Why the world is getting dumber

It’s official. What most of us observe anecdotally has actually been measured.

The guy James Flynn, who was so smart they named an effect after him, recognised a reversal in the general trend of people getting smarter over the last century.

He even speculated why that might be happening:

“…the abnormal drop in teenage IQ could be due to youth culture having “stagnated” or even dumbed down.”

But of course we knew that – us smart, older folks, right? And because we’re so smart, we maybe definitely know what’s causing it.

Everything that used to require us to study, learn and remember stuff can now be accomplished by Google or AI. We’ve delegated our organic memory to computer chips.

I used to carry 20-50 phone numbers in my head. Now, I can barely remember my date of birth.

But if it were just about data storage, it wouldn’t be so bad.

The real drop in IQ comes when we lose the ability for deep thinking, analysis and understanding. 

That’s why I refuse to use technology as a proxy for my creative process, and you should too. Here’s a short checklist for your own IQ preservation: 

1: Force yourself to recall facts, figures and names without checking a screen. Don’t accept you’ll always have your device to rely on.

2: Draft content manually first before you ask AI to intervene to edit and improve. The best work always come from your human brain.

3: Try solving problems yourself before asking for tech support. Use AI as a coach or collaborator, not as a replacement for your ideas.

4: Take a continuing interest in the world around you. Travel, meet people and instigate meaningful conversation and healthy debate.

5: Celebrate and develop what makes you the most evolved intellect in the known universe – empathy, kindness and a thirst for knowledge.

We are uniquely privileged to be alive at the dawn of the Age Of AI.

Don’t squander the opportunity to become even smarter, by forgetting how smart you used to be.

Love you lots
Jonny

PS: There’s a bunch of people who need your smart brain to help them live a happy fulfilled lives. They’re employees in companies and organisations, suffering a crisis in workplace wellbeing these days.

Reply to this email with “I’m Smart” and I’ll send you a free eBook all about getting into corporate wellbeing consulting.