy 2 times...and those who stayed home...But hey, we're complaining about AI taking our brain....it was long gone anway.
Topiconerre@reddit
Some voted for him 3 times....
Vallkyrie@reddit
Some are proudly itching for a 4th time.
here-i-am-now@reddit
5th. Everyone seems to forget his first campaign for president.
here-i-am-now@reddit
Not many brag about having backed him that 4th time. Those are the truly deranged.
OffToTheLizard@reddit
Many US citizens voted for him 3 times, that's spectacularly stupid.
ansibleloop@reddit
Nuh uh
He aced THREE cognitive tests
Biden and Obama didn't even pass ONE
What more proof do you need that he's a genius?
Just look at the whitehouse front lawn
thebite101@reddit
I know your shit is emotional right now…
taterrrtotz@reddit
He’s personally dragging down the mean, we should look at the median instead!
sarcasticbaldguy@reddit
and his cult.
Sockoflegend@reddit
Even in myself I feel I am getting stupider
danceswsheep@reddit
COVID made me dumber I swear
AutumntimeFall@reddit
That is actually a fact. Every infection causes some cognitive decline in everybody.
WildFlemima@reddit
We are also chronically stressed, which isn't great for memory or problem solving
jafarthecat@reddit
It's ok - when the lovely robots all do our jobs for us we don't need to be smart no more.
fertilizedcaviar@reddit
Yep, then add in our lack of downtime and we have a disaster.
Active pondering, daydreaming, imagining and creating are all "exercise" for our brain and cognitive processes. We dont get a chance to practice much anymore with the screens, constant demands, unfinishable to do lists and constant barage of stimulation and "content".
Our brains have been actively hijacked. By design.
curiouswizard@reddit
this makes me feel better about the fact that sometimes I like to just sit & daydream. Like I'll literally just lay on my couch and imagine stuff instead of watching the tv sometimes. My brain has really good graphics
joemangle@reddit
The Dutch call this "niksen"
Turbulent-Beauty@reddit
Keep up the daydreaming!
snertwith2ls@reddit
Environmental stress/pollution must account for some of this
maddiweinstock@reddit
This part!
RedBeardBock@reddit
If I remember correctly it’s like around 1-2 IQ per
AutumntimeFall@reddit
3-10 per infection.
eye_of_the_sloth@reddit
I have measurable effects. I was a top student in college, 4.0 for the first 3 years. Senior year comes and Im doing well in each course, until finals when i got covid - I failed two classes, which i had to retake. I kmew the material i just couldnt think it was like it all got erased. It impacted my graduation date, my financial aid, my GPA, my loans and I changed majors because i noticeably felt dumber. Now still noticing thing i used to be sharp at tale significant effort to get right.
Shadowpriest@reddit
I agree with you on this 100%. I had no issues with my memory, critical thinking, snap judgement, etc. Then as best as we tried to avoid it we both came down with that damn plague. It's now been 4 years and I still have waves of brain fog and feel as dumb as a box of rocks. There's times where I struggle from a few days to a few weeks with my work and there have been no drastic changes in the workplace. And let's not forget to mention the physical health that has also deteriorated as a result of getting sick. I can't imagine getting it again. I'm so scared if I do it'll be even worse and I can't believe young folks have to deal with trying to pass exams and then try to retain it all to get their foot in their first position for the career they picked out.
danceswsheep@reddit
Do NOT take my advice without consulting a medical professional but my psychiatrist recommended I try taking creatine for the brain fog. I only take it when I’m going through a foggy period and it really helps. It can make some folks have upset stomachs.
kupo_moogle@reddit
I could have written this. I feel the same. I used to have a very sharp mind but lately the brain fog is so severe it’s impacting my work every day.
WarmDaddyXanax@reddit
I've certainly gotten much slower/forgetful at my job that I've been at for over a decade now. I chalked it up to age (over 40) more younger staff coming in and taking over more tasks, but everything I do feels much slower than pre-covid and I'm constantly second guessing my work. I do legitimately feel far less snappier than I used to. Sucks to know my brain possibly shrank.
shewholaughslasts@reddit
I'm so sorry! I hope ypu can recover a bit. I feel like I'm slightly less stupid than in the first year past covid.
thelingeringlead@reddit
I absolutely feel less sharp and with it since. It doesn't help that it dramatically changed my habits and coping mechanisms. I didn't realize how much it affected me because I stayed social and active the entire time, but with every covid positive test I've felt slower, and less myself. I haven't had one in 2 years, but that last one was rough.
BitchfulThinking@reddit
It even messes with fetuses. Babies are having more developmental delays and Long Covid is the most common chronic illness in US children ☹
behemuthm@reddit
I 100% feel it too
huehuehuehuehuuuu@reddit
Destroyed my vocabulary and energy.
ancientchipmonk@reddit
I've really been thinking my vocabulary has declined but never seen anyone relate it to COVID. I had COVID at least 6 times. I'm meant to be writing a PhD, and it constantly feels like all the words I used to know are on the tip of my tongue.
twotimefind@reddit
Yes, it would be nice if our government realized that long COVID is such a strain on everyone... Super articulate. Very high vocabulary. I stumble for my words often. I've had COVID four times. The brain fog is immense. People that know me understand the people I meet for the first or second time I have to explain them to them. I'm dealing with the brain fog.....
It's a huge struggle what seems to help with me as I've been picking up random video games that make me think hard, puzzle games, driving games, old school, running gunners, anything to make my brain work in different ways.
Publish_Lice@reddit
This happened to my wife as well. She feels like she has recovered now but for at least 2 years she felt like she couldn’t articulate herself properly using language due to brain fog.
plotthick@reddit
We know Covid infections damage brain tissue. Each infection seems to reduce between 1 and 10 IQ points. Fatigue, vocabulary, mid dysregulation, and brain fog are the most common symptoms of Long Covid.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-08-01-long-term-cognitive-and-psychiatric-effects-covid-19-revealed-new-study
_heatmoon_@reddit
No, we don’t know that. That study was done with a whopping 475 participants only 20% of whom consented to a follow up assessment. It was also comprised only of people who were hospitalized in the first wave of the pandemic. Who was hospitalized most in that first wave? Elderly people. Who’s likely to suffer cognitive decline over the course of 3 years in general? Elderly people. The article literally says the study may not be generalizable.
plotthick@reddit
That's ok, there are lots of other studies & articles. If the links below aren't enough for you, you're welcome to search for yourself. I suggest the terms "Study Covid Brain Damage" though duckduckgo.com so google's AI slop doesn't damage your results.
Here are a few; the top two I find to be extremely definitive. Worth the read.
Mounting research shows that COVID‑19 leaves its mark on the brain, including significant drops in IQ scores https://theconversation.com/mounting-research-shows-that-covid-19-leaves-its-mark-on-the-brain-including-significant-drops-in-iq-scores-224216
Here are some of the most important studies to date documenting how COVID-19 affects brain health:
Drops in IQ
Most recently, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed cognitive abilities such as memory, planning and spatial reasoning in nearly 113,000 people who had previously had COVID-19. The researchers found that those who had been infected had significant deficits in memory and executive task performance.
This decline was evident among those infected in the early phase of the pandemic and those infected when the delta and omicron variants were dominant. These findings show that the risk of cognitive decline did not abate as the pandemic virus evolved from the ancestral strain to omicron.
In the same study, those who had mild and resolved COVID-19 showed cognitive decline equivalent to a three-point loss of IQ. In comparison, those with unresolved persistent symptoms, such as people with persistent shortness of breath or fatigue, had a six-point loss in IQ. Those who had been admitted to the intensive care unit for COVID-19 had a nine-point loss in IQ. Reinfection with the virus contributed an additional two-point loss in IQ, as compared with no reinfection.
Does COVID-19 damage the brain? https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/does-covid-19-damage-the-brain
We now know that, unfortunately, COVID can damage the brain in many ways. (...) Finally, the lingering symptoms of fatigue, pain, and difficulty thinking that can last for several years after COVID — called long COVID or post-acute COVID syndrome — may well be caused by ongoing low-grade brain inflammation caused by the virus.
