Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents' | James Flynn

Why HN readers recommended it

HN recommends it as a clear explanation of why generations think differently and why IQ scores have risen.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel

TED

Topic

flynn effect

Format

talk

Level

general

HN recommenders in dataset

3

HN mentions in dataset

5

Recommendation years in dataset

2020–2024

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

• I disagree. I think stories like this are important. They teach you to take a hypothetical scenario seriously. It teaches people to ask "what if X were true?" and to seriously consider the ramifications. This is a springboard into abstract thinking. Without people taking the …

• This is an off-topic point, but perhaps this TED talk by James Flynn might give you a perspective to understand why your parents and grandparents tought: [VIDEO] It posits the idea that the way of thinking back then was different, because they had to overcome …

• I think TED talks used to be better. Perhaps it's nostalgia, but I really enjoyed TED talks in the past. Martin Rees talking cosmology, Richard Dawkins talking about why the universe seems so strange, James Flynn talking about the Flynn effect[0], Barry Schwartz talking about …