How to Get Smarter

Reading can contribute to overall knowledge and verbal skills.

An intelligent mind with an ability to think about things analytically and intellectually are all great qualities that many people would like to have. Intelligence can aid in solving problems and creating new and better solutions. Although not everyone is born with high intelligence, it can be increased by implementing certain tasks in daily life. People are not necessarily born smart. By employing various techniques and habits, over time you can definitely make yourself smarter.

Instructions

1. Give your brain a mental workout. Intelligence is largely derived from an individual's intelligent memory. Intelligent memory has to do with paying attention and then connecting bits and pieces of information. Rather than trying to simply cram your brain with as much information as possible, try to come up with ways to remember certain pieces of information such as using flash cards or abbreviations to remember how certain processes work.

2. Pay close attention when reading or when listening to a person speak. This is essential and will help you to retain information. Actively listening or paying attention to what is going on around you will not only help you retain information, but you may help you pick up small bits of information that you would have otherwise missed. This can save time and prevent you from having to read over something again.

3. Meditate daily. While many people meditate to lower stress levels, research has shown that it also has the ability to increase attention span and memory. The brain's cerebral cortex has many important tasks to carry out. It is responsible for memory, making decisions and attention. A study that followed 20 working class men and women who began meditating for 40 minutes showed a thickening of their brain's gray matter. This is striking because typically, the cerebral cortex begins to thin with age.

4. Read often. Through reading, it is possible to expand your vocabulary and your knowledge about an endless array of topics. Reading can impact abstract reasoning skills and exposure to literary resources has a direct effect on an individual's vocabulary skills. Verbal skills have been shown to be effected by reading.

References

• CBS News: How You Can Become Smarter
• Time: How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time
• NCBI: Does reading make you smarter? Literacy and the development of verbal intelligence