COVID-19-associated neurological and psychological manifestations https://www.nature.com/articles/s41572-025-00674-7
Brainstem damage found to be behind long-lasting effects of severe Covid-19 https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251008/Brainstem-damage-found-to-be-linked-to-long-lasting-effects-of-severe-Covid-19.aspx
Altered brain tissue microstructure and neurochemical profiles in long COVID and recovered COVID-19 individuals: A multimodal MRI study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354625002005?via%3Dihub
_heatmoon_@reddit
You suggest searching for terms that confirm what you already think and the point you’re trying to make? Cool got it. You clearly didn’t even read the entirety of the original one you linked because you missed the point at the end. I get it more than a headline and paragraph is tough. As much as I’d love to thoroughly read all your search results and give you an actual human summary using critical thinking ima have to pass. This discussion has actually turned into solid anecdotal evidence of people’s brains turning to mush.
plotthick@reddit
I posted one study, you gave a mostly acceptable takedown on how the study itself doesn't convince.
I posted 19 links from 5 excellent peer-reviewed studies/articles, with excerpts carefully taken which explicitly prove the thing you said wasn't proven. I include a suggestion to find more studies you might find convincing if needed, with a note on how to avoid AI hallucinations.
You respond with emotional digs on my intelligence, while admitting to not reading even the excerpts I C&P'd. Not sure who you're yelling at in this convo but it's not me.
For other's reference, here's u/heatmoon 's response:
lavapig_love@reddit
I'm going to politely interrupt you. This conversation should have stopped when you gave information about Covid-19 with sources to the other person, and they replied with "no, it's not true".
I'll take it from here. Mahalo for adding helpful info to the mix.
_heatmoon_@reddit
I didn’t say it wasn’t true. I said that their extrapolation from the Oxford source was incorrect. I quite literally cited their source verbatim. It just happened to be a point that was contradictory to what they were claiming the article is about. They then went on to tell me how I should just search a handful of phrases that would confirm their bias. It would be like thinking a song has a specific lyric and instead of searching ‘what’re the lyrics to this song?’ Someone searched ‘are the lyrics to this song…(whatever their thought the lyrics were)?’ I also very clearly stated COVID is no joke and very serious. I’m aware of the risks and lost people to it during the first wave. I also know that saying “it lowers your IQ by 10 points every time you get it!” Based on a study done on 475 where only 20% (that’s a sample size of less than 100) is complete BS.
plotthick@reddit
Thank you, I'll keep that discussion parameter in mind for the future.
collapse-ModTeam@reddit
Rule 4: Keep information quality high.
Information quality must be kept high. More detailed information regarding our approaches to specific claims can be found on the Misinformation & False Claims page.
hayesms@reddit
I understand the mask, but what does an air purifier do?
plotthick@reddit
Good air purifiers measurably remove viruses/particulate from inside air every cycle. Low/lower virus concentrations are positively associated with less or no Upper Respiratory Infections.
Clean air = healthier air.
accidentprone8@reddit
I just will never get how this didn’t convince people to reassess. But no, let’s just descend back in to Idiocracy.
JeepStang@reddit
The people that held us back from better managing the pandemic already had low IQ's to begin with and as they say misery loves company.
bread_and_circuits@reddit
Motherfucker are you telling me and this other poor bastard we could be mentally disabled from COVID.
-60 IQ points motherfucker!!!
DivaExMachina666@reddit
I feel like this all the time these days. Thought it was just age but I wonder now if there was more to it.
karshberlg@reddit
One of the clearest signs I had of recovery after 2 and a half years with long covid rotting was I could suddenly express myself more like I used to in the past.
When I started with covid I took so many vitamins and stuff to see if anything could help and nothing did, I kept deteriorating. And the recovery was the same, I wasn't doing anything special, it just happened.
sandybuttcheekss@reddit
Holy shit that's been the same for me for about 6 years now. My brain just stopped working correctly. I can't remember anything and I can't speak beyond just unga bunga simple words. While reading I know what's happening but I am trying to force myself to use a larger vocabulary and it just isn't working.
seeseabee@reddit
It’s both comforting to know that so many others are going through the same thing, and also horrifying to know that so many others are going through the same thing. Also, I had to look at my thesaurus app to find an appropriate word for how it makes me feel almost validated (because brain power and memory nowadays is defunct), but couldn’t find one that really resonated so I settled on “comforting”.
sandybuttcheekss@reddit
I'd call it comforting. It's something that happened versus me just being this way.
randomlyme@reddit
Covid absolutely did this to me as well, I’ve mostly recovered but not entirely I’d say.
EnvyofWindandRain@reddit
Yeah many of us have been reduced to Homer Simpson level if speech at tines. "Atoms they are like carousel of.. Stuff , spin like spin disc... Thing. yeah that will do".
breaducate@reddit
I have zero stamina now, even though I've lost practically no strength. Basic tasks like taking out the trash are something I need to recover from.
Exercise intolerance (exercise is harder and the fatigue feels much worse) leads to a vicious cycle of decaying fitness which is not helped by the need to isolate from others to reduce the rate and severity of reinfection. It's hard to say how much of it is directly LC and how much is from turning into a potato.
thelingeringlead@reddit
I've developed a stutter when I'm hung up on words or thoughts.
Snotmyrealname@reddit
I just got over a bout of covid and I feel measurably dumber.
blopp_@reddit
It did.
Mask in indoor spaces outside your household. And keep up with your vaccinations. Good luck.
roytay@reddit
I thought I was just losing a step to old age or too much social media. Only recently did it occur to me that it might have been COVID (at least partially).
I used to be able to multitask. I used to be able to focus better.
OhSnap1tsScott@reddit
I really resonate with this. I feel things have not been the same and I can’t remember things now. But before I was sharp. Early 30’s so I’m getting old but damn.
old-legs-623@reddit
That too
Pianoman1317@reddit
I absolutely feel that way as well
supersunnyout@reddit
I suspect CO2 is a factor around me. I see it, and feel it. Not just cognitive, but lethargy.
judithishere@reddit
Same but I'm also almost 60 and struggling with sleep apnea so I'm a whole hot mess
here-i-am-now@reddit
The credit card’s worth of microplastics in your brain will do that to a person.
(I feel the same way)
Nit3fury@reddit
I wonder if this has something to do with attention span. Like in the time roughly 2005-2015 during any downtime I was seeking out information regarding my interests and job on Internet forums and wherever. But since smartphones and social media really took hold I just… don’t. I just doomscroll. Or maybe all the chemicals and microplastics. Or increasing CO2.
ramenslurper-@reddit
I’m trying every day to smoke as much weed and spend as much time on my phone as possible and yet I am still constantly aware of the horrors. I WANT TO BE AN IDIOT
Iamdarb@reddit
I have been sober for a few weeks, not by choice, but it's eat or smoke some weed right now, and food wins. I am noticing how angry I really am as a person and that smoking weed chronically for 20+ years has really clouded that fact. I think I'm gonna buy and ounce this weekend and just get back into it and buy lower quality groceries to compensate.
Rachael_Br@reddit
We're all angry.
DivaExMachina666@reddit
If you're not angry you're not paying attention.
Kaladin3104@reddit
If you have any computer skills I would recommend the web of the dark variety. It is cheaper than legal states even and delivered to your door.
Sufficient-Bid1279@reddit
That’s why I stay away from instagram, TikTok and facebook. I find those platforms (more specifically) deaden my brain cells.
TernarySquare0123@reddit
It makes me feel a little better to see this as the top comment
HODLmeCLOSRtonydanza@reddit
Shouldna gonta Jupiter
Pardot42@reddit
I wasn't gonna say anything...
MrNeatSoup@reddit
I don’t word no good anymore
BigJSunshine@reddit
Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?
MrNeatSoup@reddit
I needed that laugh today, thank you
Truckyou666@reddit
Stupider is not even a word! That proves it.
