“It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.”
- Rene Descartes
A person’s IQ was thought to be a fixed commodity largely determined by genetics. But is your IQ really set in stone or can you cheat a few extra points? Recent hints suggest that a very basic brain function called working memory might underlie our general intelligence, opening up the intriguing possibility that if you improve your working memory, you could boost your IQ too.
Genetics determines a lot and so does the early gestation period. On top of that, there is a few percent that can be improved by training. So if what you want is results, and not an argument about the definition of intelligence, try some of the following tips and boost your brain power.
1. Game on
Turn on your PC. Modern games are great for making your mind work at amazing speeds. It gives your brain a chance to think strategically, and keeps it working.
2. Spin it
If you want to be a da Vinci or Edison, keep a sketch diary. Imagine seeing an object from every angle and sketch the views afterwards. Thinking in pictures is essential for complex reasoning.
3. Buy the paper
While browsing through the sports pages, take a peek at the crossword. It’s a perfect exercise for sharpening your mind. Puzzles with creative solutions exercise and extend your dendrites — the branch-like parts of nerve cells that carry information and promote processing.
4. Have a sniff
Certain fragrances help you think clearly and cut down on mistakes. Lemon scents stimulate your hippocampus, the brain region that controls your ability to concentrate; lavender helps you relax and think more clearly; jasmine has the ability to excite, resulting in quicker thinking.
5. Turn on
A recent study in the UK found that watching The Weakest Link for 30 minutes can raise your IQ by six points. A documentary produced a four-point rise; Friends a rise of one point.
6. Deep Breath
This is one of the easiest and most effective tip to improve the functioning of your brain immediately. More air in means more oxygen in the blood and therefore in the brain. Low oxygen levels in the blood have been shown to decrease it. Since most of us are in the habit of breathing too shallowly, this is a quick way to boost your IQ. One hint: if you breath through your nose, you are more likely to breath deeply.
7. Daydream
Letting your brain run free is the best way of truly expanding your brain power. Every day, consciously defocus for 10 minutes, and see where it takes you.
8. Detox
To make sure you’re thinking clearly, avoid caffeine — just one cup can cause a sharp rise in feelings of anxiety, US scientists have found. And like smoking, caffeine also prevents the absorption of key vitamins essential for optimum brain function. Replace coffee or tea with water and if you smoke, don’t.
9. Multi-task
Performing two tasks simultaneously provides you with invaluable brain tools. Put a TV next to a radio and try to take in information from both, then try to concentrate on each individually. You’ll find you can focus on any single problem much better.
10. Sit up straight, and close your mouth
Good posture affects our state of mind, and helps us to think more clearly. Wanna prove it to yourself? Try solving some math in your head while slouching, looking at the floor and letting your mouth hang open. Then do the mental math while sitting up straight, keeping your mouth closed and looking forward or slightly upwards. You’ll get the point.
11. Stretch yourself
Think of two unconnected objects… a frog and a moped, say… and try to think of as many links between them as you can. This breaks down the critical ability that interferes with the flow of ideas.
12. And… relax
Simply relaxing increases your ability to learn. In tests, systematically flexing every muscle for 30 minutes boosted subjects’ ability to solve puzzles by up to 25 percent.
13. Spell it out
Facing a problem? Write it down and draw lines radiating out to words and ideas linked to each one. Your mind will be able to visualize an answer far more easily.
14. Make connections
To grow longer dendrites, do something new. Try learning a new language or developing a skill such as drawing, and you’ll see instant changes in how you think.
15. Step it up
Aerobic fitness helps fluid intelligence (learning new things), frontal lobes (planning ahead) and your ability to make rapid-fire decisions. Go for at least three 30-minute cardio sessions a week.
16. Get dreaming
You knew this one, right? Uninterrupted sleep is key to information-processing. Avoid caffeine six hours before bed and relax with a hot bath and a milky drink (packed with sleep-inducing tryptophans).
17. Take a stroll
A recent study found that just 45 minutes of walking three times a week increased subjects’ ability to perform multiple tasks by up to 15 percent, improving bloodflow to the frontal lobes of the brain.
18. Watch the clock
Use your brain when it’s at its sharpest — early in the morning. Research shows that taking tests before midday boosts success rates by up to five percent.
