How to become smarter and increase your intelligence level: tips and exercises for developing IQ

Hello everyone, dear readers! Lyudmila Redkina is with you, and in this article we will talk about human intellectual abilities. The words “intellectual”, “intellectual” are firmly established in our everyday life, and everyone would like to be known in the company as a competent and intelligent person. A good friend of mine once taught a good lesson, he said: “It doesn’t matter at all who you stand in front of in your life, it’s not about age or status, but about the ability to communicate and the level of intelligence!” In his phrase, he almost quoted Winston Churchill, but this phrase was said so timely that I am guided by it to this day. So, you can learn how to present yourself correctly in society by reading about emotional intelligence (EQ). And below we will look at how to become smarter and increase your intelligence level (IQ).

Why do I need this?

The brain is still an organ that has not been fully studied. Some scientists claim that we use only 10% of the entire brain, others increase this figure, but one thing is clear - the main organ has unlimited work capabilities.

It is generally accepted that the brain is the laziest organ. If it is not developed, it will degrade. If you constantly load him with work, new neural connections will appear, and the person will become more flexible and adaptive in life.

These neural connections tend to disappear as quickly as they appear. Therefore, it is important to consolidate them. Developing intelligence does just that—it strengthens educated connections. With the help of this consolidation, memory, attention, thinking and other processes of our psyche develop.

Myths about intelligence

There is a lot of talk about the development of emotional intelligence in children and adults, as well as mental abilities. Hundreds of studies and experiments are being conducted with the help of which scientists are discovering new facets of the mind. Their other goal is to dispel a number of misconceptions:

1. Good innate intelligence does not need to be developed - this is the main myth. As stated above, from time to time geniuses are born on the planet whose mental abilities exceed expectations. But this is rare, since natural gifts are few. Here you need to take into account the influence of external factors: upbringing, environment, living conditions. All of them together helped famous people become who we know them to be.
2. The second misconception concerns age. According to many, it is much more difficult to develop intelligence in an adult than in a child. This is especially true for those who did not develop abilities in childhood. To think so is more than wrong. The development of intelligence in adults is possible. Becoming a genius is unlikely. However, you will definitely be able to improve your knowledge in one or more areas. This does not depend on how the child developed in childhood.
3. Another myth says that it is enough to be a specialist or even a genius in only one field; you do not need to gain knowledge in all others. You shouldn't think like that. The development of intelligence and memory presupposes harmony and a general broadening of horizons. A good example is a mathematician who can easily solve various problems and equations. But he cannot evaluate the actions of his new acquaintance. Or you can take a philologist who understands all the intricacies of his native language and literature, but is unable to correctly count change in a store. You can prove the fallacy of this judgment using the example of gaining muscle mass. If an athlete pays attention to the development of only one muscle group, he will look ridiculous. Beautiful relief is the result of regular pumping and development of the entire muscular system as a whole.

Intelligence is like a sponge. It absorbs all the information entering the brain and constantly requires a new “dose”. Therefore, there is no need to think that adults do not need to develop mental abilities. It is better to take time to educate yourself.

IQ tests

IQ tests are a snapshot of your current knowledge from different areas. Experts in the functioning of mental processes have developed tests for different age groups. You can find techniques for preschoolers, schoolchildren, teenagers and adults. Let's look at the most popular methods.

1. “Is your IQ above average?” A method for determining your IQ level with pictures. A simple test that gives quick results.
2. “IQ Test.” A very revealing test, since not only correct answers are taken into account, but calculation speed, analytics and other indicators are taken into account.
3. "IQ test". Taking the test does not take much time, it is convenient to give answers and determine your development.
4. “Eysenck's IQ test.” You have to answer 40 questions. This method in psychology is considered one of the best and most revealing.

Check out 15 more IQ tests.

If your results are less than expected, don't be discouraged! After all, any test assesses your preparedness for certain logical problems, but not your ingenuity, rationality and life wisdom, which determine your success. And self-development can be achieved not only with the help of IQ, but also with the help of books on personal growth.

Basic indicators of intelligence

Psychologists have identified four key characteristics of intelligence:

1. Depth of mind is the ability to get to the bottom of phenomena and events.
2. Inquisitiveness is curiosity, the desire to learn new things.
3. Flexibility and mobility - the ability to act outside the box, bypass barriers, and overcome difficulties.
4. Logicality is the ability to justify one’s point of view and correctly present the material.

