Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I'll take the downvotes for you. Various very plausible drivers IMO:

- Plastics in EVERYTHING throw off hormone balances, including both metabolisms and... other things hormones affect. It's not just BPA.

- Dramatically different ages and rates of childbearing. Both lifestyle and hormones again.

- Pornography has completely changed how many men (and some women) interact with society. Lifestyle and... hormones.

- What percent of Americans are on some form of chemical antidepressant? A lot.

I'm sure there are dozens of other plausible drivers, and the answer isn't any single one.



Or far more likely they eat more calories than in the last and burn far less


We need to consider that endocrine disruptors (the plastics mentioned) may interfere with the systems that control feeding behavior such as leptin and ghrelin.


It's possible!

But when you completely upend society in a generation, changing a thousand variables at once, I do not personally feel comfortable saying "far more likely" about any particular cause for any particular societal outcome.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: