If You Do These 20 Things Every Day,
You’ll Become Smarter
Although
many people believe intelligence is limited to those with high I.Q.s, there are
a number of potential methods to boost one’s cognitive abilities and become
more effective at various professional and personal pursuits.
With
enough motivation and determination, anyone can expand their mental
capabilities and become smarter. Integrating new habits into your regular
routine and providing proper stimulation can sharpen your intellect quickly and
leave you inspired to take on new challenges each day. Brain health is an
important key in complete physical health. The list below includes the best
brain-engaging activities in daily life.
Inviting Novelty
To create
new neural pathways and strengthen the brain, it’s critical for people to
continually incorporate new experiences and information into their lives. At
first, these moments might feel useless, but eventually, you will find yourself
looking forward to quiet moments alone.
Visit New Places
Whether this means studying in a new coffee
shop, taking a different route to work, or traveling to a different country,
displacement is good for the brain. This might be difficult to recognize in the
moment since it usually feels rather awkward – at least initially. At the
coffee shop, you can’t order the “usual.” You have to study a new menu, pick
something you have never tried before, and make a decision.
While this seems simple, people enjoy the
comfort of habit. We like to know what to expect at all times. When you travel
to a new country, the language is strange, the customs are unfamiliar, and the
culture presents a strange new rhythm of life. Adjusting to these new elements
forces the brain to tackle new, unexpected challenges. Learning how to
communicate through a language barrier forces the brain to develop creative
ways to express needs and emotions. Listening to new music, trying new foods,
and navigating foreign streets all work to challenge your brain’s capacity to
adapt to new situations.
Continue Your Education
Adult education is one of the best
investments of time, money, and energy you can make. While education is
valuable throughout childhood and adolescence, adults often underestimate their
ability to learn new concepts and skills. Challenge yourself to take a class,
academic or creative. Voluntarily choosing to continue education provides a
perfect opportunity for your brain to create new connections and build higher
intelligence.
Read and Watch the News
This is one activity that maintains the
appearance of habit while nurturing healthy brain waves. Setting aside half an
hour every morning or evening to read a newspaper or watch the news will help
your brain stay active. Digesting new information is a good daily habit. The
news introduces interesting topics to consider, and will leave your brain
churning with new information.
Read Books
Reading is the most basic way to facilitate
brain activity, but it often presents some of the most diverse opportunities
for stretching brain capacity. Reading provides practical assistance by
introducing new vocabulary, presenting examples of proper grammar usage, and
showing the elegance of a well-written sentence. However, this is only half of
the magic of reading.
Whether you choose fiction, non-fiction,
historical literature, or poetry, reading offers an opportunity for the reader
to make big-picture connections between the literature and real life. In this
way, reading is an alternative way to make your brain travel to a new place. As
your imagination works to create tangible people, places, and experiences from
the words on the page, your brain is rewiring to understand all the new
information.
Approach Work in New Ways
The workplace is a canvas for new
experiences. Regardless of what type of job you might hold, everyone is at one
time or another presented with opportunities to think outside the box, problem
solve in a creative way, and contribute fresh ideas to the team. Instead of
stressing over each new problem, it’s important to relax and starting imagining
alternatives for reaching an end goal.
Challenging Yourself
Like a weightlifter who develops muscles, one
must exercise the brain on a daily basis, pushing it just beyond its current
capabilities. As Albert Einstein once said, “One should not pursue goals that
are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely
achieve through one’s greatest efforts.”
This quote encapsulates what I believe about
the brain. With enough focus and stretching, the brain can truly surprise
people. Underestimating yourself holds you back from success. When people begin
believing in their abilities, they often go beyond what they thought was
possible.
Brain Train
Organizations like Lumosity offer
fantastic daily brain training. With puzzles and games designed to increase neuroplasticity,
Lumosity was created to challenge the brain to make new connections. A group of
neuroscientists at University of California Berkeley developed this program to
provide stimuli for the brain to push it to adapt and re-train itself in uncharted
territory. Success stories abound concerning the results of this public
experiment.
