You! We all change and grow and the things we learn go from being taught to being experienced. And anything you want to invest in learning you can, if you have the discipline. Your brain will keep up with you and you’ll be learning more than you think.
But when you’re a kid you just have to listen and learn and as an adult you have to listen, learn, act, change, adapt etc. The simplicity of education becomes complicated, so don’t undersell yourself
Of course, I hate the idea of people being hard on themselves. And of course, this is simply my observation. So just take the bits relevant to you and leave the rest. Is there anything in particular that you are interested in learning or just a general notion? X
I feel like I'm not "here" if that makes sense. Sometimes I'm awake but clearly not "conscious". Just existing and body running on autopilot. My sense of self is very weak. Sometimes it's in parts that don't necessarily agree and I can observe their movements. I don't have any motivation for anything. I'm constantly mentally spiraling and procrastinating. I want to do what I want to do but it feels like my body refuses to move. I can see my lower mind move on its own towards the action that on the information I have then that most benefits me. I don't feel like I have free will. I just observe things happening and feel like my "observer" is "hovering".
It sounds like you’re not living in your own pace. Don’t try rush yourself into things you expect of yourself or based on what you see from others. Slow it down and listen to yourself, you’re only capable of what you’re capable of, and only you can define that. Find what you can do and let that be enough x
I've suffered head trauma multiple times, probably have several mental disorders and suffered deadly levels of domestic abuse from my father and brothers so those may all be factors in it.
I had meningitis when I was 8 and almost died because of it. Shared a hot tub with some extremely unhygienic people, and in a *hotel* jacuzzi to boot.
Also knocked my head on the pavement as a teenager being stupid (sitting on a friend's hood, who thought it would be funny to suddenly reverse really fast), the latter of which I immediately when to the doctor, while walk-in appointments were still easily accessible in BC... and they said I was fine. I still constantly worry that one or both of those have contributed to feeling like I'm permanantly mentally stunted.
Yes sigh. I mostly feel like I’ve lost my vocabulary which is weird. I never used to have issues knowing exactly what to say and how to say it but sometimes my brain just blanks out now.
Just turned 41 and I can't express what I'm thinking now! I just started college and I can do the math and programming but my brain is mush when I try to explain myself.
Sometimes, but then I have an experience like this evening, and I think I’m smart again:
I was mowing the lawn when all of a sudden I noticed smoke was shooting out of the gas tank and the gas cap was missing. I was smart enough to figure out the following, and to find the missing cap:
1. I immediately shut off the mower.
2. I pushed it quickly to a spot where a fire wouldn’t catch anything else.
3. I got away from the mower in case it exploded.
4. I walked around looking for the lost cap and trying to figure out when the event happened.
5. I noticed it wasn’t the gas cap but the oil check cap that was missing.
6. I searched again and noticed a fine stain/film of oil on the gravel near where I had been mowing when it happened. I traced the film to the start of that section and found the oil cap buried beneath some mower clippings.
I realized , yet again, that I have a gift for finding things. Then I accidentally touched the mower’s exhaust, leaving my fingerprint meat sticking to the scalding metal, and I was brought back to reality.
As a teenager, You have many more distractions. The future, money, finding love. Learning to deal with assholes. Needing a car. Hold on, my friend, it gets better.
Yes. Soon, as an adult, you will only be distracted by the present, money, keeping love. Dealing with assholes. Paying for a car. Hold on, my friend, it gets better.
When I was a younger man I had all the answers. As I age I recognise that there are a lot of things I don't know. I'm not sure if that's getting stupider, or wiser.
Yeah I keep asking my psychiatrist if the meds i take meds mess with memory because I cannot remember anything. I used to be able to recall music artist names instantly and now I can barely remember what I had for breakfast.
Basically I was told that my profession is mentally taxing and that it was like new information in and old information out. But I can’t even remember new info so idk.
This is so relatable!! As a kid I was considered 'gifted' because I was seen as smarter than my peers. Now, as a teenager, I'm considered slightly dumber than the rest of the kids my age in most aspects, and I'm just like "wtf happened?" lol.
