The spoken word is in decline, according to new research from the universities of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and Arizona.
Psychologists discovered that, since 2005, the average person has spoken less each year than the year before, by approximately 338 fewer words per day.
That’s equivalent to a yearly loss of around 120,000 words per person, representing thousands of lost human interactions.
“Small changes in daily behaviour accumulate over time,” said first author Dr Valeria Pfeifer, assistant professor of linguistics and psychology at UMKC.
“A gradual decline in spoken conversation might not be obvious from day to day, but over many years, it could change how people connect with one another.”
Overall, the scientists found that between 2005 and 2019, there was a 28 per cent decline in spoken words.
“Speaking less means spending less time connecting with others,” said Pfeifer. “If people are having fewer conversations, they may be losing both the immediate emotional benefits of social interaction, and the long-term benefits of maintaining strong relationships.”
Pfeifer and co-author Prof Matthias Mehl – a psychologist at the University of Arizona – came to these conclusions after analysing data from 22 studies, collected over 14 years in the US, Europe and Australia.
As part of these studies, scientists had recorded audio data from more than 2,000 people, aged 10 to 94, as they went about their daily lives.
Pfeifer said the study couldn’t pinpoint why the spoken word was in decline, but noted that its timeframe – 2005 to 2019 – coincided with the rise of texting, email and social media, so some lost conversations may now take place digitally.
“Whether typed conversations provide the same social benefits as spoken conversations is still an open question, and one that future research needs to address,” she said.
The study also discovered some variation based on age. While all age groups were affected, participants aged 25 or younger showed a markedly steeper decline in speech, perhaps related to their greater use of technology.
Scientists have yet to uncover the full implications of digital communication and our increasing reliance on written text and emojis rather than tone of voice, conversational timing and emotional cues.
Pfeifer said: “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.
“Our findings highlight the need to better understand how both spoken and written communication affect loneliness, health and wellbeing.”
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