5 Hacks That Will Make You Smarter

Have you ever heard the saying that “the brain is a muscle”? It means that your intelligence can be strengthened with repeated usage, just like your body in a workout, but this requires the right kind of mental exercises. Luckily, cognitive scientist Andrea Kuszewski has figured out the right workout routine to keep your brain fit. Here are five hacks that will make you smarter.

1) Seek Novelty

The brain craves novelty because of neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to grow and reorganize itself. Engaging in new information and activities promotes new connections between brain cells. A stronger network of connections in the brain increases intelligence and allows you to take in new information and learn even more things. When we say novelty, we don’t just mean bingeing a new TV series – we mean trying completely new activities. Visiting a new place, playing a new instrument or drawing in a new art style can all increase your brain’s connections. Researchers have noticed that people with high IQs are very curious about new information, open to new activities and interested in many fields. It all comes down to the cycle of neuroplasticity – novel experiences build more mental connections and mental connections increase the craving for novel experiences.

2) Challenge Yourself

Businesswoman with superhero shadow vector concept. Isometric Eps10 vector illustration. Business symbol of emancipation ambition success motivation leadership courage and challenge.

Do you remember the struggle when you first started learning something that you have now mastered? Turns out the initial learning curve is what strengthens your brain, not the pursuit of perfection. Studies show that when someone trains for a new task, the brain bulks up, becomes more active and uses more energy. However, once the person masters the task, the brain’s activity and energy levels actually decrease. This is because the brain becomes so efficient at performing the task that it becomes lazy and stops learning anything new. To keep reaping the benefits of the learning curve, keep challenging yourself with harder tasks as soon as you get comfortable.

3) Think Creatively

When you’re confronted with a new challenge, do you stick to old routines or try to find new ways to solve the problem? According to Robert J. Sternberg, former president of the American Psychological Association, creative thinking can strengthen intelligence and help to learn new things. Instead of memorizing straight facts, try other learning techniques. Create a game, invent something new, explore new methods or imagine a hypothetical scenario. Sternberg’s studies show that students who were taught to learn creatively got better results than those who learned in more conventional ways.

4) Do Things the Hard Way

Businessman working hard together trying to push the wall

If the brain is like a muscle, then a lot of modern technology is like using the escalator instead of the stairs. Why do arithmetic if you have a calculator? Why navigate if you have a GPS? Why remember any facts if you can look them up online? These technologies are very convenient but they come at a cost. You can’t expect to improve your brain if you’re not using it at all! To increase your intelligence, try doing something the hard way and turning off your technology. It might be tough at first, and we don’t recommend taking any unnecessary risks, but after a while, your brain will thank you for exercising key skills!

5) Network

Social network – multicolored vector illustration

Increasing your intelligence is not just a solo effort. Networking with other individuals is a great way to help achieve the other hacks mentioned here. Meeting new people helps to introduce novelty into your life. Entering new environments helps to face new challenges. Hearing other perspectives helps you to learn and solve problems in creative ways. Exposing yourself to new social events gives you opportunities to exercise your brain the hard way. If many people come together with positive connections, they can become a “collective intelligence” that achieves more than any individual.

There you have it, five hacks that will make you smarter. Do you think you can adopt these tips? Let us know in the comments below. And don’t forget to like and share this article if you think it will help someone else. The studies and references used are listed in the description below.

References

Feist, G. J. (2014). Psychometric Studies of Scientific Talent and Eminence. The Wiley Handbook of Genius, 62–86. doi:10.1002/9781118367377.ch4

Haslam, S. A., Adarves-Yorno, I., & Postmes, T. (2014). Creativity is Collective. Scientific American, 25(4), 30-35.

Jung, R. E., & Haier, R. J. (2007). The Parieto-Frontal Integration Theory (P-FIT) of intelligence: converging neuroimaging evidence. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 30(2), 135-154.

Kuszewski, A. (2011). You can increase your intelligence: 5 ways to maximize your cognitive potential. Scientific American, 7, 1-8.

Mussel, P. (2010). Epistemic curiosity and related constructs: Lacking evidence of discriminant validity. Personality and Individual Differences, 49(5), 506-510.

Nisbett, R. E., Aronson, J., Blair, C., Dickens, W., Flynn, J., Halpern, D. F., & Turkheimer, E. (2012). Intelligence: new findings and theoretical developments. American Psychologist, 67(2), 130.

Sternberg, R. J., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. (1998). Teaching for successful intelligence raises school achievement. The Phi Delta Kappan, 79(9), 667-669.

Sternberg, R. J., Torff, B., & Grigorenko, E. L. (1998). Teaching triarchically improves school achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(3), 374.

Sternberg, R. J. (2002). Raising the achievement of all students: Teaching for successful intelligence. Educational Psychology Review, 14(4), 383-393.