we would all like to be smarter to be
able to make better decisions when we
need to
and to be able to better remember what
we have learned
the problem is learning stops for a lot
of us after school
we forget that learning is something we
do throughout our lives and not just for
the first 16 years of our lives
your brain does not stop learning the
moment you leave school
it is a powerful tool that needs to be
used otherwise
it will waste away intelligence is
genetic
and environmental the genetic part is
something we have no control over
however we do have control over the
environmental part
by incorporating learning into our daily
routine
we can make ourselves smarter
irrespective of
how old or how smart you may be
while learning for some of us may induce
images of going back to school
or reading books packed with knowledge
it doesn't have to be that way the brain
is a malleable and powerful tool it
responds to a variety of different
stimuli
all of which will increase your brain
power
you don't have to spend hours reading
books or taking a course
you can incorporate some unusual and
enjoyable activities into your routine
to boost your intelligence
this is a simple technique you can use
to consume more information
in less time speed listening as is known
involves speeding up your podcasts or
audio books and listening to them
at 150 to 200 percent
the average rate of speech is about 150
words per minute
studies have shown that the human brain
is capable of digesting
275 to 300 words per minute
the effect of this is twofold you will
be able to listen to more material than
you
otherwise would which will allow you to
learn more in a shorter space of time
the other effect is that your brain will
change and be able to process
information
faster than before consuming more
information than you were before
will allow you to become smarter much
quicker the extra time saved
will allow you to learn more or spend
more time working on other skills
i started playing chess again recently
and it is one of the best decisions i
have made
in a long time chess is a wonderful game
of strategy and skill
and i feel i have become smarter the
more i play
the number of variables in play on the
board at any one time
forces you to think about what you are
doing and what you will do a few moves
ahead
playing chess is a workout for the brain
by playing chess
you are keeping your brain engaged and
active which
is beneficial for you now and in the
long run
studies have shown that people over the
age of 75 who engage in brain games like
chess
are less likely to develop dementia than
those who don't
the takeaway is that you need to use
your brain otherwise
it will atrophy and your brain power
will decrease
you don't have to play chess it could be
a different game
as long as it stimulates your brain and
gets you thinking
your brain will get the workout it needs
this is one of the easiest things you
can do to increase your intelligence
it's so simple it's surprising more of
us don't do this
there are a number of tasks we do every
day without even thinking about them
brushing our teeth writing or the root
we take to work
odds are you do the majority of these
tasks on autopilot
without too much regard for what you are
doing you have done these tasks many
times before
so they have become second nature well
these tasks are perfect opportunities to
change things
up and keep your brain on its toes
one of the simplest things you can do is
to brush your teeth with your
non-dominant hand
this is a lot harder than you would
think as we are used to doing it with
our dominant hand
by using your non-dominant hand you are
forcing your brain to strengthen neural
connections
and develop new ones while doing tasks
such as this
won't turn you into einstein it will
keep your brain active
and make you more adaptable than you
were before
food is not only fuel for your body but
it is also fuel for your brain
if you put in rubbish you can't expect
excellence to come out
what we eat is vitally important for our
mental and physical performance
a diet consisting of fast food and
sugary snacks
isn't going to do much for you what you
eat
can have a big impact on the health and
functionality of your brain
foods such as salmon which are rich in
omega-3 fatty acids
are vital for your brain studies have
shown a deficiency of omega-3 can lead
to fatigue
poor memory and mood swings your body
does not produce omega-3
so it's essential you include it in your
diet
by eating healthier foods not only would
you be eating smarter
but you will make yourself smarter too
you don't have to become a teacher to
get the benefit of this tip
teaching your children or someone you
know a new skill is
all you need to do i found that when i
was teaching english to my foreign
students
the hardest part of the job was
explaining particular phrases or nuances
of the english language to them i had
learned english as a result of my
environment
everything came naturally to me whereas
my students had not had this luxury this
required me to think of ways explaining
these points
so that they will be able to understand
this is the essence of teaching you are
imparting knowledge that you possess to
someone who doesn't have that knowledge
the best teachers are able to explain
this knowledge succinctly
and without difficulty for the student
to do this
you have to think like a student and put
yourself in their shoes
by doing so you are forcing your brain
to think in a different manner
and solve problems
technology has made our lives better in
many different ways
but it has also made us lazy
i remember doing math tests in school
there were always two tests
one in which you were allowed to use a
calculator and one where you weren't
the test without the calculator was
always harder
it's not difficult to figure out why
when we remove any aids we may have
our brain is forced to plug the gaps
this will give your brain a workout
instead of allowing it to take a back
seat the more arithmetic you do in your
head
the better you will become in the long
run doing this will keep you sharp and
your brain
agile this will pay dividends in
situations where you may find yourself
without the help of technology
and need to engage your problem solving
skills
learning a language has been one of the
best things i have done
i didn't have much choice when i moved
to spain in 2015.
i had to learn the language otherwise it
would have been a struggle
while i'm no means fluent i can
understand and speak spanish at a
reasonable level
it was difficult at first however the
more i progressed the better i got
and the more confident i became the
benefits of learning a language are
numerous
people who can speak more than one
language fluently are more creative
have better memories and are more
mentally flexible
than those who only speak one language
one of the best benefits of learning a
language is that it can stave off
diseases such as alzheimer's and
dementia
by up to five years which is better than
prescribed medication can do
brain training games are popular these
days but learning a language is brain
training with more practical and
beneficial uses
being able to speak and comprehend
grammar in a second language
is much better than playing a few games
on your smartphone