Humans speak less each year, which has negative effects even for people who dislike casual conversation.
A study of 2,197 people found daily spoken words declined by 338 annually from 2005 to 2019.
OriginalSourceThe GuardianUnited KingdomLeanCenter-leftCredibilityPublished10:00 UTCRatings: AllSides, MBFCSourceThe GuardianUnited KingdomLeanCenter-leftCredibilityPublished10:00 UTCRatings: AllSides, MBFC
“Every year, humans speak less and less. That’s bad news, even if you hate mindless chit-chat”
Humans speak less each year, which has negative effects even for people who dislike casual conversation.
Key points
- A study cited by The Atlantic reports daily spoken words decline 338 per year from 2005 to 2019.
- Sample included 2,197 people aged 10 to 94 wearing devices recording speech.
- The under-25 group showed a larger drop of 451 words yearly.
- Experts warn reduced social interaction harms brain, health, and mood.
- Hilton trend report notes rise of silent travel and interest in quiet retreats.
How it got here
The Guardian publishes the article.
concise reads it.
The Brief ranks it 8th.
8 8 Humans speak less each year, which has negative effects even for people who dislike casual conversation.
A study of 2,197 people found daily spoken words declined by 338 annually from 2005 to 2019.