Alice Evans Profile picture
Mar 14 5 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Have we passed peak intelligence?

In international tests, student scores for reading and maths sunk to a new low.

US teens are struggling to concentrate & evaluate information.

The excellent @jburnmurdoch

Warning: this thread is dark 🧵 Image
What's going wrong?

US 18 year olds increasingly say they have trouble concentrating and learning new things

As you can see, that line was stable till 2013

What caused the sudden spike? Image
Almost half of US teens said they "hardly ever" spend their leisure time reading a book Image
The share of adults who are unable to “use mathematical reasoning when reviewing and evaluating the validity of statements” has reached

- 25% in high-income countries
- 35% in the US Image
.@jburnmurdoch suggests there's a "broad erosion in human capacity for mental focus and application"

My question: how do we reverse this trend?

Superb piece!! ft.com/content/a8016c…Image

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More from @_alice_evans

Mar 8
Did I steal or bribe my way to an advance copy? 😛

Saturday is for book reading on the sofa!

Especially if it’s Malika Zeghal’s new opus with @PrincetonUPress Image
Zeghal constructs fantastic data sets on religiosity over time

As you can see, over time, the Turkish government is now spending a much higher share of GDP on religion Image
In 1950, she estimates that only 4 in a million Turkish people were enrolled in Islamic higher education Image
Read 23 tweets
Feb 15
Male-female friendships are a under-rated driver of gender equality.

When women can fraternise freely, they can share ideas, gain respect, & build empathy with men who care about their wants & welfare.

Countries with high male-female friendships score better on equality 👇 Image
Even controlling for religion, education, age, marital status, immigration status, gender, and employment status,

Societies with more mixed gender facebook friends express stronger support for gender equality

- at university
- work
- politics
- equal rights Image
Sérgio Milliet was a close friend and great champion of Brazilian modernist artist Tarsila do Amaral, organising a major retrospective of her works in São Paulo.

His support (combined with her clear talent) cemented her reputation.

Here’s Tarsila’s portrait of Sergio. Image
Read 7 tweets
Jan 28
Labour market economists have been obsessed with the question of whether technology will replace market demand for human labour.

But my question is different:

What if tech replaces NON-MARKET DEMAND.

And that’s precisely what we see: surging solitude. Image
Personal online entertainment (podcast bros, online gambling, video games, TikTok games) are so addictive & engaging

They are outcompeting real world connections and interactions.

They are displacing non-market demand for socialising.

ggd.world/p/the-great-sp…Image
Economists keep questioning Generative AI's productivity - will it displace skilled labour?

My question is different: is online entertainment (making sports bets, listening to Rogan or playing Call of Duty) more engaging than hanging out with friends?
Read 10 tweets
Jan 27
Online connectivity has radically impacted culture

1) Digital tech erodes establishment control. We can now curate personalised echo chambers - eg anti-vax.

2) Rising singlehood and smartphones mean we seek validation from online tribes, who don't observe our behaviour.

🧵 Image
Online connectivity enables individuals to forge tribes with ideological allies across the world, while paradoxically spending more time alone. Image
All this creates a major governance challenge.

J.D. Vance just announced that he ‘wants more babies in the United States of America’.

But can any modern government actually persuade its citizens to act differently?
Read 4 tweets
Jan 26
Calls for higher fertility must grapple with the challenge that cultural persuasion is now much harder

When tech was more primitive, we watched similar content

So shared expectations about pathways to status

Meeting in person, we sought social approval.

No longer!!

🧵
(1) Moral policing works in 3 ways:

- Humans seek status & social inclusion,

- so pay close attention to peers and successful individuals. They emulate others in their tribe.

- dissidents may be shamed, stigmatised & ostracised.

But such policing is now much harder..
(2) Smart phones have enabled a proliferation of ideas

Anyone can self-select into any filter bubble

Whatever your preferences and community, you can find it online.
Read 9 tweets
Jan 18
What do a US 20 year old & a 60yo have in common?

They spend about 6 hours a day alone.

Is the rise of solitude hurting our mental health?

New graphs by the great @jburnmurdoch Image
Young US men are increasingly spending time alone. Image
"We are all free agents" - you may reply,

"STOP judging and let people embrace what makes them happy!"

Great point, but does spending time alone make people feel fulfilled?
Read 12 tweets

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