As we said in our previous article, 9 things you can do to become more intelligent, you are never too old to increase your intelligence, so anyone can become smarter at any point by changing certain habits.
What follows is a summary I have been putting together over time from a range of sources and studies of all kinds related to brain health.
See also: 7 simple tricks to boost your brain power, by Deepak Chopra
1. Read more
Intelligence starts with reading. The more you read, the more knowledge, ideas and thoughts from other authors you will absorb, and so you will inevitably become more intelligent. (See: which books to read to become more intelligent)
2. Set goals
Having goals and objectives means creating a structure for your life. Running towards “who knows where” is not smart. Only by having clear goals for what we want to achieve in life will we have a more focused mind.
According to research, people with goals and a purpose in life tend to be more intelligent than those who don’t know what they want to do with their lives.
3. Practise conscious breathing and meditation
Oxygen is what keeps our cells alive. In his book Unlimited Power, Tony Robbins talked about the importance of doing conscious breathing every day, with deep inhalations and slow exhalations, making sure the oxygen “bathes” each of our cells. An oxygenated brain is a healthy brain, ready to take on challenges. The same goes for meditation: through it, we can calm our brain. That peace and calm is essential for building the intellect.
4. Write summaries of what you learn
When we read a book we may not take in all the information, but if we write down in a notebook the main ideas we got from the book, it will improve our memory, retention and intellect.
5. Cut down on television
It isn’t called the “idiot box” for nothing. Various studies have shown that unhappiness rises in proportion to the time we spend in front of the TV. It has even been associated with higher crime rates. If you have any doubts about this, we discussed it in our article Why watching television can literally ruin your life. Even without going to those extremes, the truth is that most programming today is designed for fools, not to make us more intelligent.
6. Stay hydrated
Our brain depends on proper hydration and oxygenation to work at its best. This habit is very easy to adopt. Make sure you drink enough fluids (water, fresh fruit juice…).
(See: 8 tips for improving your brain health, from a brain health expert)
7. Limit your exposure to negative news
At every level, stay away from negative people, and avoid spending all day reading news about deaths, murders, crises and so on. The load of negative news damages our positive thinking, and positive thinking is to some extent responsible for good brain health. Negative thinking can lead to depression.
8. Exercise
Exercising every day is the most effective and cheapest way to become more intelligent. Exercise not only slows down cell ageing (including the cells in our brain) but also helps those cells recover, and it builds a bigger brain, where the new brain cells can be even more effective. We talked about it here.
9. Get enough rest
Research suggests that our brain uses rest to move certain information into long-term memory; in other words, rest helps us assimilate what we have learned. You have probably also noticed that when you are tired, cognitive tasks take more effort. When it comes to learning, studying for 10 hours straight is not always a better idea than studying for 3 hours, resting and then studying for another two. In half the time, we can absorb twice as much because our brain is rested. Overworking the brain is just like overworking the muscles in our body: if you don’t work them, they waste away; if you overdo it, you get injured.
10. Eat a big, healthy breakfast
Just as a car can’t run without fuel, our brain needs nutrients to work properly. If that breakfast is also a healthy one, we will reach our best mental performance.
11. Avoid fats and sugars
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talked about the association between diets high in sugar and fat and crime. Some people will think this is an exaggeration, but the truth is that our eating habits can cause stress, anxiety and aggressiveness. A diet rich in fibre, fruit and vegetables has been shown to leave people in a calmer, more relaxed mood. It also gives our brain the nutrients it needs to work properly, whereas sugars and fats drain that brain energy.
12. Always be learning something new
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a second language, a musical instrument or a new skill. We should constantly be learning new things, and in this way, steadily, we will keep increasing our brain capacity and intelligence.
13. Focus
There is no such thing as multitasking. In fact, nobody can properly concentrate on two things at once. Let me explain: you can run while talking on the phone, but you can’t listen to a talk and read a book at the same time. You can’t carry out two cognitive tasks at once. So focus on whatever you are doing and avoid distractions. Your brain will thank you.
14. Maths
Some researchers suggest that the only reason most people hate maths is that maths forces you to use your brain more intensely. Solving maths problems exercises the brain, and, just like a muscle, it starts to get stronger and faster. In fact, I can’t remember which book it was, but I read that people who are good at maths tend to be good at assimilating many more concepts than those who struggled with it.
15. Games that exercise the brain
From word searches to crosswords or sudokus, these are usually advisable and fun pastimes that help keep the brain from getting rusty.
16. Challenge yourself
To become more intelligent, try to challenge yourself. Test your limits and do some things you have never done because you didn’t think you could. As you break through those limits, you will find that your brain makes you more confident in your abilities.
17. Think forward, never backward
Don’t waste time or energy thinking about all the opportunities you missed and every door that closed on you. That kind of thinking drains your brain’s energy, energy that would be better spent on the new doors and opportunities opening up in front of you. Living in the past is the best way to show your brain that there is no future.
18. Motivate yourself
A motivated brain can overcome any obstacle. We now know that a motivated person builds stronger and faster neural connections. Being motivated is in itself being more intelligent, because with motivation you find solutions much faster. When you are unmotivated, you tend to find more problems.
19. Surround yourself with intelligent people
Intelligence, like stupidity, is contagious. Literally. If you surround yourself with intelligent people, they are bound to end up rubbing off on you, as long as you are open to it.
20. Constantly challenge your own assumptions
Keep this phrase in mind, which has become a motto in personal development:
If you keep thinking the way you have always thought, if you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep having and getting what you have always got.
See also: People who only need 4 hours of sleep a day: this is what science has found out about them
21. Take action
There is no better way to gain knowledge and intelligence than to take action. You can read 1,000 business books, finish two university degrees in business management and do 3 MBAs, but a single day running a company will give you more experience than years of study. Warren Buffett said this. The best way to learn is to start doing it, even if at first you don’t know how.
See also: 9 psychological facts you should know about yourself and your brain
Featured image: Wil540 art, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