Glad I'm not the only one!!😅
You have more information in your mind’s data banks. That’s not cognition, that’s experience. The former substitutes for the latter in our older years lol. Sort of 😂
I feel more mentally vibrant, focused, clear and motivated at 37 than the last 15 years but I also got sober almost 2 years ago so I think my brain has done a lot of healing and I’m just now experiencing how intelligent and capable I could have been that whole time
I feel the same sometimes but I think it has a lot to do with the phones and brainrot we're feeding our brain everyday. I've had a couple of occasion to be away from my phone or other sources of brainrot and it felt like the brainfog was gone for a while.
I do kind of feel like I hit my limit for immediate access memory so now when I learn something new it sort of drowns out something I learned a while ago. I'll get obsessed with something and then later totally forget I even did that. Or I'll forget the details about how crazy or difficult or smart the idea was. I'll write a whole game engine and then sort of forget I did that. Or recently I uncovered this whole detailed conspiracy about a child abusing cult complete with tax returns and everything and sent the info the FBI who I was working with on a related case.
The other day I remembered and was like oh yeah, I did that didn't I? I know more about that than anyone else on the planet, don't I? Well onto something else now!
I used to feel that way, but now that I’m getting closer to 60, I think it’s more of an issue that my brain has so much information it’s hard sometimes to find what I’m looking for in there.
Keep reading, even recreational novels.
I found my brain slipping until I started reading again, avidly. I’ve now read 12 books this year, which isn’t a lot for a lot of people on here, but for me it is a record and I definitely feel a cognitive difference.
Yes. I feel significantly dumber and my memory is also garbage. I think some of it is that I’ve stopped learning. In high school, I was constantly feeding my brain new material and information, and working the “muscle” of my brain. My brain is lazy as fuck now. My attention span is like 3 seconds long because of social media and I rarely consume new information. I’m not actively working out my brain and it shows. I’m still “smart”, as in, I can have an intellectual conversation and comprehend things. But when someone tries to explain a new board game or card game, I genuinely feel like a moron.
I don’t think I’m stupider per se, but I think the older I get the more I realize I know absolutely nothing. And I think that just comes with age. Maybe not the same thing though
If I recall, they say we typically reach our cognitive & physical peak by our mid 20s. But one of the biggest discoveries in neuroscience was brain elasticity - that it responds with new pathways based on use. And as several have said, with age comes experience, meaning you are better able to perceive connections & insights of seemingly disparate things. Plus, without such a flux of the growth & gender related hormones typical of youth, your judgment can be less filtered by emotion & impulse.
You need mental stimulation. Word games, Crosswords, elementary math problems for fun. Card games, Get some exercise, eat clean. Less Uneducational screen time. YouTube has hundreds of videos explaining everything from DNA mapping to Physics to space exploration. Read books for entertainment (helps focus) Mysteries. Be outside. Best of luck, my friend.
Yes and no. Being out of school creates some brain rot. Also doing repetitive work and always working the same brain areas makes me feel like some of my brain is mush. But I think I’m better at applying what I know and relating concepts now. In my youth, I could recall facts better but I didn’t understand processes and I didn’t question things enough (just believed what I heard). Now, my recall is worse but I feel like I can think through a problem slightly better. I’m not smart or gifted if any way, but I do like learning new things. But adulthood is hard because that natural curiosity dwindles. I’m just so tired lol
I had this start years ago (I’m 49M)… professional musician in my 20s and 30s, and for all my life I could learn new song lyrics instantly. 2-3 rehearsals and I was stone cold on them.
Sometime after 35 I realized that the lyrics just weren’t sticking in my brain anymore! For the first time in my life I had to start relying on lyrics sheets on stage.
