Do you ever doubt your intelligence or feel like the dullest person in the room? Many people believe their IQ is fixed and that one bad grade dooms them to lifelong struggles. However, the portions of your brain tied to cognition and learning can change over time. While nature plays a role, very few people have their fate sealed from the start.
You can take steps to nurture your intelligence. But increasing your IQ takes time and consistent hard work. The good news? You already have four powerful techniques at your fingertips. Integrating them into your routine can reward you with boosted brain power and higher IQ for life.
#1 Independent Study Sharpens Cognition
An advanced degree from a university offers many paths to knowledge. But you can expand your intelligence without the time or money commitment of higher education. In today’s world, information is everywhere if you know where to look.
Open any web browser and search for a topic – someone somewhere will have written about it. You can find detailed research studies, books by experts, classes taught by professionals and more. The modern age grants unlimited access to educational resources. You simply need to take advantage of them.
Many highly intelligent people found success through self-directed learning outside academia. They voraciously read books from the library, attended conferences and seminars, completed online courses and networked with others in their field. The information exists, along with tools to absorb it. There’s only one obstacle in your way: motivation.
Without teachers and assignments guiding your education, you must stay focused. Learning becomes a game against yourself. If you waver, you won’t retain or synthesize much. But if you remain disciplined, you’ll discover an incredible habit that persists for life.
Independent study teaches you to crave new knowledge and make deeper connections than most. As you master more subjects, your brain processes information in more innovative ways, uncovering solutions and perspectives you’d never see otherwise.
So if you want to increase your IQ, pick any topic that interests you and start reading, watching videos or taking online courses. Each time you learn something new, your cognitive abilities grow.
#2 Musical Training Boosts Verbal and Visual Learning
Did you play an instrument as a child? Even just a few years of musical training in childhood impacts the brain for life. A 1998 study in Scientific Correspondence discovered that adults who play instruments have advantages as learners.
In a classroom setting, some students better retain verbal information from spoken lectures while others prefer visuals like diagrams. Musicians however, demonstrate fantastic verbal memory and on-par visual memory. This means they take in more information through both learning styles.
Additionally, musical training literally reconstructs the brain through “neuroplasticity” – its ability to change structure based on environment. Per the Journal of Neuroscience, music strengthens regions tied to memory, motor skills and auditory processing especially during major development periods like adolescence.
So dust off that old guitar or consider taking up piano. Even minimal musical practice taps into cognitive benefits.
#3 Cardiovascular Exercise Delivers Oxygen to the Brain
Brains and brawn are often pitted against each other. But physical fitness boosts intellectual power in key ways. Per an influential 2009 study, cardiovascular health correlates strongly with intelligence. This is because the heart pumps oxygen-filled blood to the brain which needs it to function at peak level.
The heart and brain also communicate via nerve signals, hormones and more to control vital functions. When the heart is challenged through aerobic exercise, it sends the messages and fuel the brain depends on. Making time for fitness pays intellectual dividends.
#4 Mastering Another Language Increases IQ
Human society is built on language for expressing concepts, documenting history and relating to one another. So understanding language plays a huge role in intelligence. Learning a new one may be the best brain-training technique of all.
Per 2012 neural research, bilingual adults develop key brain advantages over single-language speakers. Mastering a new vocabulary and structure fires up the hippocampus (learning/memory) and frontal lobe (problem-solving/comprehension). This leads to increased gray matter density associated with higher IQ.
Luckily, you can tap into these cognitive benefits at any age through the many affordable apps, classes and tutors available. Committing to language acquisition trains your brain in ways few other exercises can.
Conclusion
While some intelligence is genetic, you have more control than you think. Implementing just one of these four techniques can nurture your stronger cognition over time. Applying several together helps even more.
Expanding your knowledge, keeping fit, playing music and learning new languages fire up the brain networks tied to IQ. The work isn’t always easy but the lasting payoff more than rewards your effort. Your intelligence is not fixed, but rather a muscle you can strengthen every single day.
