We Are Becoming Cognitively Disabled

✨ At a Glance

A major 2025 Neurology® study analyzing more than 4.5 million adults shows a dramatic rise in cognitive disability in the U.S. — especially among young adults. Today we unpack the data, what it means for your daily focus and decision-making, and how to train your brain to stay sharp in a distracted world.

🧠 The Elite Idea: Cognitive Decline Is Rising — Fast — Especially in Young Brains

You’ve heard the warnings: the digital world is destroying our attention.
But what’s happening now goes far beyond “getting distracted.”

The new research article “Rising Cognitive Disability as a Public Health Concern Among US Adults” revealed something truly alarming:

Cognitive disability is now the most commonly reported disability in the U.S.

And it’s rising sharply — not in older adults, but in the youngest ones.

Here are the most important findings from the study you shared:

🔹 4.5+ million survey responses (2013–2023) were analyzed

Data came from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) — the largest continuously collected health survey in the U.S.

🔹 Cognitive disability =

“Serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.”
​(This is self-reported, but validated as a predictor of future cognitive decline.)

🔹 Overall cognitive disability increased from 5.3% → 7.4%

A statistically significant rise starting in 2016 — and continuing upward.

🔹 Young adults (18–39 yrs) had the largest and fastest increase

Their prevalence:

• 2013: 5.1%
• 2023: 9.7%

That’s a ~90% increase in just a decade.

This group — supposedly the “healthiest,” most cognitively flexible stage of life — is driving the national trend.

🔹 Adults 70+ actually saw a slight decline

Their prevalence went:

• 2013: 7.3%
• 2023: 6.6%

Yes — the youngest adults are doing worse than the oldest.

🔹 Other groups increased too (but less dramatically)

• Ages 40–54: 4.5% → 6.0%
• Ages 55–69: 5.1% → 6.0%

🔍 Inside My Mind: What This Means for Us

When I read this study, two things hit me:

1️⃣ This isn’t about aging — it’s about modern living.
​Young adults showing the worst cognitive trends tells us something huge:
Our environment is harming our brains faster than biology can protect us.

2️⃣ I feel it too.
​Even as someone who studies the brain for a living — I sometimes notice the struggle to focus, finish tasks, resist digital noise, or make decisions at the end of the day.

And that’s why I’m grateful I caught myself early.

Because awareness is the first step.
Without awareness, change is impossible.

This is why I’ve been intentionally deepening my mindfulness training, attention practices, and cognitive rewiring tools.

Not to be “zen,” but to protect my brain from an environment designed to fragment it.

🧬 Integrate It: Start Strengthening Your Brain Today

The study makes one thing clear:

If you’re not actively strengthening your brain, you’re losing cognitive capacity without realizing it.

Here’s how to begin — gently and effectively:

• Mindfulness (even 3 minutes)
• Meditation
• Breathwork for cognitive reset
• Single-task training
• Brain-gym style exercises
• Reducing digital inputs
• Creating focus windows
• Daily “attention warm-ups”
• Sleep hygiene (the ONLY full reset for the prefrontal cortex)

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And if you don't know how to start..... I hope high achievers take that first step!

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Not ready for a call? I get it.... Take my Elite Mind Assessment to uncover what’s holding you back from elite-level clarity and performance (and get tips on how to overcome your blockers). ​CLICK HERE TO START ASSESSMENT​ (it takes ~5 minutes).

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Thank you for reading!

Dorota 🖤

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