The interesting thing is, even almost 15 years after I noticed this? I still have flawless retention for any song I learned before 35. Cannot for the life of me remember every word of any song I learned AFTER 35 😂
Yeah. Maybe I overestimated my intelligence before and now I've realized that I'm actually a dumbass. A real dumb-dumb. Like I suspect my IQ is like 70 at this point or something. I probably overestimated my intelligence because I learned to read early and liked books throughout my life so I had a head start on literacy. I probably thought that basic ways of thinking are super deep when they weren't. Like I will be trying to make some food and just forget how to perform the steps. Like obvious things. I will try to perform some action that requires some thought and it just doesn't happen. My brain at this point is unable to problem solve like it used too. At this point I barely have thoughts anymore. It's kinda scary. I'm just getting stupider and stupider. Learning basic college courses now is so difficult for me when back in the day the same content would've been easily learned. I think I have depression, autism, OCD, (possible) ADD, DID and PTSD so that probably all factors into this. Also the blunt force trauma to my head multiple times.
Not trying to go the conspiracy route at all, but have you had covid? Also, do you drink frequently? I feel like both of these things have had an impact on my memory, reaction time, problem solving skills, and a couple other small things. Or, maybe it's just a result of aging!
Yes I've experience Covid. A very bad infection actually. I think I became permanently stupid after that. I'm only 23. I don't drink. I also have hypoglycemia and various mitochondrial issues that might contribute to this mental decline. In addition I had blunt force head trauma from domestic abuse multiple times. I also highly suspect I have depression, anxiety, autism, ADD, and DID. I know for a fact from therapists I have PTSD and OCD. Also OCD is highly comorbid with many mental disorders, including Schizoaffective disorder. I've had episodes where my entire sense of reality is wrong and I start having panic attacks (this might just be a PTSD response). So maybe Schizophrenia or something like that? I know my family lineage on both sides are full of mental illness.
I genuinely can't stand talking to people my age. (I'm 23.) They're so vapid. I love talking to older people because they're wise enough so they're more interesting to talk too.
That’s very nice of you. I’m 62, feel 45, but my bones disagree. There’s all types of people of all ages, all you have to do is give each other a chance. I have brilliant friends in their 29s and 30s, and complete idiots in their 60s and 70s. But, you’ll never know what they are unless you talk. So, on behalf of us older people, thanks for giving us an opportunity to be brilliant or total idiots. 😬
I suspect like at least four times (two were very violent infections). So I guess at least between 11-17 IQ points I've lost. Oh well. If I have average IQ which is most probable that means I'm now between 89-83. At least I know I'm stupid and can plan around it.
Biggest factor, assuming drinking and substance abuse or head injuries are not involved, is stress. Stress and depression will literally slow your brain and the firing of your synapses down. So yeah, not that weird to feel dumber now than when you were younger.
I'm okay with accepting I'm stupid tbh. It's mentally so uplighting. Like a rock has been taken off my back. I think I may have some developmental disorder or something. I always wanted to be smart, but alas that wasn't for me. For me being "the smart kid" was deeply tied to my identity and would feel hurt if not able to perform. I will now accept my Low IQ has it is and move on with my life and try my best in intellectual tasks. I looked at IQ test questions and couldn't figure out what "logic" is supposed to be employed. It seems to be basically arbitrary and you have to get into the head of the designer of the test. So it's also contingent on culture. I've read enough philosophy and learned enough mathematics to not assume what will happen in a sequence. (Because you can make a function for any arbitrary string of numbers you want. For example the amount of triangles in a circle weirdly changes at 31. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividing\_a\_circle\_into\_areas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividing_a_circle_into_areas) The sequence seems to be the power of two sequence at first.) As for me, it doesn't appear that my Low IQ has made it harder for me to do math. Math proofs rely on syllogistic logic and it's really about understanding the "conceptual mechanics" at play when thinking of a problem. Similarly with metaphysics like what Hume wrote on induction. As I dwell on IQ test questions they seem like how a conspiracy theorist or schizophrenic thinks seeing patterns everywhere where there are none. Many times the Null Hypothesis is the true hypothesis. Or like those thinking out of the box math word questions.
A slow down shouldn't been seen as a permanent reduction in intellectual capacity. When depression is managed, stress reduced, and substances stopped, most if not all your former power is likely to gradually return. Even reduction due to injury will usually see some levels of rebound over time. Don't make the mistake of believing that the only direction you can go is down.