Some authors also consider creativity to be part of intelligence. However, this is not an entirely correct approach, because it is part of the structure of creativity. A person can be very creative, but not intellectually gifted.

Adviсe

So, we have decided that you need to give your brain rest only during sleep, the rest of the time it needs to be more loaded with different tasks. Let's look at how you can develop your IQ.

Wake up your logic

Logical thinking is an important component of intelligence. Therefore, you need to not let logic fall asleep in the everyday hustle and bustle. To do this, solve logical riddles. There are many books for developing logic starting from the age of 3. Train yourself and with your children by solving interesting tasks.

Remember and don't forget

In other words, try to train your memory - this is the best way to increase your intellectual abilities. To do this, look for tasks to remember the location of figures, points, words and phrases. Then check yourself immediately, after a certain time. There are other ways to develop memory.

Communicate while answering tough questions

In formulating answers to complex questions, you develop analytics. For example, among your like-minded people you can organize a discussion on the topic “why do people need 2 eyes” or “how to start a business with small capital.” Many people consider this to be empty chatter, but, as practice shows, people find a lot of useful things in such chatter and still actually start a business from scratch!

Love math

What really helps develop IQ is doing math. comparing numbers, understanding digital combinations, solving various problems develops strategy, analytics and logic.

There are many rules of mathematics that apply in everyday life, but we are not aware of them. For example, the “optimal stopping” rule is applicable when you need to make a choice from several quantities (objects, people, etc.). According to this rule, you should immediately consider 36.8% of the presented values, reject them and choose the first one that seems better than the rejected ones.

Mathematics for the development of intelligence

Playing a musical instrument

Many studies have been conducted on how music affects the brain and develops intelligence. In addition to the fact that a person who listens to and plays classical music becomes kind and calm, he also develops.

IQ is developed not by listening to music, but by playing an instrument. Especially on instruments such as piano, violin, guitar, accordion, bandura and others, where the hands perform different movements.

Get creative

Creative, creative thinking is now at a premium. Try to approach different problems creatively. For example, when making a decision, draw a picture of the problem, study every squiggle, and write down all the associations you have. Then match all the words, find a solution, a new approach to the problem.

This method is not new. This is how Leonardo da Vinci acted. It was he who began sketching his world-famous works this way.

Start learning foreign languages

You need to do this not only to be educated, but also to develop your brain and intellect. Read books in a foreign language, try to speak in the simplest phrases. Ideally, if you find a native speaker.

It's simple - get enough sleep

It has long been known that for the brain to function well, it needs to rest and have time to process information. Brain studies have shown that during the slow-wave sleep phase the organ masters the tasks of factual memory: dates, definitions and other educational issues. In the REM sleep phase, the brain masters human actions and behaviors stored in memory.

These methods will help you easily develop IQ if you set a goal. So don’t waste time and start improving your cognitive abilities!

Types of intelligence and their properties

The mental ability classification system is extensive. Each variety influences a person’s interests, thoughts, and behavior.

There are seven main types of intelligence:

1. Analytical. Represents the ability to evaluate, compare, compare data, and also divide it into separate parts.
2. Logical intelligence is the ability to think and draw conclusions without violating formal logic.
3. People with critical thinking criticize and evaluate any information received. Thanks to this, they easily remove unnecessary and unworthy attention. The result is a clear view of things.
4. Deductive intelligence encourages you to select the necessary information from the stream. This is the ability to compare what is written in different sources, to combine data into a single whole.
5. Predictive intelligence helps to plan the future, warn, and forecast possible developments.
6. With abstract thinking, you can delve into the very essence of mathematical or philosophical problems. People with such intelligence are geniuses. In a matter of seconds, they solve complex equations in their heads.
7. Thanks to imaginative intelligence, a person formulates metaphors, deciphers, simplifies complex ideas, and also compares seemingly disparate data.

There is another type of mental ability - the ability to concentrate. It is developed in those who have willpower and know how to control their feelings and emotions.

Exercises to increase intelligence

Below I will outline several exercises to increase IQ so that you can develop your intelligence throughout the day in any activity.

