People are saying 300 fewer words a day — and it may be dulling the brain

Research shows that people in the United States and several other countries are speaking less every year. The shift is being driven by smartphones, text messaging and remote work, which have made it possible to handle much of daily life without opening one's mouth. Experts warn that this spreading silence is not merely a social change — it may also affect the brain and cognitive function.

A meme mocking what has been dubbed the "Gen Z stare" has been making the rounds on American social media. In the scenario, a customer tries to place an order at a cafe, only to be met by a Generation Z employee who says nothing, staring blankly or simply pointing at a sign. When the customer asks again, the employee responds with only a brief gesture or glance.

Analysts say the meme resonates precisely because it reflects a real shift: people are genuinely talking less.

A study published in July in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science analyzed more than 2,000 people across the United States and several other countries and found that people's daily word output has been declining by roughly 300 words a year — equivalent to about two to three minutes of speech per day.

Over the 14 years from 2005 to 2019, daily speech fell by 28 percent. The decline was particularly pronounced among people under 25.

Valeria Pfeifer, an assistant professor of psychology and counseling at the University of Missouri–Kansas City who led the research, said she stumbled upon the trend while originally studying gender differences in language use. After taking a closer look at the data, she confirmed that people were speaking progressively less over time, and found, when she analyzed the full 14-year span, that the decline was far larger than she had expected.

For most of human history, speech was not merely one option among many — it was in effect the default means of communication. Buying goods, asking for directions, meeting strangers, working alongside others and maintaining relationships all required conversation.

Today, however, speaking is increasingly becoming optional across many areas of daily life.

Scientists have long regarded changes in language ability as an important signal of brain health. Language impairments — difficulty retrieving words or understanding speech — are common in dementia and a range of other neurological conditions.

The relationship has traditionally been understood in one direction: changes in the brain lead to problems with language. But the possibility that speaking less could in turn affect brain activity is now being raised.

That is because speaking is itself a remarkably complex cognitive activity. Even to produce a simple sentence, the brain must retrieve words, construct their sequence, coordinate the muscles needed for speech, interpret the other person's reactions and prepare what to say next — all at the same time.

The process engages multiple brain regions, including Broca's area in the lower left frontal lobe, which handles language production and articulation. Repeated conversation may itself serve as a form of cognitive stimulation, researchers say.

The Washington Post noted that people are not only speaking less but also spending less time with others altogether. Decades of research have shown that social connection and cognitive stimulation have positive effects on health, while social isolation is associated with negative outcomes.

Robert Putnam, a professor of political science at Harvard University and author of "Bowling Alone," which examined the decline of civic participation in America, linked the recent drop in daily speech to a long-running erosion of face-to-face relationships.

Putnam said Americans had already begun drifting away from community activities — clubs, churches and local gatherings — as far back as the 1960s, decades before the smartphone arrived. A trend that began with the spread of television, he said, has been accelerating ever since with digital technology.

"In some ways, what worries me most is that the trend is still continuing," he said. "It doesn't seem easy to reverse."

Until now, the downsides of declining face-to-face contact have been discussed mainly in social terms: loneliness, polarization, weakened communities and shrinking personal networks.

But if conversation is not merely a vehicle for transmitting information but an active cognitive exercise for the brain, the decline in speech may carry consequences of an entirely different order.

Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University who studies the effects of technology on society, said people have come to find face-to-face and voice communication burdensome and difficult, and are increasingly avoiding it as a result.

Yet it is precisely that difficulty, he said, that plays an important role in forming relationships. "Our social brain reads the investment of time and attention in someone as an important signal of connection," Newport said. "The more we make socializing easier and more convenient, the more paradoxically people may feel less connected to one another."

The shift appears to be especially pronounced among Generation Z. The COVID-19 pandemic may have played a role: many young people spent the pandemic years attending classes remotely, missing out on the direct, in-person conversations and relationships that come from being around peers.

Pfeifer's study synthesized data from 22 studies in which participants went about their daily lives for several days while wearing audio-recording devices. Since seeing the findings, she said, she has found herself thinking more often about how much she speaks in a day — and what may be lost when conversation is replaced by text messages.

One area drawing particular attention is the difference between asynchronous communication — such as texts and emails — and real-time conversation. In a live exchange, a person must hold in mind what the other has just said while formulating a response, all while continuing to listen. By contrast, text messages and emails allow a reply to be composed slowly, revised as needed, and reviewed against a visible record of the prior exchange.

That means the cognitive load of simultaneously drawing on memory and attention is substantially reduced.

Pfeifer said the overall decline in daily speech is likely less a result of people talking less with close friends and family than of the disappearance of the brief, incidental exchanges that once took place with strangers.

Hamburgers are ordered at a kiosk. Directions come from Google. Wondering which actor appeared in a particular film? AI has the answer.

With each advance in technology, another moment that once required speaking to another person quietly disappears.

Pfeifer said these small interactions matter more than people might think. She noted that brief exchanges and chance encounters keep the social and cognitive skills needed to connect with others in active use, adding: "These small acts can go a long way toward building the confidence to talk to each other again."