Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2025 and was updated in June 2026 to reflect Ideapod’s current editorial standards.
A worrying trend is emerging globally: cognitive skills appear to be in decline.
From struggling to concentrate to losing problem-solving abilities, people of all ages are showing signs of weaker performance on cognitive measures.
Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education, these patterns have been present since the mid-2010s, pointing to a multi-decade decline in measured cognitive performance.
This decline is visible across several benchmarks. Benchmarking data cited by the Financial Times—including results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the learning skills of 15-year-olds worldwide—points to young people showing shorter attention spans and weaker critical-thinking skills.
While it’s tempting to point to the COVID-19 pandemic, the evidence suggests the problem predates the global crisis. The decline has been evident since at least the mid-2010s, implying the root cause goes beyond pandemic-era educational disruption.
The changing landscape of information consumption
One potential culprit is a changing relationship with reading and how people consume information and media.
According to a 2022 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, only 37.6 percent of Americans said they’d read a novel or short story in the previous year—a drop from 41.5 percent in 2017 and 45.2 percent in 2012.
If fewer people engage with long-form written content, it could be contributing to weaker problem-solving and reasoning. Reading complex narratives requires sustained attention, pattern recognition, and the ability to hold multiple threads in working memory—skills that strengthen with practice and atrophy without it.
Reading isn’t the only skill in question. Data from the OECD’s 2023 Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) found that 34 percent of US adults scored at or below the lowest level of numeracy—up from 29 percent in 2017, though direct comparisons are complicated by changes in how the 2023 assessment was administered.
As everyday interaction with numbers decreases through reliance on technology, the ability to work with them can suffer. When calculators handle basic arithmetic and algorithms manage complex calculations, people get less practice with the numerical reasoning that keeps those mental pathways active.
Reporting in the Financial Times notes that the broader relationship with information is shifting. A 2021 study published in Frontiers in Education found that passive screen time—specifically TV watching—was negatively associated with verbal (phonological) memory in children aged 5–6, while interactive screen time showed no significant effect.
The broader implications
The decline in cognitive performance doesn’t occur in isolation—it shapes how people solve problems, make decisions, and weigh complex issues. When critical thinking weakens, people can become more susceptible to misinformation and to oversimplified answers, and the capacity to hold nuanced perspectives and think through long-term consequences may erode. Educational institutions are beginning to recognise these challenges, but systemic change takes time, even as digital integration keeps accelerating.
Rebuilding cognitive strength in a digital age
Reversing the trend takes intentional effort, but research on neuroplasticity suggests cognitive skills can be strengthened with deliberate practice. The following are editorial suggestions rather than clinical prescriptions.
Practice sustained reading daily. Start with just 20–30 minutes of uninterrupted reading of complex material—novels, long-form journalism, or academic papers. Gradually increase the duration as attention strengthens. Choose physical books when possible to reduce digital distractions.
Engage in mental math regularly. Calculate tips, split bills, or estimate quantities without immediately reaching for a calculator. This simple practice keeps numerical reasoning pathways active and builds confidence in working with numbers independently.
Create technology-free thinking spaces. Designate specific times and places for reflection, problem-solving, or creative work without any digital devices present. This allows the mind to practice the kind of sustained, undirected thinking that generates insights.
Learn something genuinely challenging. Take on a skill or subject that requires sustained effort and concentration—learning a musical instrument, studying a foreign language, or mastering a complex hobby. The struggle itself can build cognitive flexibility and persistence.
Question your information diet. Audit what you consume throughout the day. Replace some portion of quick, shallow content with material that requires deeper engagement and critical thinking.
Practice single-tasking deliberately. Choose one cognitively demanding task and give it complete attention for an extended period. Start with 45 minutes and work up to longer blocks of focused work without switching between activities.
The path forward
This doesn’t mean the decline is permanent. The point isn’t to abandon technology but to develop a more conscious relationship with it: harnessing digital tools while protecting the human cognitive abilities they can’t replace.
Education systems have a role too, emphasising critical thinking, problem-solving, and deep engagement with content over mere information absorption.
The real question isn’t whether cognitive decline can be reversed, but whether people will choose to prioritise the habits that rebuild it.
