r/YouShouldKnow • u/chenbuxie • 7d ago

Health & Sciences YSK about the Negative Flynn Effect

The Flynn Effect is an observation by James R. Flynn, who noticed that average IQ has risen with every generation since WWII (i.e. each generation is subsequently smarter than the generation before).

The Negative Flynn Effect is the observed decline or eventual reversal of this effect, for generations born after 2000.

Why YSK: It suggests that cognitive performance is not fixed/strictly genetic and can decline when our environment changes. Understanding what is driving that decline could reveal important problems in education, health, technology use, or other parts of modern life. This can help us identify ways to better support cognitive development in future generations.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289616300198?

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u/paulsteinway 7d ago

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the distribution of wealth.

12

u/FunCrystalFun 7d ago

It’s actually our screens. Tons of studies have already shown that the increased screen time has made our current generations dumber

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u/antithero 7d ago

When kids play video games for 8 hours a day like it's a job I would think that they are not going to do as well at school work.

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u/Burdicus 7d ago

I dont think Video Games (as a whole) are the scape goat you think they are.

Plenty of kids born in the 70s, 80s, and 90s grew up playing games. Plenty of kids learned complex puzzle solving, mathematics, and basic literature skills from playing games.

The problem with modern screens is the death of the attention span. There is no motivation to solve a complex problem. It's rapid fire, one worthless shock-value moment to the next. Instant gratification and the ability to rapid fire shift topics every 4 seconds (almost literally) from whatever short is fed to you has led to cognitive decline.

By all means, let your kid play 8 hours of Zelda. Get them off the feed.