A Hidden Crisis: The Sharp Rise of Cognitive Struggles Among 18–39-Year-Olds
A quiet crisis is unfolding. A new study in Neurology tracks cognitive trouble across 4.5 million Americans from 2013 to 2023. Among adults aged 18 to 39, the rate of serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions rose from 5.1% to 9.7—almost doubling. The national trend also rose, from 5.3% to 7.4% overall. If you don’t feel as mentally sharp as before, you’re not alone.
In This Article:
What the Study Found: The Numbers Behind the Trend
Researchers analyzed phone survey data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spanning 2013–2023. They focused on respondents who reported a cognitive disability—such as memory problems, concentration issues, or difficulty with executive function. The study tracked 4.5 million Americans. The key takeaway is that the rise is most pronounced among younger adults. Among all adults, the share reporting cognitive issues rose from 5.3% in 2013–2014 to 7.4% in 2022–2023, while the under-40 group rose from 5.1% to 9.7%.
Who Is Most Affected: Demographics, Income, and Education
The increases are not limited to age; the study identifies large jumps among people with incomes below $35,000 (8.8% to 12.6%) and those without a high school diploma (11.1% to 14.3%). Adults earning more than $75,000 with a college degree experienced a smaller increase. Indigenous Americans showed the largest rise overall, from 7.5% to 11.2%. Older adults (70+) actually declined slightly, from 7.3% to 6.6%. These patterns suggest that economic and social factors amplify cognitive challenges in everyday life.
Why Now? What Might Be Driving the Increase
The paper does not pin a single cause. The authors say the rise could reflect real changes in brain health, greater awareness, or shifts in reporting. “It could reflect actual changes in brain health, better awareness and willingness to report problems, or other health and social factors,” said Adam de Havenon, the study’s principal investigator and a neurologist at Yale School of Medicine. Some explanations circulating in public discourse point to ADHD influencers and addictive smartphone algorithms that erode attention. Economic hardship and hidden racial bias may also magnify the problem as life grows harder in many communities. The overall picture is that the trend could worsen as wealth gaps widen and tech becomes more embedded in daily life, raising concerns about what some call “AI psychosis.”
Implications and a Call to Action: What We Do Next
The rise carries potential long-term implications for health, workforce productivity, and health-care systems. The study’s authors call for more research to understand the drivers and to address social and economic factors. A simple, counterintuitive takeaway is to step away from the screen and go outside: sometimes a walk in the grass is a better boost for the brain than another scroll. Whether the cause is real brain health changes, increased awareness, or broader social forces, the trend is real and especially pronounced in younger adults. What we do next matters for health equity, the future of work, and how we design technology to fit human limits.
