Huge Proportion of Young Americans Report Serious Cognitive Issues

"If you don't feel as mentally sharp as before, you're not alone. People from the ages of 18 to 39 have experienced a significant increase in cognitive issues such as "serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions" in the span of about a decade, according to a startling new study published in the journal Neurology. A team of American scientists analyzed data from 4.5 million Americans who took part in phone surveys between 2013 and 2023; the overall proportion of respondents suffering cognitive issues overall ticked up from 5.3 to 7.4 percent, but adults under the age of 40 jumped from 5.1 to 9.7 percent - almost double."

""What's the cause? The paper doesn't confront that question deeply, but the researchers speculated that it could be due to "changing perceptions or experiences of cognitive challenges in the US population." "More research is also needed to understand what's driving the large increase in rates among younger adults, given the potential long-term implications for health, workforce productivity and health care systems," said the study's principal investigator, Adam de Havenon, a neurologist in the Yale School of Medicine, in a statement about the research."

Phone survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covering 4.5 million Americans between 2013 and 2023 show rises in self-reported cognitive difficulties. Overall prevalence increased from 5.3% to 7.4%, while adults aged 18–39 rose from 5.1% to 9.7%. Larger increases occurred among respondents with incomes below $35,000 (8.8% to 12.6%) and those without a high school diploma (11.1% to 14.3%). Adults earning over $75,000 and college graduates experienced smaller increases. Survey responses focused on cognitive disability including memory, concentration, and executive-function problems. Possible explanations include changing perceptions or experiences of cognitive challenges.

Read at Futurism