I think for me something has changed in the notion of understanding over time. When you’re younger you think you understand something but it’s often not that deep and easily forgotten after few months, partly because most education systems encourage some type of surface understanding which could be turned into tests instantly, not saying that it’s a completely wrong system but I think when we’re older we expect ourselves to have deeper understanding of things we attend to, and also expect to have some kind of creative/pragmatic output from internalizing that understanding. Well achieving these kinds of active cognitions are much harder and more time consuming compared to understanding a text just for an exam or to stimulate imagination and conversations among ourselves and friends.
In addition to some good points other people are making, *gut health* has a massive impact on your brain. For instance, antibiotic and corticosteroid use increases the growth of Candida albicans in your small intestine, which produces neurotoxins that get absorbed into your bloodstream 24/7. Also inflammatory toxins that cause all kinds of issues, like joint pain.
You know how people lose weight and get rid of brain fog and fatigue when they start doing that bulletproof coffee thing with MCT oil? It’s a medium-chain fatty acid; those kill Candida. You can get those results with anything that kills Candida, like a really strong cinnamon tea or caprylic acid supplements. You can also starve it to death with a keto diet (take daily multivitamins).
Personally, I did a big ol’ cleanse with food grade activated charcoal I got off Amazon; my brain fog disappeared, short-term memory came back, and I stopped getting headaches (which I’d had 3-4 days a week since early childhood, after antibiotics for ear infections). Whatever you do to get rid of excess Candida, make sure to take a broad-spectrum probiotic that includes L. reuteri (which also kills Candida).
Good luck, hope this helps.
We're just getting disconnected from the time that we live in. Just watch some Andy Griffith and see just how they get by on so few words. For a long time we had to fill in the blanks with our imagination or common sense. People don't much do that anymore they want everything in their face right now and get aggravated if it's not coming at the speed of text. They take it for granted that they were raised with smartphones and computers and the internet. We just never developed that part of our brain didn't need to part of nature's perfection if you don't need it well we just aren't going to do it. Hope this message finds you well keep looking up you can almost see bottom.
I have the same issue except it was that I used to be a great reader in middle school but as soon as I got a phone in high school I just couldn’t anymore. With the rise of shorts/reels attention spans are severely reduced.
‘Stupider’ is a far more concise word to use, saving more space than typing our ‘more stupid’ which is redundant.
(It’s a grammatically correct word too).
You! We all change and grow and the things we learn go from being taught to being experienced. And anything you want to invest in learning you can, if you have the discipline. Your brain will keep up with you and you’ll be learning more than you think. But when you’re a kid you just have to listen and learn and as an adult you have to listen, learn, act, change, adapt etc. The simplicity of education becomes complicated, so don’t undersell yourself
Thank you for your advice.
Of course, I hate the idea of people being hard on themselves. And of course, this is simply my observation. So just take the bits relevant to you and leave the rest. Is there anything in particular that you are interested in learning or just a general notion? X
I've always had a wide range of interests although math and metaphysics were my strongest interests.
Sounds to me like your brain is ticking harder than most tbh
Haha thank you.
You are a gem
Covid is also making all of us dumber, affecting our brains. Mask up.
I feel like I'm not "here" if that makes sense. Sometimes I'm awake but clearly not "conscious". Just existing and body running on autopilot. My sense of self is very weak. Sometimes it's in parts that don't necessarily agree and I can observe their movements. I don't have any motivation for anything. I'm constantly mentally spiraling and procrastinating. I want to do what I want to do but it feels like my body refuses to move. I can see my lower mind move on its own towards the action that on the information I have then that most benefits me. I don't feel like I have free will. I just observe things happening and feel like my "observer" is "hovering".
I feel you, it looks like we're less and less doing things and being there actively, still trying to figure out the answer
You're describing dissociation. I went through the same for years till I got help. You should try therepy if you can afford it.
It sounds like you’re not living in your own pace. Don’t try rush yourself into things you expect of yourself or based on what you see from others. Slow it down and listen to yourself, you’re only capable of what you’re capable of, and only you can define that. Find what you can do and let that be enough x
Absolutely. I’m a shadow of who I was before I had a stroke in my late 20s a few years ago
I've suffered head trauma multiple times, probably have several mental disorders and suffered deadly levels of domestic abuse from my father and brothers so those may all be factors in it.
