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American IQ scores have rapidly dropped, proving the 'Reverse Flynn effect'

(www.popularmechanics.com)
256 points hirundo | 1 comments | 10 Apr 23 13:00 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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faeriechangling ◴[10 Apr 23 15:04 UTC] No.35513202[source]▶
Could this have to so with smart people increasing pursuing hedonism over reproduction? Maybe Idiocracy was right all along.

From a strict evolutionary perspective I have doubts that a high IQ is useful anymore.

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giraffe_lady ◴[10 Apr 23 15:31 UTC] No.35513534[source]▶
From a strict evolutionary perspective it probably hasn't been for a long time and likely never was as significant on an individual level as people like to believe.

The only things being selected for in modern humans, if anything, are going to be things like disease resistance, maybe tolerance to some chemical contaminants in food & water, air pollution. And even then only in some parts of the world.

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1. armatav ◴[10 Apr 23 15:50 UTC] No.35513735[source]▶
Nope - sexual selection still takes place regardless of environmental survival factors.

And sexual selection takes place faster and can lead populations to scenarios that induce natural selection.