From using Google for everything to chewing gum, here are 10 surprising things that affect
your intelligence…
10.
Dim Lighting
We need light to see, but did you know a lack of light can also affect how you think?
Turns out all those dim reading lights and soft lamps we have around our house, don’t
just strain your eyes… it strains your brain too!
Pretty surprising, huh?
But how does it do this and how much damage can it do to your intelligence?
The answer comes in the form of a rat.
But not just any rat… the Nile grass rat.
Nile grass rats follow a sleep pattern called ‘diurnal’, which basically means they
get their shut eye when the sun goes down, just like humans do.
Researchers at Michigan State University did studies on the rats earlier this year, to
find out what effect low level light had on them.
They spent 4 weeks putting them in bright light, then 4 weeks in dim light.
What they found was that dim light caused a 30% drop in the rats’ hippocampal capacity.
The hippocampus is a part of the brain that controls memory.
Not only were they having trouble remembering things but the poor little creatures also
lost their spatial awareness and generally had a bad time.
Further tests are being conducted but it’s believed that dim lighting can actually change
the structure of our brain.
And not in a good way!
Remember to go and switch all your lights on and change those soft-glow light bulbs!
9.
Smartphones
How can smartphones make us less intelligent?
While these devices certainly are smart, and so are the people who created them, but that
doesn’t mean we’re smart for using them.
And being constantly glued to that little glowing screen can result in some major problems
for your intelligence!
Your brain may just sit there in your skull not doing very much, but it is a lot like
a muscle.
Because of this you should be exercising it regularly.
Use it or lose it, as the saying goes.
And you are not using it at all when you check out search engines like Google.
Which is a shame because I don’t know about you, but Google is quickly becoming my best
friend and trustworthy source when it comes to looking up information!
Experts at the University of Waterloo in 2015 discovered there were big differences in the
way phones and search engines were used.
Intuitive people who trust their hunches check Google for the answer to any old problem.
Whereas analytical types prefer to get that information using another type of computer…
the human brain.
Which is a problem, because sometimes I have trouble recalling information.
Maybe it’s all that dim lighting!
And I’m sure we’ve all checked Google to resolve arguments as to who was right about
something!
Basically the speed at which we can find things out is making us lazy.
We’re just picking up information like stuff on a supermarket shelf and not thinking about
it enough.
Analysis is what’s best for the brain, and we’re doing less and less of it!
Our brain muscle is getting weaker!
8.
Multitasking
Multitasking is awful!!
It has become a major buzzword in the workplace, but is doing lots of things at the same time
good for your brain?
Turns out the answer is no!
Studies carried out at Stanford University and the University of London show that mental
juggling is bad news for that I.Q. of yours.
The human brain is best used when focusing on one thing at a time.
Give it a ton of stuff to take care of at once and the effects are surprising!
For example it was found that those of us who multi-task get tasks done much more slowly
than those who don’t.
Guess keeping all those balls in the air isn’t a very efficient way of working.
In fact scientists compared the effect of multitasking on someone’s intelligence to
smoking banned substances or not getting enough sleep.
Crazy, right?
Also imagine if you multi-task, and smoke, and don’t get enough sleep!
Imagine what you are doing to your brain and your body!!
It’s also quite a scary thought because many workplaces encourage multitasking.
Be careful because you may be much more productive if you do one thing at a time!!
7.
Sugar
Sugar can make you sick and rot your teeth but we still can’t get enough of it!
But before you start binging on Oreos and Coca-Cola, think twice!
Now in some ways sugar is good for your intelligence.
Your brain needs glucose for energy so it can keep working and thinking, and whatever
else it does up there.
But if you eat too many high-glycemic things the level of glucose in your blood rises.
This overstimulates that part of your mind called the ‘reward center’, or ‘nucleus
accumbens’.
When that happens you start craving sugar and before you know it you’re an addict!
Sugar addiction can be as serious as crack, which is terrible because children are the
ones that consume the most sugar.
This is where your I.Q. suffers, because the brain starts behaving differently when you’re
in an addictive cycle.
Everything from your attention span to your memory and even your mood are thrown out of
whack as you become a slave to the sweet stuff.
You probably don’t want to hear this but if you really want something sweet, try having
some fruit!
It’s not the same but your body and your brain will thank you for it!
6.
Long Commute
A long trip to work is something we all take for granted now, even though we don’t enjoy
it.
Being stuck in a car or on a train or a bus is just one of those things the modern worker
has to put up with, right?
Unfortunately for many people it is, but you should be careful about your commute… it
can seriously affect your intelligence and general well being!
A UK study carried out in 2017 found out some worrying facts about commuters.
If they travelled to their job in under half an hour they were alright.
Over 30 mins however and they were subject to a lot of stress and depression.
They also didn’t sleep as well and they put on too much weight.
Under these circumstances your brain can’t function as it should.
How long is your commute?
Let us known in the comments below!
Why is this?
It’s to do with an idea called ‘time scarcity’.
If you feel you’re being squeezed for time it causes symptoms like stress.
And commuting certainly does put on the squeeze.
