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Contributing Scholar: Eric Hanushek

Use It Or Lose It

To safeguard America’s growth, innovation, and prosperity, the United States must preserve its human capital and sustain a cognitively capable workforce in the face of an aging population.

Use It Or Lose It

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Use It Or Lose It

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Published February 6, 2026

Demographic aging is often assumed to impose unavoidable declines in cognitive capacity, productivity, and innovation. The evidence shows otherwise: cognitive skills typically increase into midlife and remain stable when individuals regularly engage in math, reading, and problem-solving. Declines emerge primarily among those who do not use these skills, irrespective of formal education or professional status. These findings highlight the economic imperative of early skill formation and sustained cognitive engagement across the lifespan to support growth, adaptability, and long-run prosperity.

Learn more:

Read "Use It or Lose It! How Age Affects Cognitive Skills" by Eric Hanushek here.
Listen to "America's Class Struggle", a podcast with Eric Hanushek here.
Read "Learning Loss: Time to Stop Blaming COVID" by Eric Hanushek here.

Visit Eric Hanushek's profile here.

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The opinions expressed in this video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.