19. Consume ginkgo biloba
Whether in capsules or tea or off a neighbors tree, ginkgo leaves have been shown to increase blood flow to the brain, helping memory and concentration. The effect is quick, and doesn’t seem to diminish with regular use.
20. Graze
To give your brain a steady supply of energy and minerals, eat little and often. Eating large meals shunts blood to your digestive tract, away from your brain.
21. Go classical
In a US study, listening to a Mozart piano sonata improved students’ 3-D problem solving abilities (as opposed to verbal or language skills) by 15 percent. Aim for 10 minutes of Classic FM a day.
22. Practice
IQ tests are just one form of measuring intelligence, so if you’re really trying to impress, the answer is simply to practice again and again and again.
23. Eat your meat
A meal that’s overloaded with carbohydrates can spell trouble for the brain. In a Harvard study, people who ate pure carbohydrates had up to twice the difficulty concentrating and performing mental tasks as those who’d eaten turkey, which is practically carb-free. This is due to the insulin that is dumped into your veins after the sugar is. Don’t eat white flour, sugar, potatoes, and other carbs before an important meeting.
24. Freshen up
Chewing gum improves memory and thinking, UK researchers have found. Chewing raises your heart rate, delivering more oxygen and glucose to the brain, while saliva triggers a surge of insulin, stimulating learning and memory receptors in the brain.
25. Make friends
Preferably ones with large amounts of frizzy grey hair. Recent research showed that hanging out with boffins can boost your IQ by up to 10 percent.
26. Go herbal
Plants naturally encourage your brain and body to work together. Rosemary increases bloodflow to the brain and sage improves concentration.
27. Head for the bees
To boost your brain power look for vitamin B, found in oats, tuna, chicken, wholewheat and bananas. Vitamin B6 aids memory, while 1, 2, 3 and 12 help manufacture and repair brain tissue.
Let the “experts” argue about whether you can boost IQ or not, in any absolute sense. If you slept well, exercised, then sat up straight and breathed deeply as you took the test, don’t you think you would score a few points higher on an intelligence quotient test? More importantly, wouldn’t you be better prepared for whatever mental tasks you faced?
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What To Do When You SUCK
October 10, 2007
Nice article! Although, my IQ tells me that it’s “breathe” and not “breath” deep. Although, this could also just be a harbinger of what I fear the most: the English language taking another hit in distinguishing words. I’m also kind of a nut about people mistakenly “loosing” the difference between “lose” and “loose.”
Great tips here, though! Bookmarked for sure!
October 11, 2007
Wonderful article! I totally agree with a lot of these tips. I have one question though: When you say “go herbal,” do you mean to say that we should have plants in and around our houses? Do you happen to have any suggestions of something that could survive in a college dorm room?
October 11, 2007
Any sources for these sweeping statements ?
October 11, 2007
Sam,
If you’re looking at having plants in your dorm room, there are many possibilities. You want to find something in the mid-range of light necessity; in that it won’t need too much or too little sunlight than what your room and windows are able to provide. Dorms are generally well regulated in terms of temperature, so find something that grows best in your average room temperature ranges. Also, I like to suggest finding plants that are native to the area your school is in. This way, if you happen to want to plant it outside, it will not become a nuisance. I’m no expert though, so check out this link for some help: http://www.thegardenlady.org/18/growing-plants-in-your-dorm-room/.
Ririan, thanks again for another fun read! Rob, I’m a nut about proper spelling and grammar myself, but as English does not happen to be Ririan’s first language I think we can give him a break.
October 11, 2007
I’m a nut about proper spelling, but English is not my main language… so I decided to take a look at wiktionary. To cut the confusion, “breathe” is the verb, while “breath” is the noun (actually I thought to be the inverse
)
About the article… well…
11. Stretch yourself
Think of two unconnected objects… a frog and a moped, say… and try to think of as many links between them as you can. This breaks down the critical ability that interferes with the flow of ideas.
I thought I was being ridiculous when the exercise at my Portuguese class said “explain why these sentences aren’t coherent” and I read the reverse, “explain why these sentences can be coherent” and actually did it easily.