Apparently a long commute can knock 7 days’ worth of productivity from your working year,
taking its toll on your brain.
So if you can avoid that slog to the office, we suggest you do so!
The good news is that by reading or listening to an audiobook, or good music that you enjoy
you can put yourself into a better mood and combat the stressful effects of traffic and
the hustle and bustle.
5.
Obesity
So you know sugar is bad for you, but what about the effects of overeating in general
on your intelligence?
Sugar can turn you into an addict and this interferes with brain function.
But when it comes to food that’s not only sweet but savoury, processed, and swimming
in fat, that’s pretty bad news for your headspace too!
A study at Cambridge University found what appeared to be a direct link between piling
on the pounds and memory problems.
The team at Cambridge assigned their subjects a memory test and those with a sky high BMI,
or Body Mass Index, did worse than those who were lighter in weight.
It’s thought people who have lots of body fat suffer from brain shrinkage.
Yes that’s right, your brain can shrink!
Not only that but it ages.
The brain can become older by as much as a decade.
There are even theories that being obese leads to Alzheimer’s Disease.
Being overweight can definitely hurt your internal organs and puts a lot of pressure
on your system.
Of course there are other potential factors at play, but trying to eat healthier can be
a huge relief to your intelligence.
4.
Childhood Spanking
Some parents still see spanking their child as a great way to instil discipline but most
see it as an old-fashioned way of doing things.
And guess what?
Spanking or hitting your child doesn’t do him or her any favours in the intelligence
department either!
In 2009 Dr. Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire revealed a study he’d been
involved with concerning 2 groups of children.
There were 2 age groups - 2 to 4 and 5 to 9.
They included kids who had corporal punishment at home and those who didn’t.
Both groups were assessed twice with a 4-year gap in between.
At the end of the study there was a marked difference in I.Q. scores.
The I.Q.s of the older group that did not receive corporal punishment at home went up
2.8 points but for the younger ones it was a staggering 5 point increase!
A major factor in this was the fear and stress element in those that were spanked.
These feelings are big inhibitors, and tend to be found in those with a lower IQ.
3.
Meetings
Business meetings are a big part of how a company works.
However, they are also a drain on your intelligence!
Crazy, right?
We knew they could be boring and that no-one really likes them, but to hear they affect
your I.Q. is kind of a surprise right?
The problem with meetings is the group dynamic.
People get intimidated by the pecking order and become afraid to express themselves because
they’re deferring to their superiors.
Either that or they’re worried they’re going to look stupid.
Then if they say the wrong thing and feel stupid their intelligence drops.
Someone’s I.Q. can drop by as much as 15%… wowzers!
In this situation your cognitive ability is affected.
That’s your ability to understand things, so you don’t even pay attention.
The hormone cortisol is released from your adrenal gland, boosting your emotions and
putting your intelligence on the back seat.
Whoever came up with the idea of meetings must’ve thought they were onto something
good.
I mean, meetings are there to encourage people to be productive and all be on the same page.
On this evidence they’ve done as much harm to the human race as alcohol and cigarettes…!
2.
Second Hand Smoke
As you’ve just heard, kids who receive corporal punishment are more likely to have a reduced
I.Q.
However there is something else you can do to them in the home that’s equally damaging
to their health too, and that’s smoke.
We associate second hand smoke, or ETS which stands for Environmental Tobacco Smoke, with
diseases like cancer, but a house with cigarettes in it stands a good chance of affecting a
child’s intelligence.
This is based on research conducted by the Cincinnati Children’s Environmental Health
Center.
In a twist to the usual study of this type, experts used cotinine which is part of both
tobacco and nicotine.
Cotinine is what’s known as a “bio marker” which can measure the levels of exposure to
smoke.
Surprisingly their I.Q. scores went down anywhere between 2 and 5 points.
Like with spanking, it’s generally acknowledged by people that smoking around your kids is
a bad thing.
But with 40% of youngsters in the US at risk of secondhand smoke, the problem isn’t going
away in a hurry.
1.
Chewing Gum
Finally something positive!!
Most of these things so far have affected your intelligence in a bad way!!
It isn’t all bad news!
There’s some stuff out there you never thought of that actually helps make you smarter.
So to end things on a high note, here’s something that might surprise you...
chewing gum.
When you chew on gum the chewing motion increases the blood going to your brain.
It makes your brain nice and juicy, and the more it gets pumping, the more intelligent
you become!
There are theories that gum improves your memory and thought processes!!
What it does do, according to a study from Cardiff University, is make you more alert,
and the act of chewing gum improves your intellectual capacity.
Other sources claim it can beat anxiety by reducing your cortisol level, which in a weird
way means gum could almost be like an antidepressant.
That really is something to get your teeth into!
Chewing gum is great while you are studying although ironically, teachers around the world
always tell students to “stop chewing” and make you get up and spit it out.
Maybe you should tell your teacher about this and then you can chomp away to your heart’s
content…!
(Just don’t leave the gum under the desk!)
Thanks for watching!
Do you know of any surprising ways to boost your intelligence?
Let us know in the comments.
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