Are millennials the elite generation? (And are people actually getting dumber?)
About this episode
The episode explores generational differences, the decline in IQ scores, and the unique position of millennials in modern society.
This week, we unpack what makes a generation. From the Silent Generation to the Zoomers and beyond, are these groupings only useful to stir up competition and resentment? How did Gen Z become more conservative, more pessimistic AND more empathetic than their predecessors? We also explore recent research on a troubling trend of declining IQ scores. Does this back up an argument that millennials are the group most well-equipped for life in the modern age? Our guests this week are researcher Elizabeth M. Dworak from Northwestern University and Jean M. Twenge PhD, author of Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. ( Buy the book here. ) Related links: Dr. Dworak’s IQ research: Looking for Flynn effects in a recent online U.S. adult sample: Examining shifts within the SAPA Project James Flynn’s TED Talk: Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents' The New Yorker on Jean Twenge: Where Millennials Come From (2017) Tom Wolfe for New York Magazine: The “Me” Decade (1976) An interesting counterpoint, on Bobby Duffy’s “The…
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