Recently, as the term 'Gen Z stare' has been drawing attention in English-speaking regions, research results have emerged showing that the actual number of words spoken by the younger generation is rapidly declining.
'Gen Z stare' is a neologism combining Gen Z (Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2006) and 'stare', referring to how younger generations look back rolling their eyes without responding to greetings or questions.
This neologism, which first spread mainly through US social media, has gained resonance from older generations around the world.
In other words, people worldwide have empathized with the bizarre phenomenon where young people keep their mouths tightly shut and just stare instead of giving everyday greetings or replies.
However, research results have shown that this 'Gen Z stare' is not just a subjective feeling.
It means that the younger generation is indeed opening their mouths less and less compared to other generations.
In a report on the 3rd local time, the US daily Washington Post cited a study published last month in Perspectives on Psychological Science (PPS), a prominent journal of the American Psychological Association, reporting that between 2005 and 2019, the number of spoken words uttered by people decreased by 120,000 annually, or an average of 338 words per day.
This decline in the number of spoken words was particularly pronounced among the younger age group.
While the decrease in spoken words for those aged 25 and older was 314, the difference widened even further for the younger generation under 25 during the same period, showing a drop of 415.
The researchers explained, "Younger groups are more likely to communicate via text or social media," adding, "When spoken words are exchanged in writing, younger groups are likely to have lost more speech compared to older adults."
This study is the result of a re-analysis of data from a previous large-scale study published by University of Missouri-Kansas City Professor Valerie Pfeifer, who collected daily life audio recordings from 2,197 participants aged 10 to 94.
It has also been pointed out that if face-to-face verbal conversations decrease in this manner, an individual's cognitive and social skills may regress.
Conversation is an activity that requires working memory and attention, requiring one to grasp what the other person has said, decide how to respond, formulate what to say next, and listen to the other person at the same time.
However, the explanation is that when using text messages and emails, such pressure is lower, and because a record remains, the need to memorize things individually also decreases.
At the same time, the Washington Post explained that human interaction is disappearing as kiosks replace conversations for ordering food, Google Maps eliminates the need to ask for directions, and ChatGPT reduces conversations such as, "Who was that actor in that movie?"
Georgetown University Professor Cal Newport pointed out that people are speaking less because face-to-face interactions are difficult, noting, "The problem is that our social brains recognize devoting time and attention to someone as an important signal," and "Paradoxically, the easier socializing becomes, the less connected we feel to one another and the less social we become."
(Photo: Getty Images, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.