Why We Are Getting Dumber

April 12, 2012

Interview with Lisa Bloom, author of the book Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World

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Mike Carruthers:
As a society we’re dumb and we’re getting dumber.

Lisa Bloom:
I’ve found that college students could name more Kardashians than wars we are in – college students for example are very knowledgeable about reality shows and celebrities and whether Kim Kardashian is married today or not.
 

Lisa Bloom, author of the book Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World, says women in particular are getting lost in a shallow world of celebrity tabloids and reality TV.

There are pretty clear studies that the more reality shows you watch the less happy you are with your life. And reality shows have the worst possible images of women, wealthy women who don’t really do anything, who are sitting around complaining or staring at the mirror. This isn’t the reality for any women I know and yet a generation of girls is growing up with these women as their role models – I think that’s very scary.

Lisa belives we all need to carve out time to think about what’s really important and to read.

And to read books, you know 80% of Americans didn’t read a book last year. 70% of us who are high school graduates never read a book again the rest of our lives. Books unfurrow our brains, allow us to think critically, actually create new neuro pathways in our minds when we read books.

And parents have a responsibility to steer their kids into thinking.

If you read for pleasure in your home in front of your kids your kids are 6 times more likely to read for pleasure themselves. And when kids read for pleasure their literacy shoots up they do better not only in English and reading but in all subjects.

To hear the complete unedited interview, click here.