Is it possible to become less smart over time?

Through Alzheimer’s, of course.

Through alcohol killing your brain cells, of course.

I can only hope that medical science will advance so far, that we’ll have microscopic robots in our bodies repairing our brain & other cells so that we don’t lose our intelligences anymore.

(I’m talking about robots tiny enough that 1,000 of them clumped together would combine to the size of one individual red blood cell. At least 1,000.)

of course, @EgaoNoGenki. I would hope I’m not getting Alzheimer’s—I’m only 17 :/
and I don’t drink, so it wouldn’t be alcohol either.
hmm… the robots are an interesting idea though.

At 17, I’d say your issue was more likely to be emotional or even hormonal.
Best thing to do is to try to stop worrying about it. It’s possible that it’s the education system that is dumbing down too, I mean let’s face it, (you wont know this but those of us who are slightly longer in the tooth might) education has changed radically over the years, information is now so readily available via the internet etc that homework in schools is almost pointless. Exams at school (here in the UK at least) have been overhauled to the detriment of actual real learning and it’s all kinda sad really.
I’d say that the fact you are even questioning it is a great sign, keep learning, keep digging for information, as long as you have a YEN for knowledge you’ll never really dumb down.
Good luck.
BB

Not me, I am getting smarter by the minute!

At your age, I think the problem is that your creativity is being stifled by being crammed into an academic mould. In order to get good grades on the standardized tests you have to regurgitate the standard answers. I think you need to find something outside the standard academia to keep the creative juices flowing. Perhaps a club related to one of your interests, where the faculty advisor has minimal input. The mould seems to be tightening and “dumbing down” right now, but once you get into university (especially beyond first year) you will suddenly be required to think on your own again.

I had a difficult time making this transition at your age. I was very sharp at getting the correct answers on standardized tests. For some time after, when the professor asked “what do you think?” I found myself parrotting back the textbook. Which was often not a pleasing answer.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing…...could it be that you now know how much you don’t know and therefore the discovery of all you don’t know seems like a more daunting task that when you didn’t know what you didn’t know and every discovery was fantastic?

I don’t think that you should be worried about becoming less smart, especially if you don’t drink heavily or anything that could actually damage your brain. It’s my understanding that the female brain finishes developing around the mid-teens, so you’re not getting less smart, but maybe it’s just that you feel as though you’re not getting any more smart as time goes by because you’ve reached the peak of your brain’s development. Not to say that you can’t still learn things or grow mentally, of course.

It’s certainly possible for to lose interest in GETTING smarter as one ages. Curiosity can give way to malaise.

Certainly our frames of mind change over time. How we experience that is a personal thing. What is smart?

It sounds like you are feeling less capable of some things (but what?) and more capable of others (school work).

I’m around three times older than you are, and my memory for names of things seems to be disappearing at a rapid rate. It is very frustrating. I still know what I mean, and I can think as well as I used to, except now I am struggling to find names almost all the time. I can describe what I’m looking for; I just can’t find the name.

Obviously this makes conversation somewhat difficult, because I have to halt all the time to find the name of what I mean. Online, it doesn’t matter because I can go off and look up the word and no one knows I had to do that.

In any case, I would sit down and figure out exactly what change bothers me. What could you do before that you can’t do now? Or is harder for you to do now? Then look at this capability, and decide if it has changed because you aren’t using it as much or focusing on it as much, or if it is something you use regularly.

If you don’t use it much, then be aware that everyone loses ability when they don’t practice it. All you have to do is use the capability more, and it will come back. If it is something you use regularly, then there might be reason for concern. I’d check with a doctor to see if they are worried.

The brain is a “use it or lose it” organ. When it learns new tasks, it creates new neurons and new pathways. When it is understimulated, it atrophies. Stop working, stop actively learning, and you will grow stupid.

Alcohol is an effective means of destroying brain cells. In another few months I’ll be a total idiot.

There is also the Peter Principle to consider

@DrBill Correct, I reached that point about 20 years ago.

I think the saddest thing about becoming an adult is that your world becomes smaller and less beautiful. Life becomes about what you’d like to get, rather than the moment. We’re taught to treat our experience like a check list, or a string of achievements. It gets miserable, and yes, you feel dumbed down.

I’m about to start masters- 2010 will be year 5 of studying. I feel just like you are sometimes- overwhelmed and dumbed down. Little things like reading for pleasure, going for a bike ride or just sitting in the sun helped. Perhaps you need to focus on simple pleasures, rather than worrying that you’re not smart enough. University is about how well you learn, and how you independently manage that learning- not your perceived intellectual abilities. Make sure you don’t become bogged down in the library basement- then you will really feel drained of your intellect! One day a week of no studying is also a good idea. As is a casual job. Keep yourself dynamic and interested.

Watch a kid do anything- it’s an entirely different approach to adults. It’s all in the moment- which also means if something goes wrong, the world is temporarily ending! Try and draw yourself back to the now whenever you can. It helps me, all of the time. You’re clearly very capable- good grades and getting into uni has shown you that. Prepare yourself by having many important and interesting things in your life- learn something for fun (guitar, another language); volunteer (great for making you shift the focus from you to others) and have a good giggle every now and then. Don’t let the library eat you! Good luck.