Post

A recent analysis found that Americans and people in several other countries are speaking roughly 300 fewer words a day, or about two to three minutes’ worth, with each passing year. The drop was especially pronounced among people younger than 25.

washingtonpost.comThe ‘Gen Z stare’ — and the decline of saying things out loudWe’re speaking fewer words every year. Scientists worry what that’s doing to our brains.

3/9/26, 8:00 pm9 reposts25 likes

Francesc 🇪🇸🇳🇱🇵🇱🇬🇧🇪🇺

@rhinomni.bsky.social

4 Sept

Let’s unpack this. (1/2) Research on this is limited but consistent: a widely-cited 2007 study by psychologist Matthias Mehl (using the “Electronically Activated Recorder” to sample real conversations) found people speak roughly 16,000 words a day on average,… (cont’d)

Francesc 🇪🇸🇳🇱🇵🇱🇬🇧🇪🇺

@rhinomni.bsky.social

4 Sept

(2/2)… with huge individual variation — from about 500 to 47,000 words in the sample. Assuming 16,000, this means that in 53 years there will be a blissful silence!

dilemmanj.bsky.social

@dilemmanj.bsky.social

4 Sept

only 2-3 minutes?

andrewwaite1.bsky.social

@andrewwaite1.bsky.social

3 Sept

Good news for these of us who enjoy silence.