ContessaChaos@reddit
Apparently, it is. I'm too damn old for this nonsense and refuse to put it in my lexicon. LOL. I'm also embarrassed to admit I use "ain't." Covid has made me too complacent, and all the onscreen time I accrue, the worse my grammar and spelling skills become. Or is it "worser?" ;)
Truckyou666@reddit
Pluto will always be a planet to me God damn it That's what we were taught back then!
ContessaChaos@reddit
Absolutely!
Sockoflegend@reddit
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/are-stupider-and-stupidest-real-words
GlockAF@reddit
Ha! Who’s the stupider-er one now?
Aidian@reddit
A rare instance of someone being more stupider, as well as that sentence not being entirely grammatically incorrect.
Trshngrshn@reddit
Well I guess that makes the other guy stupid so the total amount of stupidness in the world has remained the same.
Truckyou666@reddit
Damn now I'm the stupider one. What happened I used to be so less stupider!
Busy_Ordinary8456@reddit
Only somebody stupid would disagree.
Sockoflegend@reddit
I wasn't sure and had to look it up so I won't claim any intellectual victory
loralailoralai@reddit
Still sounds illiterate. Like gotten and deboard.
Proud3GenAthst@reddit
Ikr. Can’t help myself but abuse AI. I feel like my creation is dripping from my ears
cooking2recovery@reddit
I haven’t caved for anything. The longer it has been the easier it is not to use it.
Zerodyne_Sin@reddit
It's also easy to use when you see all the gaps and flaws it does. I worked training ai models and I can see how people use it. The fact that they train it to be sycophantic yes man renders any use it could have had moot. How can you trust something that agrees with you on everything?!?
Opening-Care-5184@reddit
Crazy to think
DaisyHotCakes@reddit
Same. It makes me mad that my husband uses it for shit that he has done for years. Sure it takes less time to get the info he is looking for but I fear he is getting lazy and just blindingly trusting whatever ai says. I refuse to use it for anything, at least knowingly.
Sockoflegend@reddit
I work in web dev and using AI is mandated by my employer. Learning comes from the struggle and now I have an easy solution to reach for. When it fails, and it does fail, suddenly I'm a bit lost. Already in less than a year I feel myself regressing because the skills hard won are going unused.
HuckleberryPee@reddit
In a way it's like becoming a child again. I didn't feel like learning to tie my shoelaces when mom was doing it for me.
For us adults its different because while we will probably be losing many of our skills and letting our brains atrophy, we did at least have to actually learn a lot of stuff.
I can't imagine what it will be like for future generations when there genuinely is no point in learning certain basic skills because an AI in your pocket can tell you instantly whenever you need to know something.
seniorcircuit@reddit
Yeah, it's like our teachers telling us "you won't always have a calculator in your pocket" when it came to math and arithmetic, right?
Even if they had said "you won't always have a supercomputer with multiple times more processing power than the computers here at school or at the library or that you might have at home, in your pocket," it wouldn't fully capture the reality of AI and its future implications...
But I guess it'd be a little heavy to tell kids, "oh none of what we're teaching you is really all that important, you'll always have instant access to infinite information when you need it. In fact, in what we commonly consider a human lifetime today, you might not even need your human body anymore, you may be able to upload your consciousness to the cloud so your essence and personality can live on infinitely!"
GreyRobb@reddit
My partner works back end web development for a silicon valley "startup." You'd recognize the name. For the last year their entire performance metric has been pegged to how many AI tokens they spend. The more they spend, the higher their job performance is rated. Has absolutely nothing to do with delivering functional code or delivering projects on time. It's completely insane.
Sockoflegend@reddit
We haven't gone that crazy. We kept our systems of code review in place and personal responsibility. It's an additional tool in our team and not a new workflow in that sense.
Despite what I see as "sensible adoption" I miss the problem solving and there are no easy wins now. It is just jumping straight to the hardest parts that the AI doesn't get when it isn't able to solve a problem. Woe be upon those who didn't try and understand everything it was doing before it hits it's point of failure.
caldazar24@reddit
how to get your AI to "human-level-intelligence" with one cool trick...
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
grahamulax@reddit
I feel more confident and smart recently actually… I just feel our leaders are REALLY dumb and since realizing this I just don’t do social media anymore besides… this… and I don’t look up to anyone else anymore. I’m confident in my own abilities, and I’ve called out many things years before it happened because I pay attention and connect shit. It’s wild! But I’m going with it. Positivity in MYSELF and that’s it. The world? Eh they are doing it wrong.
That’s my attitude now in a world of grifting and makeup made up marketing.
I’m media trained, animator, worked with huge companies, most of you have seen my stuff but have no idea (and it’s dumb lol) but I was connected once. Very technical too, and I just can’t help thinking like a robot. I’m inherently curious so i make sure to check everything for accuracy and truth.
So yeah, I can see human intelligence declining. Perhaps a brute force release of ai in its infancy did this, or perhaps the “marketing” of the president not fitting in reality. Or the constant grifts since 2016 that shaped our economy like kalshi.
It’s all these things plus more that make you realize no… I’m not dumb… these people fucking are!! I’m being gas lit!
Like when we bombed school children. Only took me like 10 seconds to think “oh we had Claude drama that week about not being used for military decisions in the pipeline” then the us going “no fuck you. We’re gonna ban you.” ad they bomb kids.
Why? Oh right. Ai data is trained off old data. Oh right no current map of Iran… oh right no double checking… cause they are dumb. And thus executed their command.
I think we’re still deliberating on what happened there, but it was so obvious.
Everyone is making you think you’re dumb. But we are not. Our leaders are and we’re just being gas lit to infinity.
EnvyofWindandRain@reddit
Absolutely, but I have found I have mellowed out a bit since my first Covid infection. Which is a nice side effect of the whole thing.
Gdizz50@reddit
So I’m not the only one. Phew
old-legs-623@reddit
Same
AccomplishedNerve761@reddit
I have read that every re-infection of COVID causes a drop in IQ.
breaducate@reddit
And much, much more. For example it also degrades your immune system.
Genuinely, looking up studies into the long term effects of COVID is an information hazard. Make sure you're psychologically prepared before you open those eldritch tomes.
BrightCandle@reddit
I saw a study the other day that shows that half of the population now has insufficient T cells. T4/T8 cell ratio is how AIDs is measured, yep we are talking about Covid degrading the same part of the immune system as HIV. How will it present, increasing TB and other weird cancers, precisely what we are seeing in the press daily now.
BayouGal@reddit
Everything is tuberculosis 😂
BrightCandle@reddit
Sits latent in a lot of people after failing to fully infect them and then when the immune system is weakened it flares up and becomes a big problem. Very opportunistic disease that attacks the immune compromised.
AccomplishedNerve761@reddit
I know, it wrecks havoc on the system pretty much everywhere. I suspect we won’t have a full understanding of this virus for decades while we slowly see the damaging effects unfold. It’s really a tragedy, but it’s so common I don’t know what we can do about it.
TaswegianTurnip@reddit
I've never knowingly had covid, but asymptomatic covid is a thing and I'm worried I've had it a couple of times without knowing.
DisturbingPragmatic@reddit
It's almost as if raising kids on screens is fucking up their cognitive development or something...
nickiter@reddit
I genuinely think that Tiktok and its demon spawn were an inflection point. I can feel it in myself - I used Tiktok a lot for about a year, and my ability to concentrate got meaningfully worse. I got worse at reading, which I've always been good at and loved doing. It got harder for me to watch a whole YouTube video, even just something 5-10 minutes long. Scary bad. Had to delete it.
Those kinds of apps are a type of brain input that I believe is really especially insidious in undermining sustained thought.
BayouGal@reddit
The short-form is absolutely decreasing our attention span and retention. But the dopamine hits are higher 🙄
I also deleted TikTok. Also because I don’t care to support an Ellison business.
Watch long-form videos. Read books. You can recover your attention span.
Key_Pace_2496@reddit
The article talks about a decrease amongst ALL age groups. It's because of covid.
ThePlacidAcid@reddit
All age groups are addicted to short form content rn, and this trend really kicked off at the same time as COVID. I think it's much simpler to assume that a lower vocabulary stems from decreased interactions with others due to increased social media use, rather than from a virus that made you ill for a week 5 years ago.