October 11, 2007
[...] This link was on DIGG, and it has a ton of useful tips for ways to increase your IQ. Boy do I need an increase right now. I am feeling a bit, unsmart. Sometimes I wonder if I had an Einstein style brain, how I would get through my day. Would I be able to theorize with the best scientists, come up with a cure for cancer, or invent real life alchemy. Alchemy would be useful, you know for buying things. I can almost sense that new car smell emanating from my brand spanking new Jeep bought with some gold bars. Imagine the car dealership seeing gold bars being brought in for legal tender. I believe the police would be called and I would have explaining to do. Of course, the Government would get wind of what I can do and demand that I make more gold for them. I would refuse on principle, then higher a high price lawyer, unless of course there is some sort of rendition. Wow, this rant of a daydream really went a little wack. [...]
October 11, 2007
Many of these have all the credibility of… folklore. For instance, the commonly quoted “listening to Mozart” study has since been debunked.
Still, nothing here is likely to do actual harm.
October 11, 2007
Uh oh. When I see things like this I want to do everyone of them, but some of them clash with what I want to do. For example, I’m a raw vegan and eating a lot of fruits and veggies is what I do…
Does that mean eating too many fruits makes me dumb! I do eat lots of almonds though. Hrmmm!
October 11, 2007
Consume Acetlyl-L-carnitine (a mitochondrial energizer) along with Dimethyl Amino Ethanol (DMAE elevates mood, increase intelligence, improve memory and learning) and L-Arginine PyroGlutamate (a form of arginine that penetrates the blood-brain barrier), all on an empty stomach. This will cause brain cell growth. ALCAR and DMAE can be most cheaply obtained from Bulk Nutrition, and L-Arginine PyroGlutamate from Jomar Labs.
October 11, 2007
Insulin is complex stuff I know, but this requires additional explanation. It cannot reasonably do both under the same conditions.
23. people who ate pure carbohydrates had up to twice the difficulty concentrating and performing mental tasks … This is due to the insulin that is dumped into your veins after the sugar is.
24: while saliva triggers a surge of insulin, stimulating learning and memory receptors in the brain.
October 11, 2007
Hey,
This is a very nice article. It’s really a big help. I need to take a lot of tests and exams and deal with computer related problems almost every week. It’s nice to know the strategies you have written.
Thanks.
October 12, 2007
[...] По материалам статьи: Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points Перевод: Пермяков Александр Источник: MedBlog.Ru [...]
October 12, 2007
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October 13, 2007
[...] Ponte inteligente: Cómo aumentar tu IQ en 10 puntos (en inglés) [...]
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[...] Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points at Ririan Project [...]
October 14, 2007
[...] If you can’t wait for a technology-based solution for improving your brain, you can start with the low tech methods to Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points, including: 10. Sit up straight, and close your mouth: Good posture affects our state of mind, and helps us to think more clearly. Wanna prove it to yourself? Try solving some math in your head while slouching, looking at the floor and letting your mouth hang open. Then do the mental math while sitting up straight, keeping your mouth closed and looking forward or slightly upwards. You’ll get the point. [...]
October 14, 2007
[...] A person’s IQ was thought to be a fixed commodity largely determined by genetics. But is your IQ really set in stone or can you cheat a few extra points? [link] [...]
October 15, 2007
[...] -Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points A person’s IQ was thought to be a fixed commodity largely determined by genetics. But is your IQ really set in stone or can you cheat a few extra points? [...]
October 15, 2007
[...] -Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points A person’s IQ was thought to be a fixed commodity largely determined by genetics. But is your IQ really set in stone or can you cheat a few extra points? [...]
October 20, 2007
[...] Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points by RirianWe can increase our IQ with proper training. This article gives you 27 tips to train your brain to boost your IQ. [...]
December 5, 2007
learn new things constantly. I read constantly. whatever I’m interested in, because Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.
Plato
also learning a myriad of things helps you to associate and interrelate. learning to program in an object oriented programming language will help you practice thinking in a systematic and logical order giving you strong problem solving skills. learn a new word everyday and use it as much as you can that day to ingrain it. then learn a second language. after that you will be able to argue semantics and understand euphemisms more clearly.
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/p/plato.html
December 12, 2007
Re 8> When coming to talk about quitting smoking I have to disagree, and please find below the 3 reasons why smoking makes you successful at work:
1. Smoking will boost you social life. Smoking is a social activity, people meet for smoking, if you don’t know where to go to make friends, go to smoking area. Smoking is just an excuse for going out and meeting people.
2. Smoking will give you time for a break – you have to leave your desk and take a break.
3. Smoking will organize your time – it like an alarm clock ringing every 3 quarters, 2 hours or so.
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