English (Original)
My grandfather used to say that if fools could fly, we’d never see the sun. I remember him repeating this when I was a child, in the late 80s and 90s. He was firmly convinced that, as a species, we had somehow—and I quote—’put intelligence into reverse’. At the time, it sounded like one of those exaggerated comments older people make, the kind a younger person doesn’t pay much attention to.
But looking back, I’m not so sure. It is now increasingly common to hear similar complaints: that we are dumbing down, that we struggle to concentrate, that attention spans are shrinking, or that fewer people take the time to think things through. I’m sure you’ve heard some of these, or maybe even said them yourself. If not, scroll through any comment section; you won’t have to look far to find them.
And yet, this idea is far from new. My grandfather, born in 1921, was just one of many to express it. Long before smartphones or social media, generation after generation had already complained that people were becoming more distracted, more superficial, or less capable of careful thought. Perhaps, then, the real question is not whether we are becoming less intelligent, but whether we are simply engaging with the world in a different way.
So what does the evidence actually say? For much of the 20th century, average IQ scores were rising steadily, a trend known as the Flynn Effect. In simple terms, people were becoming better at certain kinds of thinking, particularly abstract reasoning and problem-solving.
More recently, however, that trend appears to have slowed down, and in some places even reversed slightly. Some researchers point to declining attention spans or changes in reading habits, while others argue that IQ tests simply measure a narrow set of skills and fail to capture how we think in real life. In other words, the picture is far from clear.
If anything, the problem may not be that we are becoming less intelligent, but that we are thinking differently. In a world of constant notifications, endless scrolling, and immediate answers, it has become easier to react than to reflect. We skim rather than read, respond rather than consider, and move on rather than question. Over time, this shift may give the impression that our thinking is becoming shallower, when in fact it may simply be becoming faster and more fragmented.
This is clearly evident in the way we consume information. A complex issue is reduced to a headline, a short video, or a comment thread where opinions are expressed with confidence but rarely examined in depth. Even tools like artificial intelligence, which can generate answers instantly, encourage speed over reflection. The tools we use are not necessarily making us less capable, but they are changing the habits we rely on. And like any habit, the less we practise deep thinking, the less natural it becomes.
So perhaps my grandfather was both right and wrong. It may sometimes feel as though we are regressing, but the reality is more complex. We are not necessarily becoming less intelligent; we are simply adapting to a different way of thinking. The real question is not whether we can think deeply, but whether we still choose to.