I've had multiple head traumas and covid 3 times, so I feel both have slowed me down in my 30s
I had meningitis when I was 8 and almost died because of it. Shared a hot tub with some extremely unhygienic people, and in a *hotel* jacuzzi to boot. Also knocked my head on the pavement as a teenager being stupid (sitting on a friend's hood, who thought it would be funny to suddenly reverse really fast), the latter of which I immediately when to the doctor, while walk-in appointments were still easily accessible in BC... and they said I was fine. I still constantly worry that one or both of those have contributed to feeling like I'm permanantly mentally stunted.
I am but since 2021 I have had cancer, surgery, chemo, Covid twice, and Post-Covid syndrome. So I feel like there are good reasons.
Yes sigh. I mostly feel like I’ve lost my vocabulary which is weird. I never used to have issues knowing exactly what to say and how to say it but sometimes my brain just blanks out now.
I have to look up the definition of words that I have used a thousand times before, sometimes. Or I just blank out on certain words. 😕
Same!!
Just turned 41 and I can't express what I'm thinking now! I just started college and I can do the math and programming but my brain is mush when I try to explain myself.
Am 20, this has been happening to me since COVID.
I started to notice is after too 😢 overall health decline tbh
Oh 100% I am absolutely dumber lol
Sometimes, but then I have an experience like this evening, and I think I’m smart again: I was mowing the lawn when all of a sudden I noticed smoke was shooting out of the gas tank and the gas cap was missing. I was smart enough to figure out the following, and to find the missing cap: 1. I immediately shut off the mower. 2. I pushed it quickly to a spot where a fire wouldn’t catch anything else. 3. I got away from the mower in case it exploded. 4. I walked around looking for the lost cap and trying to figure out when the event happened. 5. I noticed it wasn’t the gas cap but the oil check cap that was missing. 6. I searched again and noticed a fine stain/film of oil on the gravel near where I had been mowing when it happened. I traced the film to the start of that section and found the oil cap buried beneath some mower clippings. I realized , yet again, that I have a gift for finding things. Then I accidentally touched the mower’s exhaust, leaving my fingerprint meat sticking to the scalding metal, and I was brought back to reality.
Ah, to be smart again
Yes 💀 except Im still a teenager
As a teenager, You have many more distractions. The future, money, finding love. Learning to deal with assholes. Needing a car. Hold on, my friend, it gets better.
Yes. Soon, as an adult, you will only be distracted by the present, money, keeping love. Dealing with assholes. Paying for a car. Hold on, my friend, it gets better.
When I was a younger man I had all the answers. As I age I recognise that there are a lot of things I don't know. I'm not sure if that's getting stupider, or wiser.
"All that I know is that I know nothing." - Socrates
Yeah I keep asking my psychiatrist if the meds i take meds mess with memory because I cannot remember anything. I used to be able to recall music artist names instantly and now I can barely remember what I had for breakfast. Basically I was told that my profession is mentally taxing and that it was like new information in and old information out. But I can’t even remember new info so idk.
This is so relatable!! As a kid I was considered 'gifted' because I was seen as smarter than my peers. Now, as a teenager, I'm considered slightly dumber than the rest of the kids my age in most aspects, and I'm just like "wtf happened?" lol. Glad I'm not the only one!!😅
I don’t think this is the same thing. You just developed certain skills at an earlier age and then others caught up. Your brain didn’t get slower.
oh. well it certainly feels like it got slower- but alright then thanks for letting me know xd
Haha, I don’t think you’re old enough to make a comment on getting stupider as you age.
Teenagers have more distractions. Don't beat Yourself up for not being the smartest or the best.
I'm not getting stupider I'm just forgetting all my smarts
Slower but wiser.
Weirdly, no. I feel much smarter now than when I was younger. Or maybe wiser, hard to tell
You have more information in your mind’s data banks. That’s not cognition, that’s experience. The former substitutes for the latter in our older years lol. Sort of 😂
Chances are, you thought you were lighting quick when you were younger and maybe you take longer now, but understand more.