Livid-Rutabaga@reddit
it's work too, some people are just unable to listen to what the customers/patients are saying. For example -
my friend made an appointment with her Dr. for xyz, when she got there they had her booked for something else.
I went to a cardiologist visit - in my chart, now shows a condition dated in 2023, which neither me nor him knew about. I insisted on screening because face it, it's been 3 years and nobody told me about it. Guess what? I don't have that, it's an error? somebody else's records mixed in with mine? who knows.
Blenderx06@reddit
Most doctors are now using ai to transcribe appointments and write chart notes. They've been caught making things up.
the_pwnererXx@reddit
I think this is a cop out, I played video games since I was 4 (30 years straight), was doom scrolling forums since I was 10, and I still work a big brain job. Most coworkers would have a similar story. Intelligence is fixed and your ability to focus is a seperate thing
DisturbingPragmatic@reddit
You might thing it's a cop out, but experts don't. Look up the Screen Time Effect and read about it.
Yes... people have been saying "screens will rot your brain" since TV was invented. I've been watching television since I was born in the 70's. Been playing video games since my family got Pong in 1976 (50 years straight). I've been on the internet since it started to become popular (since 1993). I've been exposed to screens my entire existence.
THIS is different. Putting kids in front of the screens of 2026 is not the same as when Millennials, Gen X, Baby Boomers were looking at screens. It's night and day now.
You're free to have your opinion on the matter, of course. But I respectfully disagree.
sushisection@reddit
if that is the case, then we should only see an IQ decrease in children and not in adults.
DisturbingPragmatic@reddit
From a Google search asking "Why are adults getting dumber?". You'll note the first one has to do with screen time and the type of content people are now exposed to. (Which to our developed brains is causing harm... imagine the harm it's causing brains which aren't developed at all.)
I also agree with you that Covid has had a massive impact on people's brains. I have long covid and my brain simply doesn't work like it used to. I have literal dementia type symptoms where I ask the same thing 3 times in a 5 minute conversation, have trouble following the plot of a TV show, use the wrong words for common things, forget what I'm doing literally in the middle of what I'm doing... It's rough, that's for sure.
sushisection@reddit
this is definitely interesting. its honestly most likely a combination of things. there are also studies on microplastics damaging the brain
DisturbingPragmatic@reddit
No matter what, we’re fucked anyway. I truly doubt our species will still be here in 20 years.
robotictacos@reddit
I agree that intelligence and focus are two separate things. However, you could be Stephen Hawking and if you can't pay attention or stay engaged with something for more than 5 minutes at a time, you won't actually commit anything meaningful to memory. This compounds because if you never grep basic informal then you won't be able to understand other information that builds on those basics.
ultraviolentfuture@reddit
And actively pushing misinformation through news outlets, or specific extremist viewpoints via social media algorithms.
And increasing wealth gap/decreasing spending power leading to parents being less physically and mentally present in their children's lives.
And idiotic education administration fucking up curriculum while simultaneously hamstringing actual in-classroom teaching and pushing kids through school even when theyre failing because they don't want to be caught with the hot potato.
AxelShoes@reddit
I think there's also been a pretty clear link for decades between chronic socioeconomic stressors and poor school/work performance, and with poor cognitive performance in general.
PMFSCV@reddit
IMO this is a bigger contributor than covid infections, obesity too.
sushisection@reddit
my suspicion is that its undiagnosed brain damage from covid.
_psylosin_@reddit
Nuh uh
CurrentBias@reddit
I would like to point out that SARS-CoV-2 is known to cause brain and neurological damage. There is no shortage of studies on this, they are easy to find if you search pubmed for "SARS-CoV-2 brain damage" or "SARS-CoV-2 neurological." The "school disruption" explanation does not hold up as well as literal brain damage.
GiraffeLiquid@reddit
This is my thought. Anecdotally, people have generally declined in ability and I’ve seen it in a lot of areas. I’m under the impression that people who didn’t have intense long haul symptoms still had some level of cognitive decline, it’s just that so many people have so much to worry about already that it goes by unnoticed.
BrightCandle@reddit
Its everyone. The British study on a bunch of young healthy men who were intentionally infected(!) showed cognitive decline and loss of IQ in every single one of them but none of them were aware of the loss. Since that study we have determined the effect is cumulative, its about 3 IQ points per infection. Most people are on 1.5x infections on an annual basis. The maths looks bad for human cognition.
SweetTeaNoodle@reddit
Yeah, if it were just school disruption then the decline wouldn't also affect children who were too young to be in school when the disruption was happening. But they are also affected. Also you would expect some recovery within a few years of the disruptions, if it were just due to that and not due to the effects of brain damage. But it continues to get worse, because the infections continue and the brains keep taking hits.
Undeity@reddit
I would also throw out there, the possibility that it has something to do with the copious number of confirmed toxic, and likely to turn out to be toxic, substances that we are being increasingly exposed to in the last several years.
Crucial regulatory practices are not only failing to keep up with advancing industry, but are actively being repealed in many places.
Many substances this risk could apply to likely aren't even on researchers' radar, due to how fast new ones are being put into circulation without sufficient testing.
SweetTeaNoodle@reddit
I mean sure, there are multiple factors involved. The decline started pre-2019. But if you look at any measure of health at the population level of just about any country, there's a sudden and sharp decline that starts in 2020 and continues through the present day. Which to me, points to something specific.
karshberlg@reddit
I think this is US-centric (if Europe is repealing regulatory practices I'm unaware and will be shocked) while the dumbing down is more or less global.
Undeity@reddit
From what I could tell in the article, the effect is far more pronounced in the US. There are plenty of other factors that could be attributed to, but it's worth noting.
whattgenstein@reddit
There's lots to say about the question of why journalists are ignoring this. I'll just say quickly that in my reading of it we have been under a society-wide denial of Covid's historical and ongoing impact that is playing out both in a top-down way (governments and large corporations wanting us to "act normal" and keep being loyal economic actors) and at an individual level (people not wanting to admit how damaging this thing was and being unwilling to engage in collective behaviors). Journalists are no exception to that.
fuzzhead12@reddit
Journalists can get brain damage too
Minisciwi@reddit
The cookers will blame the vaccine
piponwa@reddit
Still not as bad as the brain damage boomers got from leaded gasoline. It's still early to tell for COVID, but it seems that the damages may be entirely reversible from a physiological point of view. You can't take back the years spent at a lower cognitive capacity though.
It appears that neurological symptoms in long COVID like brain fog and chronic fatigue are closely tied to neuro inflammation and energy production in the mitochondria. My partner has lived with long COVID for five years now. She can't work, can't stay awake the whole day, can't do basic chores. We tried a bunch of different treatments, none of them have a sustained and marked benefit. Until she began microdosing tirzepatide (GLP1). It's been literally magic. The brain fog has almost entirely disappeared in less than a month. The fatigue is reduced by at least 50%. She barely needs any naps anymore. She recovers from crashes in hours instead of days. It's hard to explain the toll of PEM. You may go slightly above your step count limit and you're basically fucked for two days straight afterwards. Or if you're stressed, it can set you way back. Now the crash happens much sooner and she recovers much quicker, usually within the same day, which is astonishing.
If you know someone with long COVID, please tell them about this, it's been essentially a miracle for us. The recovery rate for long COVID patients of longer than six months is essentially zero. But this drug has been life-changing. She may never recover a hundred percent, but going from ten percent to sixty is like being granted a new life.
Blenderx06@reddit
What dosage is she on?
HDK1989@reddit
There is no evidence for this? Especially when you consider that cognitive damage done during young crucial development windows has a habit of causing permanent issues, this is actually how lead damage operated.
I think you may be right about cognition in adults, but I fear we're messing a lot of kids up permanently.
