Sir Richard Francis Burton, by the time he died in 1890, spoke 25 languages and 15 dialects. He had translated the Thousand and One Nights and the Kama Sutra. He had written books on topics as wide-ranging as fencing, falconry and ethnographyThe scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs and habits..¹

In spite of all our advances in knowledge and technology, there is no modern-day Burton. The age of the polyglotKnowing or using several languages. polymathSomeone with a wide range of knowledge and learning. , the Renaissance manThe Renaissance was a period of European history between the 13th and 17th centuries. "Renaissance men" are known for being skilled at a number of varied subjects, instead of specialising in just one., seems to be over.

And now some think our advances in knowledge and technology are actually a problem.

Evidence collected by the OECDThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. suggests that standard scores in numeracyThe ability to understand and use numbers. and literacyThe ability to read and write. are declining in the wealthy world.

The drop is sharpest among teenagers, whose average scores have fallen by almost 15 points in reading and more than 20 in maths since 2006. But adults' tallies have fallen too, by around eight points in reading and four in maths.²

This sudden change coincides almost exactly with the widespread adoption of smartphones. And scientists have discovered a few different ways in which phone use might be affecting our intelligence.

The most important is their power to distract. Studies have found even the presence of a phone in the same room as a student detracts from their ability to focus on a lecture.³ A reduced attention span makes it harder to think and learn.

It also affects our memory. Because we can simply look up anything that we cannot immediately call to mind, we make fewer demands on our working memories. Like any muscle, without constant use, it atrophiesWastes away..

Finally, and more indirectly, there is the sleep issue. Blue light from phone screens reduces sleep time and quality, which impairs our cognitionThe mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and understanding.  in a variety of ways.

If technology is the problem, then there is every reason to think that it will get worse. The rise of AI chatbotsComputer programs that simulate conversation with human end-users. threatens to make a negative impact on our remaining cognitive faculties.

One of our most important intellectual strengths is the ability to read large amounts of information, analyse it, and synthesiseTo combine information from multiple sources. it into a more digestible form. It is a skill that every school qualification and every academic degree is intended to test to some extent.

But the evidence suggests that people in all walks of life, from students to professionals, are exercising this ability less and less. Instead, they simply upload the information they need to read to ChatGPT or DeepSeek and get AI to digest it on their behalf.

It is easy to imagine a future world in which we never have to use our brains at all, except to order different technologies to manipulate information for us.

But others say we should welcome this. They claim smartphones are analogousSomething that is similar to another thing. to the invention of the book.

Before writing, all information had to be memorised. Some of the greatest works of ancient literature, like HomerAncient Greek poet, author of the Illiad and the Odyssey. It is unknown if Homer is a single author or a name for a composite oral tradition.'s Iliad, began as oral stories that would be memorised and recited by travelling storytellers.

Literacy allowed them to commit these stories to the page, meaning they no longer had to memorise them. Studies suggest that people in cultures without writing retain much better memories than those with it.

But writing enabled people to share information over a much wider area and across time. Even as it made individuals' brains less effective, it increased the intelligence of the species as a whole. Modern technology may be doing the same thing.

Could screens be to blame? 

Yes: AnecdotalBased on personal accounts rather than facts or evidence. evidence has long pointed to this conclusion, and now the evidence confirms it. Screens distract us, ruin our sleep, and degrade our memories. It is time to kick our smartphone habit.

No: There are many factors at play here. MicroplasticsMicroplastics are fragments of degraded plastic that are less than five millimetres in length. They are blown into the atmosphere and transported by ocean currents.  in our brains, geopolitical stresses causing a rise in anxiety, specialisation of knowledge - all could be responsible for a drop in our intelligence.

Or... Screens are neither good nor evil; what matters is how we use them. They can teach us new things or they can distract us with time-wasting nonsense. It is a question of self-discipline.

Ethnography - The scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs and habits.

Polyglot - Knowing or using several languages.

Polymath - Someone with a wide range of knowledge and learning.

Renaissance man - The Renaissance was a period of European history between the 13th and 17th centuries. "Renaissance men" are known for being skilled at a number of varied subjects, instead of specialising in just one.

OECD - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

numeracy - The ability to understand and use numbers.

Literacy - The ability to read and write.

Atrophies - Wastes away.

Cognition - The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge and understanding. 

AI Chatbots - Computer programs that simulate conversation with human end-users.

Synthesise - To combine information from multiple sources.

Analogous - Something that is similar to another thing.

Homer - Ancient Greek poet, author of the Illiad and the Odyssey. It is unknown if Homer is a single author or a name for a composite oral tradition.

Anecdotal - Based on personal accounts rather than facts or evidence.

Microplastics - Microplastics are fragments of degraded plastic that are less than five millimetres in length. They are blown into the atmosphere and transported by ocean currents.