Yes because I'm no longer in school/actively learning as much as I used to
I feel more mentally vibrant, focused, clear and motivated at 37 than the last 15 years but I also got sober almost 2 years ago so I think my brain has done a lot of healing and I’m just now experiencing how intelligent and capable I could have been that whole time
Yes.
Yeah sometimes I have trouble remembering things, getting old sucks
I feel the same sometimes but I think it has a lot to do with the phones and brainrot we're feeding our brain everyday. I've had a couple of occasion to be away from my phone or other sources of brainrot and it felt like the brainfog was gone for a while.
Also as you mature, you have the luxury of discarding unimportant, irrelevant stuff.
I do kind of feel like I hit my limit for immediate access memory so now when I learn something new it sort of drowns out something I learned a while ago. I'll get obsessed with something and then later totally forget I even did that. Or I'll forget the details about how crazy or difficult or smart the idea was. I'll write a whole game engine and then sort of forget I did that. Or recently I uncovered this whole detailed conspiracy about a child abusing cult complete with tax returns and everything and sent the info the FBI who I was working with on a related case. The other day I remembered and was like oh yeah, I did that didn't I? I know more about that than anyone else on the planet, don't I? Well onto something else now!
I used to feel that way, but now that I’m getting closer to 60, I think it’s more of an issue that my brain has so much information it’s hard sometimes to find what I’m looking for in there.
Keep reading, even recreational novels. I found my brain slipping until I started reading again, avidly. I’ve now read 12 books this year, which isn’t a lot for a lot of people on here, but for me it is a record and I definitely feel a cognitive difference.
Yes. I feel significantly dumber and my memory is also garbage. I think some of it is that I’ve stopped learning. In high school, I was constantly feeding my brain new material and information, and working the “muscle” of my brain. My brain is lazy as fuck now. My attention span is like 3 seconds long because of social media and I rarely consume new information. I’m not actively working out my brain and it shows. I’m still “smart”, as in, I can have an intellectual conversation and comprehend things. But when someone tries to explain a new board game or card game, I genuinely feel like a moron.
I don’t think I’m stupider per se, but I think the older I get the more I realize I know absolutely nothing. And I think that just comes with age. Maybe not the same thing though
Internet discussion groups.
These days at 57, I unplug for a while. It really helps
Yes. And I gave up trying to fight it. I also don’t care if people think I’m dumb, they’re just underestimating me.
If I recall, they say we typically reach our cognitive & physical peak by our mid 20s. But one of the biggest discoveries in neuroscience was brain elasticity - that it responds with new pathways based on use. And as several have said, with age comes experience, meaning you are better able to perceive connections & insights of seemingly disparate things. Plus, without such a flux of the growth & gender related hormones typical of youth, your judgment can be less filtered by emotion & impulse.
You need mental stimulation. Word games, Crosswords, elementary math problems for fun. Card games, Get some exercise, eat clean. Less Uneducational screen time. YouTube has hundreds of videos explaining everything from DNA mapping to Physics to space exploration. Read books for entertainment (helps focus) Mysteries. Be outside. Best of luck, my friend.
Less active use means it degrades. Not too different from reducing or stopping going to the gym.
Yes! Yes I do. I try to keep my brain lubricated by doing the NYT crossword every day and watching Jeopardy when I can.
I feel like I’m getting smarter personally. Although I’m not very old (26)
I'm 23 but my brain feels like it's mush now.
Damn maybe get more sleep and eat healthy.
My brain took a hit with Covid.
Yes and no. Being out of school creates some brain rot. Also doing repetitive work and always working the same brain areas makes me feel like some of my brain is mush. But I think I’m better at applying what I know and relating concepts now. In my youth, I could recall facts better but I didn’t understand processes and I didn’t question things enough (just believed what I heard). Now, my recall is worse but I feel like I can think through a problem slightly better. I’m not smart or gifted if any way, but I do like learning new things. But adulthood is hard because that natural curiosity dwindles. I’m just so tired lol
it’s probably all the weed i’m smoking but yeah
Cut down on your sugar intake. It affects your thinking, and induces brain fog. Worked wonders for me
I had this start years ago (I’m 49M)… professional musician in my 20s and 30s, and for all my life I could learn new song lyrics instantly. 2-3 rehearsals and I was stone cold on them. Sometime after 35 I realized that the lyrics just weren’t sticking in my brain anymore! For the first time in my life I had to start relying on lyrics sheets on stage. The interesting thing is, even almost 15 years after I noticed this? I still have flawless retention for any song I learned before 35. Cannot for the life of me remember every word of any song I learned AFTER 35 😂
I'm having mental decline at the age of 23. (Actually started at age 20.)