Ask 5 Whys When Encountering Problems
One of the most standard problem solving
solutions, the 5 whys still provide a solid start to uncovering the root of a
problem. Asking a question gets the brain working to find an answer. Instead of
worrying about the problem, always start by asking why.
Eschew Technology to Keep the Brain in Shape
Technology does wonders for the modern world,
but in some ways, technological dependence stunts the brain’s capacity for
problem solving, adapting to new environments, and being a reliable resource
for practical things like simple mathematics and navigation. Try going on a
trip without a GPS. Work a few algebra problems without a calculator. Make your
brain work for you; you’ll see the results.
Fostering Creativity
Finger-painting in preschool was not only a
fun activity; it helped open up the mind to new possibilities and ways of
solving problems. An artistic mindset creates new opportunities to find new
solutions, fresh inspiration, and peaceful confidence.
The blend of these elements in both personal
and professional environments allows ordinary people to shine by becoming an
innovative thinker and inventive leader. Find ways to incorporate creativity
into the dull grind of daily tasks.
Draw
You don’t have to be an artist to appreciate
the benefits of drawing, which cultivates brain activity in a unique way. In
addition to nurturing basic hand-eye coordination, it sends synapses to
neurotransmitters to help more permanently and vividly store your memories.
From doodles on a piece of scrap paper to charcoal portraits, drawing is a
healthy brain activity for everyone.
Paint
Painting is an extension of drawing. It feeds
the same areas of the brain, but unlike drawing, painting often introduces new
and unfamiliar textures and colors to stimulate the brain. Painters often have
a keen sense of awareness towards their surroundings. Engaging in painting
encourages people to notice minute details of the world around them. Focusing
the brain in this manner brings a heightened state of alertness.
Play an Instrument
Learning to play an instrument also has
outstanding benefits for the brain. Hand-eye coordination, memory,
concentration, and mathematic skills all improve through playing an instrument.
While some are more challenging to learn than others, any instrument
facilitates increased and improved cognitive functioning.
From training your fingers to master complex
musical passages on the piano to counting the beats in a musical measure,
instruments force various regions of the brain to work together to create
music.
Write
Like reading, writing encourages vocabulary
growth, grammar skills, and use of proper syntax. Writing helps the brain store
information more effectively and fosters better memory skills. Studies show
that students who regularly take handwritten notes during college classes
consistently score better on tests. Writing forces a person to pay attention to
their memories, experiences, and internal dialogues – a combination that
increases brain function altogether.
Role-Play
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and
your brain starts to rewire to help you think like a different person. For
those struggling to form creative ideas, role-playing can help the wheels start
turning in the brain to help develop unique solutions for difficult problems.
Working with Others
Although logical intelligence is important,
emotional intelligence plays an equally vital part in overall success.
Interacting with others helps people expand beyond their own limited thinking,
gain new ideas, and see things from a different perspective.
People are challenging. Smart people often
enjoy isolation because it protects them from being critical of others.
However, this discomfort is necessary for truly smart people because it pushes
them outside their bubble. When you start to believe you have all the right
answers, start collaborating with others to expand perspective.
Teach and Share Information with Others
Whether this is achieved virtually or
face-to-face, pursue colleagues and peers to share experience and wisdom. Fresh
faces and new ideas spur inspiration and create an amplified learning
environment for the brain. By creating a network for sharing ideas, your brain starts
developing a new network for formulating and executing innovative concepts.
Talk to Interesting People
No two people share the same life
experiences. Everyone interprets information uniquely, stores memories
differently, and digests daily life with their own intellectual flare. This
makes collaboration a necessity for brain health. Although we are all inclined
to think our method is the best approach, gaining perspective from another
person helps our brain consider new solutions and new techniques for both
personal and professional issues.
