Scientists find human brain has grown by whopping 7% since 1930... but there ... trends now
Gen Z and Alpha may have a larger brain than people who were born 100 years ago, yet studies have indicated they also have the lowest IQs of previous generations.
Researchers at the University of California (UC) Davis Health studied different brain sizes of people born from the 1930 through 1970s, finding a 6.6 percent increased in brains among Gen X compared to the Silent Generation.
The team theorized that growth could be caused by external influences like health, social, cultural and educational outside factors and could reduce the risk of age-related dementia.
It comes as more recent studies have indicated that even younger generations' IQ scores have dropped in recent decades, which researchers have linked to an overreliance on phones and the internet.
MRIs conducted over 100 years showed that brain size has increased by 6.6 percent and could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's for younger generations
The volume of people's brains has steadily increased since the 1930s but reports indicate it does not impact the person's level of intelligence
Brain size doesn't necessarily make people more intelligent, and research has suggested that their is only a slight relationship between the two.
Neuroscientists have found that extra brain mass actually accomplishes very little when it comes to intelligence, and instead it serves to allow people to store more lifetime memories, according to Psychology Today.
However, the latest findings could be a contributing factor to why younger generations have a lower risk for developing dementia or Alzheimer's.
The new study was conducted across 75 years and found the brain consistently grew by 6.6 percent for people in the 1970s compared to those born in the 1930s.
Today's generation's brains measure about 1,400 milliliters in volume, but the average brain volume for people born in the 1930s was 1,234 milliliters.
The researchers reported that factors like greater educational achievements and better management of medical issues might explain why people's brains have grown over the decades.
'The decade someone is born appears to impact brain
