Daily dialogue declines: study shows fewer words spoken

A study of 22 data sets involving over 2,000 people finds that the average daily words spoken aloud fell about 28% from 16,632 in 2005 to 11,900 in 2019, a trend likely worsened by the pandemic; younger people are slightly more affected, and researchers warn of potential effects on conversational skills and social well-being, urging simple habits to reverse the decline.