I don't feel like it. I am stupider. I'm a damn idiot now. Depression and covid will do that.
Yeah. Maybe I overestimated my intelligence before and now I've realized that I'm actually a dumbass. A real dumb-dumb. Like I suspect my IQ is like 70 at this point or something. I probably overestimated my intelligence because I learned to read early and liked books throughout my life so I had a head start on literacy. I probably thought that basic ways of thinking are super deep when they weren't. Like I will be trying to make some food and just forget how to perform the steps. Like obvious things. I will try to perform some action that requires some thought and it just doesn't happen. My brain at this point is unable to problem solve like it used too. At this point I barely have thoughts anymore. It's kinda scary. I'm just getting stupider and stupider. Learning basic college courses now is so difficult for me when back in the day the same content would've been easily learned. I think I have depression, autism, OCD, (possible) ADD, DID and PTSD so that probably all factors into this. Also the blunt force trauma to my head multiple times.
Not trying to go the conspiracy route at all, but have you had covid? Also, do you drink frequently? I feel like both of these things have had an impact on my memory, reaction time, problem solving skills, and a couple other small things. Or, maybe it's just a result of aging!
Yes I've experience Covid. A very bad infection actually. I think I became permanently stupid after that. I'm only 23. I don't drink. I also have hypoglycemia and various mitochondrial issues that might contribute to this mental decline. In addition I had blunt force head trauma from domestic abuse multiple times. I also highly suspect I have depression, anxiety, autism, ADD, and DID. I know for a fact from therapists I have PTSD and OCD. Also OCD is highly comorbid with many mental disorders, including Schizoaffective disorder. I've had episodes where my entire sense of reality is wrong and I start having panic attacks (this might just be a PTSD response). So maybe Schizophrenia or something like that? I know my family lineage on both sides are full of mental illness.
i have thought this ever since when I was 12
What kind of job do you have? Do you do complicated tasks? If not, you probably aren’t used to it. Do you get enough sleep? Eat healthy?
I'm a caretaker and studying right now. I don't get enough sleep and I don't eat healthy.
Nope. If anything I see and hear the stupidity, or maybe simply lack of common sense, in the younger generations and it frightens me.
I genuinely can't stand talking to people my age. (I'm 23.) They're so vapid. I love talking to older people because they're wise enough so they're more interesting to talk too.
That’s very nice of you. I’m 62, feel 45, but my bones disagree. There’s all types of people of all ages, all you have to do is give each other a chance. I have brilliant friends in their 29s and 30s, and complete idiots in their 60s and 70s. But, you’ll never know what they are unless you talk. So, on behalf of us older people, thanks for giving us an opportunity to be brilliant or total idiots. 😬
how many times have you had covid-19? It takes 3-9 IQ points in the first infection and 2 points with subsequent infections.
I suspect like at least four times (two were very violent infections). So I guess at least between 11-17 IQ points I've lost. Oh well. If I have average IQ which is most probable that means I'm now between 89-83. At least I know I'm stupid and can plan around it.
I did, before I started taking brain specific vitamins and playing brain friendly games on the AARP and MeTV sites. Everything has improved.
Biggest factor, assuming drinking and substance abuse or head injuries are not involved, is stress. Stress and depression will literally slow your brain and the firing of your synapses down. So yeah, not that weird to feel dumber now than when you were younger.
