Atlanta - Scientists studying an apparent 5-point drop in the average IQ of adults in the United States, have established a connection between the fall in test results and the online and television viewing habits of those subjects.
The research was published by a mental health department team at Harvard University.
The researchers pinpointed several types of videos, social media and TV programs that seemed to be contributing to the largest decreases in intelligence.
Highest on the list were Youtube political videos, followed by Facebook memes, and children's cartoons which are viewed by parents.
"We found 5-minute videos available on the internet which made ridiculous claims about science, mathematics and American history; these seem to be the main culprits", said one researcher.
"These videos feature apparent "experts" who insist, among other absurdities, that climate science is an orchestrated hoax involving over 97% of the experts in the field, and that the Republican Party in 2019 has some connection to Abraham Lincoln!
"These nonsensical notions were firmly implanted in the brains of the people we studied, after repeated viewing of the videos, which were considered by them to be an actual university source".
