THE BIG STUPID - Why We're Getting Dumber When We Need to Be Smarter (Part 1 of 3)

THE BIG STUPID - Why We're Getting Dumber When We Need to Be Smarter (Part 1 of 3)

From The Green Elephant in the Room: Solutions To Restoring the Health of People and the Living Planet by Rico Verde

January 21, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the decline in human intelligence and its environmental causes.

SHOW-NOTES For the first time in recorded history, human intelligence is declining. IQ scores that rose steadily for a century have reversed course across the developed world. Pattern recognition, abstract reasoning, and problem-solving abilities are dropping fastest among young adults. This isn't about genetics - it's about environment. We've built a world that no longer demands we think hard, and our brains are responding accordingly. The timing couldn't be worse. Climate change requires ex...

People in this episode

Host: Rico Verde

Topics covered

  • intelligence decline
  • environmental impact
  • climate change
  • cognitive abilities
  • young adults

Keywords

  • intelligence
  • IQ scores
  • cognitive decline
  • environment
  • climate change

Mentioned in this episode

Places: developed world, Climate change

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