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
ansibleloop@reddit
Yeah a friend of my sister's has had COVID 3 times with no family history of seizures or neurological issues
She had a seizure about 2 years ago and nothing since luckily
breaducate@reddit
It's so easy to find an endless scroll of horrifying implications of the effects of COVID (yes, even if you're vaccinated and asymptomatic) and utterly maddening that most people are either ignorant of it or just shrug and move on.
Watching the same people who condemned anti-vaxxers for spreading death and disease choose continuous human sacrifice at the altar of putative normalcy, just not as egregiously, has been the most black-pilling experience of my life.
CurrentBias@reddit
🎯
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
CurrentBias@reddit
You good?
ChaosLitany@reddit
This is the primary reason I’m still masking with a KN95. I have no interest in optional cognitive impairment and I find it SO WEIRD that everyone around me is fine with it.
MavinMarv@reddit
COVID fucked up my ears, the tinnitus I have now really sucks not to mention the body/neurological pain afterwards. This world is cooked.
EnvyofWindandRain@reddit
The growing evidence that not just Covid but even the Flu have long term neurological damage is growing. This is thought to be why folks that get the yearly Flu vaccine tend to have a much lower cases of dementia. Don't see a reason why Covid wouldn't be the same.
sarahstanley@reddit
Came here to post this.
ericvulgaris@reddit
Why? The article literally says it's been happening before 2010. I swear to God the article is right because nobody can read.
CurrentBias@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1trc3vx/comment/oon94tc/
AlfredoQueen88@reddit
Yeah every time I’ve had Covid I’ve noticed a decline in my own intelligence and attention span
sushisection@reddit
covid brain fog is very real. i notice a decline in my own cognitive function when i am sick
matthewjboothe@reddit
I restarted using nicotine (patches) after having it 3 times. Idk if it’s real but it seems to sharpen my mind a bit.
sushisection@reddit
oh i wonder is other neurogenerative/neuroprotective compounds help
tahlyn@reddit
I got a prednisone pack due to an inflammation in my throat... I never felt so alive in my life. It was like a thick heavy blanket was lifted off of my brain and I was myself again for that whole week. It's sad to know what I could be but am not anymore.
ericvulgaris@reddit
The article literally says
"Though there has been a demonstrably steep decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the educational disruption it presented, these trends have been in evidence since at least the mid-2010s, suggesting that whatever is going on runs much deeper and has lasted far longer than the pandemic."
Did you finish the paragraph before posting?
CurrentBias@reddit
I am taking issue with the specific claim embedded in the part of the paragraph that I quoted -- not the rest of the paragraph. There's no disagreement that the trend started before covid. There is disagreement about what caused the "demonstrably steep[er] decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic."
Minisciwi@reddit
Shhhh don't let the cookers know about these studies or they will just claim the vaccine did it and if COVID does do it, the vaccine does it worse etc. just like with the damage to the heart
CurrentBias@reddit
Show them this one:
MNWNM@reddit
Honest question, but does getting the COVID vaccine have the same neurological effects?
CurrentBias@reddit
It does not -- in fact, the mRNA vaccines have been shown to have a slight protective effect
sushisection@reddit
this would also explain why we are seeing decreases in intelligence across all age groups, not just in children.
HalfAssedSass@reddit
Exactly. Every time I hear someone go off about lockdowns, always ignoring any of the effects of COVID itself, a part of me dies. I try not to get upset with individuals, as there was, and continues to be, mass gaslighting by those in power in order to keep capitalism running.
OkyEscritora@reddit
I’m not sure people are becoming less intelligent.
But I do think many are becoming less mentally present.
Reading trains something scrolling never will: sustained attention.
The ability to stay with an idea long enough for it to transform you.
When people stop reading deeply, thinking slowly, reflecting quietly, something subtle weakens. Not IQ necessarily — but cognitive endurance.
A mind raised on fragments starts processing reality in fragments.
And honestly, this began long before AI.
The shift probably started the moment infinite stimulation replaced contemplation as the default mental environment.
The real question may not be whether technology is making us “dumber,” but whether modern culture still rewards depth at all.
Arlitto@reddit
An uninformed constituency is easier to control and manipulate. The war on intelligence is intentional.
robertDouglass@reddit
I wish the article would question whether neurotoxins and micro plastics in the environment or the effects of long Covid have anything to do with it
cheeseitmeatbags@reddit
The essay blames COVID and brain rot algorithms, but increased CO2 in the atmosphere make brain not work good 2. More see oh too means less brain thing go more
Nom-De-Gruyere@reddit
Yes this is an important point. It doesn't really affect people until above 1000ppm, which is some way off in the atmosphere, but it builds up easily in enclosed spaces. In offices or meeting rooms with lots of people the CO2 increases and people get drowsy and slow. The solution is to ventilate with outside air....but the higher CO2 is outside, the more ventilation is needed to dilute the concentration inside. So as atmospheric CO2 increases, traditional offices become worse and worse places to actually think about things.
In the long term CO2 above 1000ppm could also be an existential threat to humans. We have big brains because of all the survival advantages that intelligence provides, but it comes at a half GH calorie cost. If CO2 makes everyone stupider and unable to use their big human brains, especially if there is also famine, then there will be selection pressure for people with smaller, less energy hungry brains. In an environment where thinking does not provide significant advantages, we can survive climate change but become monkeys again.
Sweet_Speed3382@reddit
There will just be smaller ( shorter) , more dumber humans with reduced lifespans throughout the Kali Yuga
Background-Device-36@reddit
It only lasts a while though.
Won't be long until we're back in Satya Yuga.
Sweet_Speed3382@reddit
I don't know what you mean by 'we' here but yes the plane will experience Satya yuga where eligible living beings will be born. Although this material world is not the goal of our life , it's a containment zone for souls wanting to enjoy or act independent of the Supreme, so to that end this plane exists. But there is opportunity to learn about the beyond...
Background-Device-36@reddit
What is meant by "eligible beings"?
Sweet_Speed3382@reddit
So I don't know about your background understanding on the topic and I will give you a basic Idea that it's based on levels of spiritual progress and their consciousness levels, which they will further improve upon after being born in that Yuga... Although each Yuga has its own advantages.(Yes kali Yuga, despite of its dense darkness and utter ignorance, does provide certain unique spiritual advantages for progress)
Background-Device-36@reddit
So is it a separate concept to the meterial understanding of the cycle of civilisation and history? More metaphysical and akin to reincarnating as different beings as part of a spiritual journey?
Sweet_Speed3382@reddit
Yes, our reality is metaphysical, it's not merely a concept but the factual reality we exist inside.. The human form of life on this material plane is the highest opportunity provided to the soul (the opportunity is due to consciousness progression) for true spiritual inquiry and thus exit the cycle forever. There are 84 million species of material beings, the human form is the most suitable for real progress of the soul, and the location is also important, earth being in the middle of the universe is ideal for that. Because the higher dimensions provide for more finer heavenly delights, while the dimensions lower than us are even more materialistic than our current reality. [You can ask further if you are curious, I'll try to reply]
Kamikaze-X@reddit
There's a growing trend of anti-intellectualism which has become more prominent since Covid.
There's this idea that everyone's opinion is as valid as everyone else regardless of intelligence or qualification and until societies place value on education this isn't going to change - but the elites don't want that to happen as the uneducated are easier to control.
CHARM1200@reddit
If you think you are dumb and know your limitations, there is an overwhelmingly good chance you're way at the upper percentiles of intelligence. People who are stupid never think they're stupid. Usually on the contrary. It's one of the true pillars of looking stupid. Not knowing that you're stupid.
Sqribe@reddit
Obligatory "everyone needs to look up the 'everyone is 12' theory" comment.
BWSnap@reddit
Link? I can't find it.
ApplesBananasRhinoc@reddit
Maybe we’ve always been this stupid, but the smart people always held a lot of sway in society. But now the stupid are gaining ground in their rise to the top of the heap? History is written by the victors, but what if the victors can’t tread and write? And don’t call me Victor!
NihiloZero@reddit
Can I suggest that it's not just covid, screen addiction, or educational cuts? Perhaps it's related, but... people just don't seem as intellectually curious or honest as they used to be. Additionally, and again relatedly, critical thought and basic logic often seems completely absent in most people. It's a fundamental cultural crisis as I see it.
