We are talking to each other less than we did a decade ago, and the decline is not solely due to technology. Researchers from the University of Arizona and the University of Missouri–Kansas City have found that the number of words we speak out loud to other humans fell nearly 28 percent from 2005 to 2019. On average, we now say around 300 fewer words each day, which translates to more than 120,000 fewer words per year.
Study Details and Findings
The analysis looked at data from 22 studies involving 2,200 mostly American participants aged 10 to 94, who recorded audio of their daily lives. The number of words plummeted from 15,900 in 2007 to 12,700 in 2019, a difference of 338 words per day. Matthias Mehl, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona, noted that while smartphones and social media are partly to blame, the decline also occurred among less tech-savvy older adults, pointing to a broader shift in lifestyle.
“We've lost a lot of small, incidental conversations: asking a cashier for help, getting directions from a stranger, chatting with a neighbor,” Mehl said in a statement. No data is available after 2019, but Mehl said he would be “surprised” if the trend had reversed.
Age and Technology Not Sole Factors
Younger people are losing more spoken words each year, but older participants also showed a “clear decline in daily conversation,” according to Valeria Pfeifer, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “That suggests that age, or technology use alone, does not fully explain the trend,” she explained.
Impact on Mental Health and Loneliness
Both researchers emphasize the concerning implications for social and mental health. Mehl linked the loss of words to the loneliness epidemic highlighted by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. “Spoken words carry something that typed words often don't – presence, tone, the spontaneity of a real exchange,” he noted. Pfeifer added that speaking less means spending less time connecting with others, and everyday conversations can lower blood pressure and protect against depression and anxiety.
Past research from the University of Kansas found that just one quality conversation a day can improve well-being. Pfeifer suggested that small behavioral changes over time could alter how people connect.
“Humans have relied on spoken language for more than 200,000 years, and we do not yet know whether a shift toward more digital communication comes with social costs,” she said. “Our findings highlight the need to better understand how both spoken and written communication affect loneliness, health and well-being.”