1. Try to write more with your hand rather than typing letters on the keyboard.
2. Walk around familiar places with your eyes closed.
3. Go to work and school in different ways.
4. Practice mental arithmetic.
5. Read aloud sometimes, this is how different analyzers work.
6. Buy yourself crossword puzzles occasionally.
7. Learn to answer trivial questions in an original way.

What intellectual abilities does a schoolchild need?

From elementary school, boys and girls urgently need to develop critical and logical thinking (detailed information with a specific solution is in this article).

At the age of 6-10 years, a person’s mentality is formed - analytical, visual-figurative or mixed.

Already in elementary school, children should actively develop:

• working memory (the ability to hold several intermediate facts, decisions, conclusions in the head);
• skills of ordering thoughts in judgments, striving to build the correct architecture of thinking;
• the ability to draw conclusions from the received arrays of information;
• Gradually increase the speed of performing analytical and other operations.

To better understand how to develop intelligence in a child, how to be able to help him improve his mental abilities, you need to remember:

• only comprehensive work on increasing intellectual abilities in primary school age (logic, creativity, erudition, emotional, social and practical intelligence) forms a successful personality;
• a pronounced tendency towards analytical thinking does not cancel creative impulses, they only “hide” behind logic, but they can and should be developed in order to raise a harmonious personality;
• It is necessary to increase intellectual abilities not only at the computer, but also through sports: the undisputed leaders are chess, karate; Any team sports, general physical training and athletics are also useful.

Exercises for developing the abilities of younger schoolchildren

In the first grades, children do not yet learn mathematics; they are just beginning to be introduced to the course of arithmetic. However, it is already possible to solve simple mathematical puzzles, problems searching for patterns and other logic tasks with them.

Arithmetic puzzle from the LogicLike course

Such exercises are both an excellent training for the child’s thinking and reasoning skills, and a pleasant preparation for parents to do homework together.

Effective methods and ways to develop intellectual abilities at primary school age will be the same exercises that are recommended for younger children (see the material “Tasks and exercises for preparing for school”).

Period from seven to ten years

– the most intensive in terms of intellectual development. At this time, nature itself helps: the child’s sense of competition intensifies and voluntary attention and conscious interest in analytical activity are formed. You can safely add to mathematical and logical problems:

• tasks on spatial thinking (figures and their development, reflections, etc.);
• chess - perfectly develops the intellect and motivates with the opportunity to surpass your opponent in flexibility and inventiveness of the mind; chess problems for beginners - can teach even a beginner how to play chess at a decent level and significantly increase interest in this game;
• various puzzles for verbal-logical, visual-figurative and abstract-logical thinking, creativity, ingenuity and ingenuity, including truth and lies tasks, algorithms, puzzles with matches and much more.

The comprehensive training program is structured in such a way that the level of difficulty in each category of tasks gradually increases. The LogicLike training system will tell you where to start.

Why do intelligence and erudition deteriorate?

Reasons for deterioration of thought processes:

1. genetic disorders;
2. intrauterine anomalies or certain maternal diseases during pregnancy;
3. prematurity or birth injuries;
4. head injuries in childhood;
5. some infectious diseases;
6. acquired intellectual disorders;
7. disturbances in brain function;
8. overwork and stress;
9. age-related dementias.

Thus, mental abilities can be protected from inevitable age-related changes if you know how to properly improve your thinking and intelligence.

The importance of intelligence in human life

In psychology, intelligence is the ability of the human psyche to adapt to changing living conditions, the ability to perceive, understand and use abstract concepts in practice. The level of intellectual abilities and skills directly affects a person’s quality of life: the higher the level of mental abilities, the more profitable profession a person can get, and accordingly, acquire more benefits in life. Currently, a person needs to constantly develop, acquire new knowledge, and regularly handle large amounts of information.

Nutrition

Proper nutrition provides a person with good health, good mood and a clear mind. How to increase intelligence with its help: eat healthy foods, include medical supplements and folk remedies in your diet. This is necessary for the brain to begin to develop if a person already leads a healthy lifestyle, takes care of himself and trains the mind.

Diet

A properly formulated diet is extremely important for people seeking brain development. It is recommended to pay special attention to the following products:

• Walnuts – lecithin has a positive effect on the brain, which increases the speed of intellectual activity and strengthens memory;
• Fish - iodine and omega-3 are responsible for the rate of energy flow to the brain, regulation of cholesterol levels, normalization of blood vessels;
• Pumpkin seeds - they affect the speed of processing information perceived by the brain, as well as memorization;
• Spinach - lutein slows down the aging process, which helps improve learning ability.

