Is it normal for your intelligence to drop?

81% Normal
8 Comments

I'm a 19-year-old and I believe I'm highly logical cos I'm a type-A-personality guy and I've been a straight-A-student. But as I go through academics, I notice a decreased speed in my thinking. This includes a slight difficulty in calculating coins (I'd seldom approach to use my fingers), completing the square or fast reading while not completly recalling or understanding what I just read. I sometimes have to slowly and aloud read whatever I want to thoroughly comprehend. When I read a story filled with a lot of jargon, I have to re-read it at least 3 times to completely understand it. And I feel my brain is compressed with a lot of stuff I have no use for (full brain if I may). So, is it?

Voting Results
81% Normal
Based on 31 votes (25 yes)
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Comments ( 8 )
  • NothingSpecial
    11 years ago

    I would say so. A lot of people are under the impression that if they learn something, they won't need to practice it again in order to fully retain the knowledge or remember it again. If you don't practice something, your skill declines and it's the same with academics. I know a lot of people who after summer vacation find themselves slipping on basic skills that they mastered with ease the year before. My math teacher the other day was talking about how his son was in calculus but forgot how to add up certain things in his head because he hadn't practiced his math skills. Hell, I actually forgot how to do long division on paper after doing it so many times on the calculator. It's pretty normal.

    Also you're in college I take it? It's possible you find the reading material to be more advanced than what you read in your high school days and it's more difficult for you to obtain it, or perhaps you just haven't read in so long that you're having difficulty focusing. I wouldn't worry about it; I love to read and I even find myself having to reread certain passages in order to fully obtain what I just read. I actually think most people are like that. I remember in 5th grade that many of the people who finished first actually had no idea what they had just read and were asked to read the passage again. That's probably because they DIDN'T take their time and read the passage slowly, carefully and read the same lines a couple of times in order to retain the context of what they were reading. If it helps you to understand the passage then keep doing it. Don't get mad at yourself for not reading something the "correct" way. It's the way you learn, so what. As long as you get what you're reading, that's all that matters.

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  • drugsrbadmkay
    11 years ago

    Do you have a mouse named Algernon?

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    • Unimportant
      11 years ago

      Amazing story, one of the best ever.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    You've noticed a decreased speed in your thinking?

    How fast was it going before?

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  • dappled
    11 years ago

    Has there been a change in your personal circumstances? Are you taking any drugs or medication? Are you sleeping/eating well? Are you stressed or depressed? Are you pushing yourself too hard mentally? Are you in love or experiencing a crush? Is your abode well-ventilated and at a suitable temperature? Do you have any symptoms of illness? Are you grieving for a loved one? If the answer to any of the above is yes, that might be your answer in general.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    "I'm a 19-year-old and I believe I'm highly logical"

    Hahaha ofcourse you do.

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  • thanksforthefreecar
    11 years ago

    Do puzzles and your schoolwork.

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  • Terence_the_viking
    11 years ago

    Yes we all forget things.

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