Whether the conversation is centered on
religion, finances, politics, or diet trends, people should practice being a
good listener. Silencing your own thoughts while the other person speaks is
often challenging, but the brain needs discipline to stay sharp.
Work in a Team Environment
Collaborative environments are essential for
enhancing brain activity. Some people who enjoy working independently dread the
moment when they are forced to participate in a team-focused workplace.
However, these independent individuals are highly intelligent and can benefit
the most from a little teamwork.
Author Steve Johnson’s book, Where
Good Ideas Come From, focuses on the benefits of collaborating
with peers and coworkers to develop original ideas and effective strategies for
their execution. The modern workplace continues to shift towards this
team-oriented approach.
Cultivating Physical Health
The body feeds the brain, and keeping oneself
in top physical condition is crucial to adequate fueling and operation of the
brain. Lack of motivation, mental fatigue, and absence of inspiration are
typically connected to poor exercise, diet, and focus.
Exercise
Studies constantly show people who exercise
regularly have higher I.Q. scores. In addition to maintaining a strong body,
people who exercise regularly actually stimulate brain cell growth. A process
called neurogenesis occurs during rigorous exercise, which increases the
production of neurotransmitters. With side effects like increased dopamine,
active people enjoy less stress, better concentration, and more energy.
Dr. Michael Nilsson of Sahlgrenska Academy
and Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden conducted
extensive research on the topic.
“Being fit means that you also have a good heart and lung capacity and that
your brain gets plenty of oxygen,” the doctor said. His research focused on
over a million Swedish military men, and Dr. Nilsson found a direct correlation
between physical fitness and high scores on I.Q. tests.
Pursue Athletics
Multiple studies have shown active children
typically do better in school and have a better chance of continuing their
education after high school graduation. Although athletic pursuits can feel
grueling at the time, the overall benefits of intense physical activity are
wise for your future.
Whether it’s finding one thing you are good at,
like basketball, running, or lifting weights, or trying something new every
day, maintaining an athletic routine is important for optimal brain health.
Meditate
Controlling and calming the brain is as
powerful as enhancing activity through instruments and puzzles. Doctors have
been studying the effects of mediation on the brain for several years, and the
results are impressive. In one famous study, Dr. Richard Davidson of the
University of Wisconsin collaborated
with the Dalai Lama to study what happens to the brain
during meditation.
Transcendental Meditation yields impressive
results for the brain. People who struggle with fear, anxiety, depression, and
other mental ailments should experiment with meditation to calm themselves and
develop a stronger sense of focus.
Maintain a Nutritious Diet
Children and adults interested in boosting
brain activity should begin by transforming their diet. Research from the
University of Bristol in England points to a strong connection between
unhealthy diet and low I.Q. scores in children. To begin reversing unhealthy
tendencies, try cutting out excess fat, sugar, and fast foods, and start adding
more vegetables, fruit, and lean meats.
There are also a number of unusual drinks
proven to help brain function. Matcha Green Tea, Raw Cacao hot chocolate, and
Gingko Biloba tea all show benefits for the brain. Some scientist claim Gingko
Biloba helps pump more blood to the brain, improving circulation.
Active Learning
Start children young with interactive video
games, jump roping, juggling, and other activities to feed brain stimulation.
Assign a musical instrument, a physical activity, or a Sudoku puzzle to get
their brains moving. Parents, remember to join in the fun!
Creating daily routines to promote healthy
brain activity doesn’t require the advice of a neuroscientist. While plenty of
studies provide convincing evidence, increasing brain activity can be
accomplished with a few basic steps. Be intentional about your time and energy
to start working towards a smarter and more fulfilling life.
JAYSON DEMERS
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/you-these-20-things-every-day-youll-become-smarter.html?ref=mail&mtype=goal_reminder&mid=20161116_with_thumbnail&uid=687414&hash=707e797f7e757e6d794c856d747b7b3a6f7b79&action=read_more&goal_id=27&token=d0e3e4b03809d240b52d71f8a6770fa9
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