hey everyone and welcome to top tank today we're going to learn about four powerful
techniques to increase your IQ now let's begin have you ever felt like the dullest person in
the room yeah as a low test score made you doubt your intelligence many people think their IQ is
set in stone they assume that one bad grade is a recipe for lifelong stupidity but your
intelligence isn't predetermined the portions of your brain responsible for learning memory
and other forms of cognition can change over time as you mature these regions develop at different
rates some people will nurture them helping these regions grow dense and complex other people will
neglect them leaving their brains immature and slow my point here is your intelligence depends
on you while nature certainly plays a role very few people are doomed from the get-go but that
doesn't mean increasing your IQ is quick and easy no while some shortcuts can earn you a few extra
points developing lasting intelligence takes time and a lot of hard work these four techniques each
offer you a powerful way to develop your brain and boost your intelligence Oh in the very best part
is every single one of these techniques is right at your fingertips so if you want to increase
your IQ incorporate these four powerful techniques into your daily routine yeah it may take a bit of
hard work but the reward is a gift that lasts a lifetime number one independent study while
advanced degrees offer an array of educational opportunities you can increase your IQ without
spending thousands on an expensive program in this day and age informations everywhere if you don't
believe me open a web browser type in any question you can imagine someone somewhere in the world
will have an answer you'll find research studies conducted on the subject books written by leading
experts in the field classes taught by experienced professionals the modern world offers a limitless
supply of educational resources all you have to do is them many of the world's most intelligent
people found success outside of traditional academia they checked out dozens if not
hundreds of books from the library they attended conferences listened to seminars and network with
others in their field they took advantage of online courses where they not only learn from
the best but also honed new and unique skills the informations out there the resources are waiting
to be read absorbed and put into practice there's only one hurdle standing in your way it's the same
reason that most people struggle to educate themselves without traditional schooling when
you study on your own there's no one telling you what to do there's no one keeping you in
line there's no one forcing you to read book after book outside of the classroom learning is a game
against yourself if you want to increase your IQ you're responsible for your own education if you
falter you won't learn much but if you can stay self disciplined you'll discover an incredible
habit which will carry with you for the rest of your life why is that well because independent
study teaches you to love learning you begin to crave new knowledge and synthesize that knowledge
in ways that most people just don't understand have you ever noticed the most intelligent people
aren't just good at one thing their encyclopedic brains excel in specific fields but they draw from
a wide bank of information when you understand a myriad of subjects your brain processes
information in more innovative ways you discover new solutions connections and perspectives which
you never would have seen otherwise so if you're interested in something anything just pick up a
book read an article enroll in an online course each and every time you discover something new
your cognitive abilities will grow a little bit more you don't need teachers lectures
and classrooms to build your intelligence with millions of educational resources at your disposal
you can increase your IQ all on your own number two musical training did you learn piano as a kid
most people played some kind of instrument growing up maybe you played in a school band or just
learned a couple of songs on the guitar these days you may only remember a few chords but childhood
hobby had a lasting impact on your brain a study from 1998 in the journal scientific correspondence
discovered something incredible about musical training it turns out adults who play an
instrument were better learners than almost anyone else imagine you're sitting in class listening to
a lecture on American history or cell biology some students will retain more information than others
their memories are geared towards certain kinds of stimuli either verbal or visual if you have
a strong verbal memory you learn the best from lectures speeches and conversations you retain and
process spoken language quickly and efficiently but if you're a visual learner lectures aren't
your strong suit instead you prefer diagrams and displays which show information in a visual way
so how do these two types of learning relate to music you may ask after reading and memorizing
music adults with musical training demonstrated fantastic verbal memories in fact their verbal
skills significantly outperformed everyone else in the study but they're not bad visual
learners either their visual scores remained on par with the average visual learning in other
words musicians have a knack for both types of learning so what are these results mean for you if
you learn an instrument you may become a capable learner across the board absorbing both verbal and
visual stimuli if you can learn in more diverse ways your brain can process more information than
the average person and understand subjects from a variety of angles oh but that's not all musical
training does for your brain a second study from 2009 in the Journal of Neuroscience found that
music actually reconstructs the brain scientists call this brain plasticity brain plasticity means
the structure of your brain can change in response to your environment if your environment is more
musical those changes become more dramatic your brain is the most susceptible to change during
major periods of development like adolescence and young adulthood during these periods of
significant growth musical training strengthens the regions of your brain associated with learning
memory motor skills and auditory skills not to mention it's also emotionally and creatively
stimulating so pick up the piano fish your old guitar out of the garage learn a song or two
or just fiddle with the strings you don't have to be a world-class musician a little practice
goes a long way number three strengthening your hearts physical and intellectual performance
go hand-in-hand a study from 2009 published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the
sciences of the United States of America discovered a close relationship between
intelligence and athleticism we often think of brains and brawn as natural enemies but physical
fitness is a great way to increase your IQ but not in the way most people think lifting weights and
building muscles isn't going to strengthen your brain but conditioning your heart might in this
2009 study participants with strong cardiovascular systems were some of the most intelligent well
why because the heart supplies the brain with oxygenated blood your brain needs that blood
to think process and retain information oh and that's not all the heart also communicates with
the brain in several different ways neurologically the two organs transmit nerve impulses back and
forth controlling integral bodily functions your heartbeat for example stems from signals
in the brain the heart and brain also exchange information through hormones pressure waves and
neurotransmitters so even if your heart can't think it plays an important role in all kinds of
cognitive and psychological functions so physical fitness isn't just for athletes intelligent people
need to challenge their bodies too and that way your brain gets everything it needs to
perform at its peak number four mastering a new language in our society language is everything we
use language to express ideas concepts and philosophies we use it to tell stories and
document our history to communicate and build relationships without language humankind would
never have evolved into the global force that we are today that's why understanding language is
such a key component of our intellectual abilities people who understand language excel socially and
professionally in our society so what's the best way to improve your understanding of
language learning a new language is a great place to start in a 2012 study from the journal neural
image researchers found that bilingual adults have a huge neurological advantage over adults
who speak only one language you see learning a new language is a lot like musical training it
challenges specific regions of the brain on a regular basis forcing those regions to expand
the two most important regions are the hippocampus which controls learning and memory and the frontal
lobe which moderates problem-solving and language comprehension adopting a new language leads to a
higher concentration of gray matter in both the hippocampus and the frontal lobe more gray matter
allows for more complex cognitive developments and more development means a higher IQ on the
best part of this powerful technique like all the others on this list is that you can start
at any time there are dozens of classes tutors and books that can teach you a second language
in no time you can even use interactive apps on your phone which turn language comprehension
into an educational game by taking advantage of these resources you won't just learn a few
new tricks you'll expand your brain and you'll increase your IQ for years to come hey thank you
for watching Top think and be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way