Have you ever felt difficulty in reading an article, like this one, for more than 5 minutes straight? Or ever found yourself scrolling endlessly on your social media while your professor is teaching? Do you think you would be able to complete a task without asking for ChatGPT’s help as you could before its development?
Those questions reflect the way our minds are working everyday, which looks like they are always needing stimulation or help to function properly. It shows up as a harmless feature of our manner of thinking, but it actually hides how our brains have been accelerated by technology, always bombing us with new information and, consequently, causing dependency on it. However, what people haven’t realized yet is that this is also related to the decline of Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which I am sure you have heard about before.
The IQ is a measurement of people’s cognition and intelligence based on their intellectual capacity and logic – or, in easy terms, how smart a person can be. It is widespread as being just a genetic consequence, but recent studies have noticed the environment’s influence in its determination and performance, a scenario which is ruled by the high and fast volume of social media’s data and the easiness of finding information online.
Therefore, it’s clear that young people’s IQ has declined over the past few decades, but the reasons behind it still look uncovered to most people.
How does the brain work?
Like any other muscle, brains have a good performance when it is exercised during activities that demand time and effort to be accomplished. According to the medical report “The Internet Is Making People Less Intelligent”, written by Fabiano de Abreu Rodrigues for the Brazilian Journal of Development, there are two aspects of people’s IQ: cognition and memorization, that depend on neurological synapses resulting from those activities.
When it comes to cognition, this study points out that this ability is sharpened while we are looking for solutions and after we successfully find them, a process that is naturally contradicted by our brain, always seeking an easier path to save energy and to protect itself. This is exemplified when we consult artificial intelligence to help us do something or find specific information – like if it was an assistant or, as the author states, an external brain -, which quickly gives us exactly what we were looking for without any hard work. As a result, our minds are not fully activated, an effect that harms neurological synapses, causes mental passivity and, consequently, a decline in our cognition.
Moreover, the journal argues that memorization is also important in determining people’s IQ, as it consists of holding information that might become useful in the future and keeping the brain active. According to the article, remembering things is better consolidated in a state of alertness – which includes an emotional and affection load – to show our minds that those information are potentially valuable for the survival of being.
But, when people consume internet content – like on Instagram Reels, where it is actually empty and full of fractional information – to be distracted from the outside world, no emotion is created. Consequently, it prevents the acquisition of new memories by not building mental connections, which leads to reduced cognitive effort as it is considered easy to find those information.
That is why you might have realized you spent hours scrolling on social media and, 1 hour later, not remembering a thing you saw.
How is IQ determined?
Now that we got to know how our brain works, especially as cognitive and memorization abilities may be affected with certain factors, we can explore how IQ is determined.
As reported by the mentioned study, scientists used to affirm that IQ was genetically determined through the firstborn. Nevertheless, it was found out that the intelligence score is not only related to the parent’s genes, but also with the environment the person is in, as it molds their actions and ability development.
According to the book “Screen Damage: The Dangers of Digital Media for Children”, written by the neuroscientist Michel Desmurget, a fall in the levels of a child’s IQ compared with that of their parents was observed. This phenomenon, besides contradicting the expected rise in each generation, also desmyths the existence of “digital natives” – a belief that people from now are a new and smarter species of humans due to technology familiarity.
As the author states, this decline can be explained by the current environment, which is ruled by a high consumption of digital media. In this scenario, younger and younger people have contact with technology mostly restricted to entertaining activities, like playing video games, scrolling on social media or watching youtube videos. This overstimulates their dopamine system by turning its release into a loop and, as a consequence, leads to a cycle of multitasking.
I am sure you have noticed these effects in your social environment, like when you see kids that only can eat while watching television or that cry until their parents allow them to play a mobile game. Those examples may look innocent, as if they were just a preferred way of acting, but actually tells us how their minds, complex and still in development, are actually harmed by an accelerated context.
In addition, Dermuget also studies the impacts of technology during childhood: an important state of human development. When it comes to children up to the age of six, in his words, those first few years of their lives are essential for learning and cognitive development, which are important to determine IQ. However, when kids spend time on screens instead of participating in other activities – like social interaction or practicing sports – the brain does not get fully activated, an effect that damages their ability to learn and to reason until they grow up.
Can EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES LOWER YOUR IQ?
But why do you feel this urge to use your phone to escape from boredom, even if you know you are on an important occasion? Well, in the words of the aforementioned report, “The Internet Is Making People Less Intelligent”, people are addicted to the dopamine instantly released when one activity is interrupted and another is initiated, which makes us feel better than when we were bored. However, this cycle can also be dangerous for our mental health, because it releases cortisol, the hormone of stress, causing anxiety and tiredness.
Furthermore, the study points out that IQ expression can also be affected according to the quality of your sleep, which is considerably declined when you use your phone before going to bed. As mentioned by the article, this is due to the electronic device’s light, which disrupts the production of essential neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and cortisol, and melatonin: an important hormone to induce sleep and to keep it efficient. So, because of this disruption, our sleep quality is impacted, affecting the body and mind restoration and, consequently, our cognition.
Well, now that we got to know the reasons behind the decline in young people’s IQ and to understand its consequences, choose wisely the next time you use your phone!
The article above was edited by Mariana De Oliver.
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