Are We Getting Dumber? What Gen Z's IQ Decline Says About Our Brains
Estimated read time: 3-5 minutes
A few days ago I read about a study claiming Gen Z, my generation, may be the first generation in modern history to show lower cognitive performance than their parents at the same age.
Long story short, Neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, studied nearly 400,000 adults around the world between 2006 and 2018 and found declines in fluid intelligence. For those who are not neuroscientists, fluid intelligence is “the ability to think logically, solve novel problems, and identify patterns quickly, independent of prior knowledge or education.”
Translation: Gen Z and younger millennials are on average “dumber” than their parents, which I'm sure your parents will be excited to let you know they already knew.
Initially upon reading this, I was stunned because we are the most technologically advanced generation, but then I started to be really curious about why this is the case.
The Obvious Culprits
A majority of people attributed this decline in cognitive performance to be the result of brain rot TikTok, ease of access to information (internet, YouTube, etc.), and of course AI now doing all the thinking for us.
But I don’t think this is the real issue.
If anything those are tools that can and should be making us smarter, and they are not ever going away.
So what is missing?
The Real Problem
I believe this is due to us not giving our brains enough empty space.
Think about your typical day. Every gap in our day is filled from the moment we wake up.
Music as we are getting ready, podcast during our morning walk or commute, scrolling when we get any break in the day, Netflix as we wind down the day.
Think about it.
When is the last time you have taken a walk without listening to something, sat in line to get coffee without checking your phone, hell even just rode the elevator for 30 seconds without pulling out your phone.
We never take a few minutes to just think or not to think until we lay our head down at night.
The Science (DMN)
When we take a moment where we are not filling our brains with inputs, we give it the opportunity to activate what is called our default mode network (DMN).
Your default mode network is a system in your brain that handles memory processing, creativity, problem-solving, and self-awareness, but it only turns on when you're at a wakeful rest or not focused on a specific task.
In other words: Your DMN sorts through your stored memories to find hidden connections and solve complex problems that only become clear once you stop focusing on them.
The Shift
When I started taking five-minute minute walks in-between work blocks without a phone, without a plan or without intention, I noticed a big shift.
Better ideas started surfacing. I'd catch mistakes I'd been overlooking. I'd come back to my desk with more energy.
Then it spread. Walks to the grocery store. Showers. The gap between closing my laptop and starting my evening.
These all became moments to let my brain rest and quietly do some of its most important work.
This isn’t about throwing away your phone, deleting tik Tok, never using AI again.
The point is that none of those things replace what happens when you give your brain a few minutes of nothing.
This week, try one walk without your phone. Five minutes. See what your brain does when you let it.
That’s it, that's the newsletter.
Make it a great week,
Quest