The Effects of Modern Lifestyle on Our Brains

Our modern lifestyle is changing our brains. There’s some evidence it’s not all for the better.

1.  Our brains are getting smaller. Over the past 10-20,000 years, the size of the average human brain has shrunk by the size of a tennis ball. (1) 

2. We are not getting smarter. Since the Victorian era, average IQs have gone down 1.6 points per decade for a total of 13.35 points. (2)

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3. Multitasking makes you less productive. When you multitask, your brain simply rapidly toggles back and forth between tasks. This results in decreases in attention span, learning, performance, and short-term memory. (3)

4. Surprisingly, millennials (aged 18 to 34) are more forgetful than baby boomers. They are more likely to forget what day it is or where they put their keys than their parents! (4)

5. We’ve always compared the brain to the most advanced technology of the day. It’s been compared to a clock, a switchboard, a computer, and most recently to the internet. (5, 6)

6. Our attention spans are getting shorter. In 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds. Now it’s 8 seconds. That’s shorter than the attention span of the average goldfish which is 9 seconds. (7)

7. Brain cells cannibalize themselves as a last ditch source of energy to ward off starvation. So in very real ways dieting can force your brain to eat itself. (8)

8. Your brain’s storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited. It doesn’t get “used up” like RAM in your computer. (9)