The Rise of the Powerful 'Anti-Thickus' Energy Fractal - Reading
100,000 Years of our cognitive evolution and success is under 24 hour bombardment
Homo sapiens is facing a global intelligence crisis. It is becoming more stupid.
The past century saw a continual rise in IQ. Due to the Flynn Effect. Where human conditions improved, intelligence rose.
Then in the 1980's we hit a brick wall. The sudden emergence of a new specie. Homo Thickus Brickus.
Here is the evidence.
Reading capability has declined by 40%.
Global IQ started declining in 2000 and is now in freefall.
The Tech Bros have successfully turned us into dopamine craving 'click monkeys.'
Exclusive use of ChatGPT destroys cognitive capability by 47%. (Recent research with grad students.)
Smartphones and apps now encroach on our lives for 4–6 hours per day globally—and even more in certain cities and countries. Leaders looking to install a reading energy fractal are essentially fighting for attention against a drastically over-draining habit. Reclaiming just 1–2 hours for reading or critical thinking could reverse cognitive decline, boost system ROE and ROI, and provide a powerful competitive advantage.
All performance is a function of system energy. And intelligence is the key ingredient of this energy.
Increase leadership and organisational intelligence and you automatically increase ROI. It's a simple equation.
For evidence: Look at SpaceX, Tesla, Apple, Meta, Google, OpenAI etc. They focus on one core competence. Intelligence and critical thinking.
BCS70 - The light at the end of the tunnel
Here is a summary of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) findings, especially as they link to reading, cognition, and long-term outcomes and impact on organisations.
What is BCS70?
Began in 1970 with 17,000+ babies born in a single week in England, Scotland, and Wales.
Participants have been tracked at multiple ages (5, 10, 16, 26, 30, 34, 38, 42, 46, 50+).
Data include education, health, work, wellbeing, family, and cognitive development.
Key Findings on Reading
Reading for pleasure matters more than background and all other variables.
Benefits persist into adulthood
Broader outcomes beyond cognition
Basically this detailed longitudinal research showed that reading is the most important driver of happiness and success in life.
Why it matters for leaders
Reading is not just about school performance—it compounds into system energy: intelligence, decision quality, adaptability.
In organisational terms: reading = energy fractal. Install it early, repeat it often, and the returns persist for decades.
The 1970 British Cohort proves that a few hours of reading every week will compound into a lifetime of intelligence, health, and success—stronger than family background and all other factors. Reading is the viagra for the mind. For all leaders and their organisations.
Added bonus. It's a free lunch.
The rise and fall of human intelligence. Driven by the assault of technology apps.
Reading as the classic Quanta Energy Fractal
Our Energy Fractal Method has been increasing leadership and organisational energy and ROI for decades. The underlying logic is simple but powerful.
An energy fractal is a carefully designed, simple, new initial condition or action that with repetition has the genetic potential to generate infinite emergent complexity.
The energy fractal is based on the natural energy laws of the real universe. The recursive cycle of energy, entropy and evolution.
Reading and related critical thinking have always been go-to energy fractals for our clients.
"Anti-Thickus arbitrage: swap doomscrolling for reading and bank the delta."
Reading. The powerful Anti-Thickus Energy Fractal
Want to develop the exclusive art and science of fractal driven game changing?
Our science based Energy Fractal Method has helped thousands of leaders and their organisations to significantly increase intelligence, creativity, performance and profitability, over several decades.
Contact me if you would like to know more about how our Energy Fractals can directly increase your leadership capability and company ROI.
John Raddall, Quanta Consulting, Architects of Leadership Energy