I'm a big fan of Socratic dialogue, but whenever I try to talk about something important, or just academic, I can barely ever get a straight answer from anyone. It's often like the "Patrick's wallet" meme, but in real life. People are barely ever able or willing defend their positions while they do the discourse equivalent of putting their fingers in their ears while screaming "LA, LA, LA, LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"
Admittedly I like to debate, but... that shouldn't be seen as some sort of evil witchcraft -- I'm just trying to discuss things thoroughly and accurately. It also doesn't help that people want to avoid discussing anything at all unpleasant -- thereby making many problems impossible to solve. It's really quite disturbing.
don-cake@reddit
The general socioeconomic system (hothoused by social media) has to inhibit the foundational skill of intelligence in order to protect its shape. If we are not encouraged to use this vital and instinctual skill, if we don't practice it, then naturally our intelligence will suffer, and we are only able to react to information with ideas of emotion (which is how the predominant industries of PR and marketing like it). It is important to note that this skill has never been ascribed any formal value in the culture generally and education in particular.
https://theonlythingweeverdo.blogspot.com/2025/06/apollo-11-cistine-chapel-and-un.html
NihiloZero@reddit
Well damn, that sounds about right.
What is the answer to the Fermi Paradox? At this point, I could believe it might be social media! A civilization develops to the point of social media... then it's all downhill from there. And here we are, alone in a stupid universe.
don-cake@reddit
Well, social media is designed to wprk on our most basic emotional.level,, so it certainly doesn't encourage asking and checking (the foundational skill of intelligence). However, it is just a tool, and like all tools we can decide how to use it. Should we use the hammer to build a house or bash someone brain’s in? The choice is ours, but we are at a point in human history when the skill we need to even consider that choice is not even considered. I work in education, and have spent decades developing asking and checking practice. To be clear, the practice of the only way we can try to understand anything better. It is incredibly difficult to even get people to consider this possibility, let alone take an interest. I can't give it away.
Why would any aliens want to mix with us?
StrangeSwain@reddit
I agree and run into the same issues. I think it is a combination of a ton of things, including the loss of shared culture. I think another huge contributing factor to what we are experiencing is individual and societal depression. I think a lot of people are just on the verge of losing it and discussing/debating something serious is just too much for a lot of people to handle. You do this over a long time and many people will just become completely disinterested. I think this all started happening in 2016 and solidified during covid.
I also think we have lost shame. People are far to comfortable out in public now. This leads to people who don't put the energy into growing because no one is expecting them too and when someone does it is annoying to them but it is so few people that it doesn't matter. They look around and see everyone else just checking out, why shouldn't they? It makes the people who "think" and "ponder" look out of place now. Obviously this isn't everyone but I think the combined reasons are causing the phenomenon we are experiencing now in the world.
We are all just depressed. Some just check out and some like me need to talk it out and find a solution and each get frustrated with each other as we all deal with the societal trauma we are actively living.
HDK1989@reddit
This one is firmly laid at the feet of technology unfortunately, vindication for the Unabomber
UAoverAU@reddit
Since the 1980s–2000s, several developed countries have reported a plateau or reversal in specific cognitive measures. Norway, for example, found declining IQ scores in cohorts born after the mid-1970s. This is important because it corresponds with the time period where rates of Autism started increasing. Also, it is unavoidable to note that developed countries show higher rates of automobile use per capita, and at this point there have been numerous studies showing the impact to the brain from small particulate matter, SOx, and NOx, all of which are present in fossil fuel combustion exhaust.
These declines aren’t sudden. They aren’t due to COVID. They aren’t due to screen time. Reasoning and some IQ measures have been in decline since the 70s and 80s, becoming more prominent and accelerating in the 90s and early 2000s.
We are poisoning ourselves with fossil fuels folks. It’s clear. And when we stop using them and the situation inevitably improves, perhaps that’s the reason why there are attempts to confuse you. They want you to blame vaccines, Tylenol, diet, screen time, or COVID. They change test criteria so that standardized testing doesn’t show a clear difference between past and current data. They put bots in forums just like this one to try to convince you that Autism isn’t really increasing. They’re lying to you, and one day you’ll realize it. I hope it isn’t too late when that happens.
goobervision@reddit
Without some actual studies, all I see is correlation.
I could highlight that the 80s resurgence of right wing politics, neoliberalism and so on are the trigger for this.
Maybe their changes to society are specifically designed to do this as lower IQ minds tend to be more fearful and close to new ideas, susceptible to the rhetoric or blame. They could have pushed for electric back then but pushed oil.
Anyway, long way of saying. Sources? Would like to learn more.
bristlybits@reddit
covid sure isn't helping though. take a look at the brain imaging studies on post-infection scans and you can see the accelerant on the coals
UAoverAU@reddit
Oh for sure COVID is bad for the brain, but we should be careful how much we assign blame. The decline has been ongoing for decades.
Parking_Chance_1905@reddit
Ok so... their are a multitude of things that are causing people to appear stupider.
Society has moved towards a short form high intensity format. Everything is designed to hit you fast and hard, leaving a dopamine hit just strong enough to get you through to the next thing. Humans learn through repetition, without that most of this information only sticks around in your short term memory for a few days at most. Its why things go viral and usually are almost forgotten as quickly. Add to this the ability to access of all the information you could ever need from wherever and whenever you need and it means you no longer need to remember things like we used to.
2nd, a purposeful destruction of the education system, that seems to rely more on feelings than actual learning and knowledge, and a shift of nlame to anyone but yourself. Only ever show up for 2 or 3 classes all year, that's fine you still pass or graduate because it night hurr your feeling if you have to take the class again. This is reflected in the current 15-30 generation with much higher numbers of criminals being caught, and released with relatively light sentences for things that absolutely would have been punishable previously.
It has also led to a noticeable increase in entitled people who can't take no for an answer or look at things objectively, and lack a capacity to deal will even minor setbacks without melting down because they never had to experience failure growing up. Social media doesn't help because everything you see is based on engagement, so the algorithm feeds you things you are more likely to interact with. This can lead to a curated feed that skews heavily towards information you agree with whether is it is true or not. Since its almost all you see, when the occasional thing gets through that questions everything else, many people will immediately assume its fake. Unfortunately something that the likes of Fox News and other media empires have gotten very good at exploiting.
On the biological side, its already proven that higher temperatures and higher CO2 concentrations have a very noticeable negative effect on cognitive functionality, and we are getting a great 2 for 1 deal there.
All that being said, I do think the average person is becoming dumber, at least from an educational view. People being less intelligent is a little harder to prove.
reticentbias@reddit
there*
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
Urshilikai@reddit
No we're not, this is propaganda to make you dependent on AI and launder the idea that the proles and working class need AI managing them because they're too stupid.
unredead@reddit
At this point it’s got to be at least half, right? /s?
Probably gonna get the mods mad but whatever… also heck of a submission statement lol what said?
Distracted523@reddit
College professor. Can confirm. 😭
I’m a professor of graphic design, historically, I really loved my job and benefited from the fact that the students who take my class have chosen it because they are passionate major. My classes aren’t a requirement like English or math.
It’s pretty typical to hear the Janet professor complaining about laziness and cheating and lack of investment from students to wear forced to take their classes…
What I am seeing is something completely different- a shift that happened nearly overnight.
My newest batch of students seem to have been body snatched. They’re cognitively low performers who have trouble coming up with interesting and exciting creative concepts, and cannot follow simple directions, even when written out step-by-step.
They seem to be void of personality. Given every opportunity to showcase something they are passionate about in the classroom they shrink away. Not only are the lacking taste, but they don’t even seem to be a fan of anything.
I’ll bring snacks to class and they don’t eat them?
Everything about them is different than students that I’ve had over the last decade. Even just from students last year-there’s a noticeable drastic difference.
SeaOfBullshit@reddit
Is it the screens themselves or the content? I know screentime harms attention span but what if you're just reading on a screen?
