The Nation IS Getting Dumber

And there’s evidence beyond just the daily news.

Looking for Flynn effects in a recent online U.S. adult sample: Examining shifts within the SAPA Project
A reverse Flynn effect was found for composite ability scores with large US adult sample from 2006 to 2018 and 2011 to 2018.

Domain scores of matrix reasoning, letter and number series, verbal reasoning showed evidence of declining scores.

The steepest slopes occurred for ages 18–22 and lower levels of education.

The “Flynn Effect” is a trend for increasing IQ scores over time; around 3-5 points per decade. Basically, the next generation kept getting smarter.

Until now. All those arguments you’ve had with younger people who can’t quite grasp logic and reasoning? That wasn’t your imagination.