As research warns IQ is falling for first time EVER.... our map reveals average ... trends now
Human intelligence scores are dropping across the US for the first time, research suggests, and experts warn technology could be to blame.
IQ exams were first introduced in 1905, and throughout the century, there was a 30-point increase based on scores in logic, vocabulary, spatial reasoning and visual and mathematical problem-solving skills.
The average IQ score in the US currently stands at 98 but varies by a gap of about eight points between states, with New Hampshire ranking first with an average IQ of 103.2.
More research needs to be conducted to determine why IQ scores are falling across the country, but one expert speculated that a drop in reading and an increase in media entertainment, like YouTube, is at fault.
There are also concerns that phones degrade our memory and recall because there is less need to store information with Google at our finger tips.
Those aged 18-22 saw the the biggest drop in IQ tests between 2006 and 2018, the study found
Exactly half of US states have an average IQ of 100 or above, with New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont coming in the top four while North Dakota and Wyoming tied for the fifth spot.
Meanwhile, those ranked in the bottom five include New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Nevada, according to World Population Review.
'I do suspect that increased technology use could be playing a role in impacting our nation's overall literacy levels,' Dr. Stefan Dombrowski, a psychology professor at Rider University who studies IQ told DailyMail.com.
'It is well known that people who read and write more, generally score higher on IQ tests - of course, this is a chicken/egg scenario,' he continued.
'Do these individuals engage in reading and writing activities more frequently because they are brighter, or do they become brighter... on IQ tests because they read more?'
Dombrowski said this second question is known as the 'Matthew Effect' where a good reader will choose to continue to read more and therefore become more well-read, while poor readers will fall behind.
Researchers have also suggested that US IQs started slipping at the turn of the millennium as people adopted more technology into their everyday lives which has