TraditionalLaw7763@reddit
Well they say in all these studies that the higher the carbon dioxide saturation atmosphere the more the effects mimic lead poisoning which has everyone knows makes us all stupid…
Deedteebee@reddit
Me know
TraditionalLaw7763@reddit
Hahahahahahaaaaaa!!! Too cute.
ericvulgaris@reddit
Reading the article is tough but the studies referenced, the PISA studies are the global gold standard of educational data.
The declines are due to educational technology. Yes even Asian scores. They're just tanking the hit by studying harder.
We just don't remember when information is on screens. Recalling facts actually triggers the part of our brain that's for navigating three dimensions. When were remembering things from a physical book, the dimensionality of where that fact is in the book somehow plays a part.
I'm on my phone (ironic) but there's a lad who studied this whose been doing the rounds on podcasts where I heard about this and it is pretty damn convincing.
MoopsiePoopsie@reddit
Wow that’s so interesting! It makes so much sense though, I feel like I retain so little from reading on my phone.
endorsedbytacobell@reddit
i literally feel this happening to me.
Sabiancym@reddit
This problem would have definitely been solvable, but we let it go too far. Dunning-Kruger is in full effect and it will be difficult for truly intelligent people to be involved in the policy making to address falling IQs.
As far as America goes, let's just split the country and be done with it. Give people a few years to pick a side and move, then we go full Korea. If only this were actually possible. Since it's all but guaranteed that the dumber of the new countries would collapse pretty quickly due to their inability to conduct actual science.
I used to be pretty anti-conflict and open to the idea that with enough exposure to real info, almost everyone was capable of understanding and acting reasonably. Not anymore. I now fully believe that there are a concerning amount of people who are and will always be too stupid to comprehend anything even remotely complex.
GantzDuck@reddit
This is not a bug, its a feature.
Hamza_stan@reddit
It goes in line with what Sam Altman said about that in the future "intelligence" will be a "basic" necessity like water or electricity and they will charge it for use, like people literally paying for AI to think for them. I strongly dislike this future, but strangely, we're somehow headed towards that direction
liatrisinbloom@reddit
Outlast those who use it, hold accountable those who dealt it, and build something more resilient against billionaire psychopathy in the future...
postconsumerwat@reddit
Yeah, well, um, duh. How else to survive the existential mass of reentry, billions of souls failing to come to grips with the available fot dealio with the current situation.. *shield intelligence lead brain case attack×
BWSnap@reddit
It's the lack of critical thinking, reading comprehension, and glaring grammatical errors that make me actually hope I'm no longer alive when Gen Z/A/whatever is in charge. I have a BA in Professional Writing, and I could do a better job than half of the journalists at major publications.
Velocipedique@reddit
Perhaps proportional to the % of plastics replacing our brain nerons?
EducationalFront5524@reddit
Maybe we are de-evolving.
maybenotanalien@reddit
DEVO was right!!
Ok-Restaurant4870@reddit
DEVO were right more than 50 years ago!
Cultural-Answer-321@reddit
Duty now for the future!
headfirst21@reddit
Much more stupider So fastly stupifing Oh well . No brain.. no pain right?.. Oh look "ow my balls !" Is on
Far_Out_6and_2@reddit
Especially in America sadly
Solo_Camping_Girl@reddit
The road to Idiocracy is right on track! When till we get to see Futtbuckers opening up?
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
Submission Statement,
Related to collapse because things are like all complicated with big words and stuff. That requires that scratching on the chin thing to figure all that shit out. We got like all those problems with the dust storms and burrito coverings too. Like that water out of the toilet.
BlueGumShoe@reddit
According to our tech overlords AI has what plants crave
Biggie39@reddit
It won’t be long before Starbucks offers hand jobs.
PasTypique@reddit
I should put in my application now. 😁
Chrono_Pregenesis@reddit
Depends on how much you tip your barista.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
collapse-ModTeam@reddit
Hi, Playongo. Thanks for contributing. However, your comment was removed from /r/collapse for:
Please refer to our subreddit rules for more information.
You can message the mods if you feel this was in error, please include a link to the comment or post in question.
CrossSiphon@reddit
Just watched Project Hail Mary and this sounds like how Rocky would explain it
Phrainkee@reddit
GO AWAY! BAITIN!
marbotty@reddit
Couldn’t have said it better
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
melack857@reddit
*Figure all that “shi” out
HODLmeCLOSRtonydanza@reddit
This is PhD level stuff. Well done.
cecilmeyer@reddit
I can confirm this issue. I work as a maintenance engineer for hotels.
I get calls that the airconditioner is not working. I tell them you have to push the button that says ac.
The power is not working in the bathroom or the coffee maker is broken. It is either unplugged or the gfi is triggered.
There is no hot water in the shower. Try turning the knob the other direction I tell them.
The pancake machine will not make waffles...... they say this as grown adults wearing no shoes and in their pajamas.
The toilet will not flush.....well you have to let go of the lever.....and after I showed them the toilet worked perfectly but they still demanded a discount.
I could go on and on but I will leave it here.
Venat14@reddit
So Idiocracy was actually a documentary?
The US kinda proves how insanely stupid people have become.
cecilmeyer@reddit
It is Idiocracy baby!!!!!!!!
malieno@reddit
dirkdigglerdonedry@reddit
Fuckin saved
frosty67@reddit
> Obviously, there’s no single answer as to why people seem to be struggling with cognitive skills
Why is this obvious?
Electronic_Ad1016@reddit
“Welcome to Costco, I love you.”
PlasmidEve@reddit
Didn't need a scientific study to believe it.
xThomas@reddit
I just wanna read some good fanfics. But you’re telling me writers are getting worse, and its going to keep getting worse? Grr.
I do feel kinda dumber ngl
RollingThunderPants@reddit
I have a theory that atmospheric CO2 is affecting us all.
Void_of_a_Writer01@reddit
It’s literally at the point where it’s actually weakening human bone density, and they expect it to only get worse. 😬
SaltyDalt@reddit
COVID made me feel dumber. But hearing professors talk about students that can’t read makes me feel smarter. So. A win and a loss?
Aggravating-Revenue7@reddit
I was experiencing this issue as well. Reading books and solving real world problems with said information in the books has helped to improved this issue personally (intro to micro and macro economics, algebra, calculus, statistics, developing literary devices for improved language)
Numero_Seis@reddit
It’s. The. Phones.
IKillZombies4Cash@reddit
But Brawndo has electrolytes
fjf1085@reddit
It’s got what plants crave.
ditchdiggergirl@reddit
Do you even know what electrolytes are?
fjf1085@reddit
They’re what planes crave?
HassanAchievedIt@reddit
This one goes in your mouth and this figure it out
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
HassanAchievedIt@reddit
I was just going to write that name in comment but you've got ID card pic now it's going in my gallery
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
EsotericLion369@reddit
GO AWAY BAITIN
drpyne89@reddit
Welcome to Costco, I love you
SamWhittemore75@reddit
LEKTROLITES! SPEL IT RITE!
thelingererer@reddit
Quit using big words I'm batin'!
risethirtynine@reddit
The thing about me is I’m self smarted..by myself, basically from doing drugs and other stuff I’ve self learned myself.
Gas_Final@reddit
Busy_Ordinary8456@reddit
She already told them she blew it out the airlock.
Gas_Final@reddit
FarTonight3726@reddit
How do I respond to this as an individual? If I'm aware that I'm slowly getting dumber what can I do?
Do I just read more? I do relearn stuff on Khan academy? I feel that lately it is harder for me to pick up and retain new concepts.
MonParapluie@reddit
Brought to you by Carls Jr
Remarkable-Okra6554@reddit
Also breaking, water….wet. More at 11.
Here’s Tom with the weather.
pakZ@reddit
Water ain't wet, mate
TheAmazingThundaCunt@reddit
A single molecule of water isn't wet, but once you get more than one molecule of water together, each of them is, by definition, wet.
Sizle_Velfurion@reddit
Incorrect. Wet is the act of a dry item having liquid applied to it. Any liquid, by definition is incapable of being wet.
