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IQ rates have dropped over the past four decades. Here's why.

Researchers studied IQ tests during the years of 1970 to 2009 and found scores declined an average of seven points per generation.

Remember when Kyrie Irving told us the earth was flat? How many times have you said, ‘what were they thinking’ when someone did or said something dumb?

There appears to be scientific proof we’re not as smart as we once were.

Norwegian researchers found IQ test scores have been slowly dropping over the past several decades.

In the beginning of the last century people became smarter. Think about it, the industrial revolution, advances in medicine, education, better housing conditions and we ate whole foods. But by the end of the 70s, the intelligent trend began to reverse.

The researchers studied IQ tests during the years of 1970 to 2009 and found scores declined an average of seven points per generation.

Some of the decline may be cause by environmental factors such as the change in education and kids reading less and playing video games more.

But it may also have to do with our dependence on electronic devices because our phones and computers do all the work for us.

However, some would argue you have to be somewhat tech savvy to make those machines work.

Then others may point the finger to our lack of brain boosting activities, such as not exercising as much as we should and relying too heavily on processed food.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

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