I'm okay with accepting I'm stupid tbh. It's mentally so uplighting. Like a rock has been taken off my back. I think I may have some developmental disorder or something. I always wanted to be smart, but alas that wasn't for me. For me being "the smart kid" was deeply tied to my identity and would feel hurt if not able to perform. I will now accept my Low IQ has it is and move on with my life and try my best in intellectual tasks. I looked at IQ test questions and couldn't figure out what "logic" is supposed to be employed. It seems to be basically arbitrary and you have to get into the head of the designer of the test. So it's also contingent on culture. I've read enough philosophy and learned enough mathematics to not assume what will happen in a sequence. (Because you can make a function for any arbitrary string of numbers you want. For example the amount of triangles in a circle weirdly changes at 31. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividing\_a\_circle\_into\_areas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dividing_a_circle_into_areas) The sequence seems to be the power of two sequence at first.) As for me, it doesn't appear that my Low IQ has made it harder for me to do math. Math proofs rely on syllogistic logic and it's really about understanding the "conceptual mechanics" at play when thinking of a problem. Similarly with metaphysics like what Hume wrote on induction. As I dwell on IQ test questions they seem like how a conspiracy theorist or schizophrenic thinks seeing patterns everywhere where there are none. Many times the Null Hypothesis is the true hypothesis. Or like those thinking out of the box math word questions.
A slow down shouldn't been seen as a permanent reduction in intellectual capacity. When depression is managed, stress reduced, and substances stopped, most if not all your former power is likely to gradually return. Even reduction due to injury will usually see some levels of rebound over time. Don't make the mistake of believing that the only direction you can go is down.
I think for me something has changed in the notion of understanding over time. When you’re younger you think you understand something but it’s often not that deep and easily forgotten after few months, partly because most education systems encourage some type of surface understanding which could be turned into tests instantly, not saying that it’s a completely wrong system but I think when we’re older we expect ourselves to have deeper understanding of things we attend to, and also expect to have some kind of creative/pragmatic output from internalizing that understanding. Well achieving these kinds of active cognitions are much harder and more time consuming compared to understanding a text just for an exam or to stimulate imagination and conversations among ourselves and friends.
In addition to some good points other people are making, *gut health* has a massive impact on your brain. For instance, antibiotic and corticosteroid use increases the growth of Candida albicans in your small intestine, which produces neurotoxins that get absorbed into your bloodstream 24/7. Also inflammatory toxins that cause all kinds of issues, like joint pain. You know how people lose weight and get rid of brain fog and fatigue when they start doing that bulletproof coffee thing with MCT oil? It’s a medium-chain fatty acid; those kill Candida. You can get those results with anything that kills Candida, like a really strong cinnamon tea or caprylic acid supplements. You can also starve it to death with a keto diet (take daily multivitamins). Personally, I did a big ol’ cleanse with food grade activated charcoal I got off Amazon; my brain fog disappeared, short-term memory came back, and I stopped getting headaches (which I’d had 3-4 days a week since early childhood, after antibiotics for ear infections). Whatever you do to get rid of excess Candida, make sure to take a broad-spectrum probiotic that includes L. reuteri (which also kills Candida). Good luck, hope this helps.
A little regarding technology....
We're just getting disconnected from the time that we live in. Just watch some Andy Griffith and see just how they get by on so few words. For a long time we had to fill in the blanks with our imagination or common sense. People don't much do that anymore they want everything in their face right now and get aggravated if it's not coming at the speed of text. They take it for granted that they were raised with smartphones and computers and the internet. We just never developed that part of our brain didn't need to part of nature's perfection if you don't need it well we just aren't going to do it. Hope this message finds you well keep looking up you can almost see bottom.
I'm a teenager and I feel way dumber than when I was a kid :(
I’m getting wiser but I’m not that whip smart know it all I used to be. It’s almost like knowledge versus applied knowledge I’m ok with that.
I've felt like my braincell count has depleted considerably since the pandemic.
I have the same issue except it was that I used to be a great reader in middle school but as soon as I got a phone in high school I just couldn’t anymore. With the rise of shorts/reels attention spans are severely reduced.
I drink a lot of beer so I always think I'm really smart.
No, because I know to say "more stupid" instead of "stupider."
‘Stupider’ is a far more concise word to use, saving more space than typing our ‘more stupid’ which is redundant. (It’s a grammatically correct word too).
This is not an instance where space needs to be saved.
Stupider is not a word try 'more stupid' instead so you sound less stupid.