TheAmazingThundaCunt@reddit
But we've already established that a single molecule of water is dry. That much is indisputable. Every water molecule is thus a dry item in contact with water and therefore wet. QED
Sizle_Velfurion@reddit
The argument that a liquid itself isn't wet relies on the scientific and linguistic definition of "wetness," which is officially defined as the interaction between a liquid and a solid surface, rather than an inherent property of the liquid itself. The core arguments that a liquid (like water) is not wet include: Wetness requires a solid: Scientifically, a material is considered "wet" when a liquid adheres to a solid surface—like skin, glass, or fabric. A liquid on its own cannot be covered or saturated with itself. The "Fire" Analogy: Just as a flame produces fire but isn't itself "burned," a liquid produces wetness but is not inherently "wet."
Sockoflegend@reddit
Untrue. Paint is wet because isn't isn't dry.
Sockoflegend@reddit
Something wet is something in contact with water. Water is the liquid form of h²o. In order to be considered a liquid at least two molecules of h²o need to be loosely interacting. Water is wet.
camoure@reddit
Are all liquids wet then?
Sockoflegend@reddit
According to the dictionary, yes
morganational@reddit
"Noi, Tom, but'cha mum will be t'noit."
camoure@reddit
To some species with hydrodynamic reception water is wet. But not to humans
Sunim416@reddit
Youre supposed to talk about the wather, tom
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
Hglucky13@reddit
That’s a feature, not a bug. Idiots are easier to control and manipulate into going along with things that are against their own interest.
abstrakt42@reddit
Obviously
moistiest_dangles@reddit
We have a wrestling event happening on the lawn
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
jmnugent@reddit
They should put Hegseth into the ring,. since he's always peacocking around like he's some big tough guy.
Sarah_Cenia@reddit
The article is literally eight paragraphs long. It was a tough slog, but I managed to read it all in one sitting!
Monsur_Ausuhnom@reddit (OP)
NihiloZero@reddit
Not trying to accuse you of anything, but... was your comment created with an LLM? Most people don't use so many big words or punctuation like that.
Sovereign1225@reddit
That person is must definitely a bot lol
killedmygoldfish@reddit
This explains a lot.
DaGoodBoy@reddit
I feel less intelligent after reading that article. It's working!
37iteW00t@reddit
Idiocracy
filmguy36@reddit
We stated with sticks and stones and it will end with sticks and stones
Bandits101@reddit
Except the POTUS, his intelligence is increasing.
hawklord23@reddit
It could hardly get lower while he has a pulse
BassMaster516@reddit
Is it though? Cuz it’s not
UraeusCurse@reddit
Thanks, Reddit.
SpiritualSoup7524@reddit
Has anyone seen the movie idiocracy? I've always said that was a documentary.
ccnmncc@reddit
I new it!
DerpUrself69@reddit
Thanks Fox News.
Imnot_your_buddy_guy@reddit
All the microplastics we ingest
AggravatingCricket61@reddit
“We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.” -Carl Sagan
i_forgot_wha@reddit
I blame reddit
FaberOG@reddit
Saw some really good points to that effect earlier
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/s/KqOLRacHgy
Baby-Soft-Elbows@reddit
Head over to r/teachers. We are doomed.
Comrade_Compadre@reddit
Me gesturing broadly to 90% of the people I work with
I live in the deep south US and work blue trade, these people naturally assume I'm MAGA. I've had coworkers approach me to talk about things like replacement theory, or the lazer the Democrats have to control the weather.
It's so absolutely insane what people believe now, I wish we could go back to when conspiracy theories were just aliens and mole people
metalvinny@reddit
What ya reading for?
mrrichiet@reddit
This really is a shocking statistic. I do think a lot of these people just can't be bothered to apply themselves and just give up, saying "it's too hard".
Temporary_Second3290@reddit
No shit Sherlock.
jolly_rodger42@reddit
"Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people" - The Refreshments
NicoBeingAModelCitiz@reddit
Also the amount of plastic in our brains is doubling in less than ten years, now more than a plastic baggie’s worth. It is certainly enough to have an effect.
imhereforyoursnacks@reddit
Nuh uh. YOUR A STUPIDER!
PMFSCV@reddit
Combination of obesity and social media. Fasting, exercising, reading real books and getting off the phone brings most people back up to their optimum.
WileyCoyote7@reddit
Can’t imagine why when this guy is our Secretary of Education. Brought to you by Carl’s Jr.
TengaDoge@reddit
Maybe the research methodologies are flawed and the researchers are just dumber than in previous years.
fleshbarf@reddit
Welcome to Buttfuckers
aarkwilde@reddit
People don't read any more.
FeedbackUpbeat2963@reddit
"a squirrel, okay? Which is the squirrel?"
Draconius0013@reddit
Ah yes, it was the few weeks kids had to learn from home that exacerbated the problem and not the ongoing Pandemic known to reduce IQ and cognitive function more each time you catch the disease.
May as well spend the rest of the article blaming the boogeyman called "screens" since it'll allow you ti pretend this isn't your fault (media) for spreading propaganda on a way that continues to actively harm your readers.
That's the story here, in case you were wondering. You should absolutely shoot the messenger.
winston_obrien@reddit
Or it could possibly be a combination of both, not to mention increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
OffToTheLizard@reddit
Particulate matter and microplastics are flowing through our bodies. I'm going to say that factors in quite a bit as well as CO2.
winston_obrien@reddit
Yes, lots of factors. You might even call it a polycrisis.
maybenotanalien@reddit
Sounds like the reverse Flynn Effect is picking up the pace.
humansaredonuts@reddit
They should just call it the Nnylf effect.
JustTheBeerLight@reddit
*this was published over a year ago. we are probably even dumber, on average, today.
StatementBot@reddit
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Monsur_Ausuhnom:
Submission Statement,
Related to collapse because things are like all complicated with big words and stuff. That requires that scratching on the chin thing to figure all that shit out. We got like all those problems with the dust storms and burrito coverings too. Like that water out of the toilet and all the garbage avalanches. Where my tv to watch. What said?
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1trc3vx/human_intelligence_sharply_declining/oomjayw/
PromiseToBeNiceToYou@reddit
Well religion runs rampant and are allowed to spread lies like they are the truth so what do you expect.
Coolenough-to@reddit
whaaa...
Slamtilt_Windmills@reddit
If intelligence is dealing that quickly, its not all of a sudden. Its the result of several decades of not prioritizing education, a compounding disinterest if you will
JoshCanJump@reddit
‘Idiocracy’ was a documentary.
Danno510@reddit
They said the quiet part out loud 🥳
Marchello_E@reddit
Article:
Few.
SubstanceStrong@reddit
I personally feel like my own intelligence has degraded quite a bit the past five years.
FormerLifeFreak@reddit
That’s why I stay curious, and when I’m curious I ask questions.
The chances are extremely small that I will ever be smart enough to do heart surgery, but I may learn how to be smart in other ways.
You just have to want to not be willfully ignorant. That’s how you keep your mind sharp.
ChewbaccalypseNow@reddit
[ Removed by Reddit ]
arealnineinchnailer@reddit
no it not
Proud3GenAthst@reddit
Almost as if the “Idiocracy was a documentary” meme is true.
JASHIKO_@reddit
You can bet this is a vastly different situation in china.
pumpkinspicecum@reddit
I’m not surprised. Some of the arguments people try to start with you online 😳 yesterday someone in a subreddit I moderate said the Canadian government is trying to legalize beastiality and pedophilia and putting anyone opposed in concentration camps 😂
Livid-Rutabaga@reddit
I just finished having this conversation with a friend, as in I ended the conversation and clicked on this post.
morganational@reddit
Of course it isn't. Skills are certainly down, but intelligence waits in the wings for application.
TheBlack2007@reddit
Really wonder if this really started only with the proliferation of Social Media. If so, there's a fix at least...
Dazzling_Dig4416@reddit
I would be curious to see what facets of intelligence (like the type that could be measured by tests like the Wechsler) are falling the most.
Reasoning ability is clearly cooked.