{"id":"f8523f09-a550-4e6e-b035-5cd1bccad1a6","url":"https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/17/every-year-humans-speak-less-and-less-thats-bad-news-even-if-you-hate-mindless-chit-chat","domain":"theguardian.com","outlet":{"name":"The Guardian","country":"GB","cred":4,"lean":-1,"curated":true},"title":"Every year, humans speak less and less. That’s bad news, even if you hate mindless chit-chat","plainHeadline":"Humans speak less each year, which has negative effects even for people who dislike casual conversation.","rewrite":{"model":"gpt-5.6-sol","at":"2026-08-17T11:09:30.319Z"},"summary":["A study cited by The Atlantic reports daily spoken words decline 338 per year from 2005 to 2019.","Sample included 2,197 people aged 10 to 94 wearing devices recording speech.","The under-25 group showed a larger drop of 451 words yearly.","Experts warn reduced social interaction harms brain, health, and mood.","Hilton trend report notes rise of silent travel and interest in quiet retreats."],"topics":["Health","Social Media"],"lang":"eng","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T10:00:53.000Z","ingestedAt":"2026-08-17T10:22:59.700Z","story":"https://brief.concise.news/story/ea85da54-514c-442f-9238-d73a7325beb1"}