It is enough to include any of the listed products in your diet to feel their effect within a week. At the same time, it is important to exclude from the menu all unhealthy foods that could have a negative effect on the body.

Medical supplements

Special drugs, which are presented in the form of food additives, have a serious impact on the quality of brain activity. In search of an answer to the question of how to improve your intelligence, you need to think about purchasing the following tools:

1. Piracetam (Nootropil, Lucetam). Strengthens memory, increases the quality of brain activity.
2. Omega-3 acids. Prevents brain aging and helps increase concentration.
3. Creatine. Improves memory, increases stress resistance.
4. L-tyrosine. Provides the brain with oxygen, improves mood and alertness.

The most popular drugs: Brain Booster, Amino, Gotu Kola, Active Lecithin. Taking them will have a positive effect only when combined with exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

Folk remedies

You can become smart with the help of folk remedies, which involve the use of beneficial herbs. The following plants increase brain activity:

• Ginseng root;
• Brahmi;
• Ginko biloba;
• Sage.

They are used in the form of decoctions or tinctures. The main effect of all herbs is to strengthen memory and enhance brain activity.

Before using medications or folk remedies, it is recommended to consult a doctor to eliminate possible risks associated with side effects or contraindications.

How to develop intelligence in a child

We need to remember about the peculiarities of the development of children's intelligence. Smartum specialists talked about how to productively deal with issues of additional education for children and gave recommendations for developing a child’s mental abilities. What nuances need to be taken into account and how to choose a suitable activity for children, taking into account its capabilities and future prospects?

To decide on the best activity for your child, ask yourself a few questions:

• What is your goal when sending your child to an additional education school or club? Versatile intellectual development, sporting achievements or development of creativity? Do your interests coincide with those of your child?
• What results do you expect from the classes and after how long?
• How ready is the child for heavy physical or psychological stress?

It is extremely difficult to predict in which area a child will be able to express himself best and achieve success. Parents sign up their children for several classes and expect great results from each. But first, it is better to give the child the opportunity to prepare - to develop the skills of concentration, perseverance, and improve memory. Mental arithmetic will help with this.

Teachers at the Smartum Mental Academy work with children aged 5 to 16 years, and see each of them as a potential genius. Why is mental arithmetic the best way to develop a child’s IQ? There are several reasons for this:

• Mental arithmetic classes are aimed at the uniform development of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. A high level of development of both hemispheres, for example, like Einstein, is considered a sign of genius and the key to success. Interesting, varied lessons in mental arithmetic can captivate any child, thereby strengthening his interest in knowledge and creativity.
• The results of practicing mental arithmetic are photographic memory, increased concentration and the ability to perform mental calculations.
• After just 2–3 months of regular attendance, children experience an increase in school performance. The child completes his homework faster and has time to attend additional clubs and courses that interest him.

The Smartum Academy of Mental Arithmetic hopes that the recommendations on developing a child’s mental abilities were useful to you.

Smartum specialists are confident that every student has great potential and are ready to help him become confident in his abilities and successful in the future. Sign up for your first free lesson!

What influences a child’s intellectual development

Psychologists identify 6 factors:

1. Intrauterine development. The course of pregnancy, complications, childbirth, mother’s health status;
2. Genetics. For example, one kid “clicks” math problems in his head like his grandmother, while another draws amazingly like his mother. The hereditary factor influences the intellectual development of preschool children;
3. Activities with your child. Do you want a developed child? Exercise with him regularly! The baby will “develop” without this. The question is how high quality;
4. Lifestyle. The psychological climate in the family, daily routine, walks in the fresh air, sufficient sleep, the attitude of mom and dad towards the child, habits affect mental abilities;
5. Social factor. The financial situation of the family, the ability to take the child to educational activities, to provide a good education. If “developers” are expensive for you, it doesn’t matter. Practice at home. Such activities are useful for the intellectual development of preschool children;
6. Personal characteristics of the baby. Character and temperament play a role.

Assiduous, inquisitive children love to learn new things and learn material better than hyperactive fidgets.