In order to increase your intelligence, you need to make an effort every day that doesn't feel tedious or boring. Learning new things is very interesting and fun. Whether you enjoy learning from the internet, reading books, exercising, or challenging your brain with puzzles and games, there are many ways to increase your intelligence – and there can be more than one!
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Method 1 of 4: Increase Intelligence with the Help of the Internet
Step 1. Take your opportunity when accessing the internet to learn new things
The internet is a wonderful tool that can be used for more than just posting something on social media and watching cat videos. Whenever you want to relax and browse the internet, instead of checking notifications, open an article about something you don't know, or a story about a topic you've never heard of.
Tip:
Websites like Wikipedia and Google allow you to choose a website or article at random.
Step 2. Take online courses to increase your knowledge
There are various online courses you can take to learn about a subject. Websites like HarvardX and Coursera offer many free courses you can take online with curriculum, materials, and even videos from real professors in the classroom. Go online to search for free courses and find a new subject you want to learn.
Some online courses can even serve as credentials for a degree from an accredited university
Tip:
You can earn certificates for completing courses and taking exams to show that you passed the course and understood the material.
Step 3. Watch TED talks online to learn about topics from experts
TED (short for technology, entertainment, and design) is a non-profit dedicated to spreading knowledge and ideas. They hold conferences where experts on certain topics give presentations to the audience, which are recorded and can be watched at any time for free. Go to TED.com and see presentations on topics you're interested in, or on topics you don't even know about.
- Each TED talk lasts about 10-15 minutes.
- There are also TED talk presentations on poetry, literature, history, and science that you can watch.
Step 4. Sign up for a daily vocabulary bulletin via email
Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com have newsletters with “word of the day” that you can get every morning when you sign up. Start your day by getting to know a new word, or learn more about a word you may already know, including its etymology, synonyms, and other interesting facts. Visit their website and sign up for the daily newsletter.
- Wordsmith, Vocab Vitamins, and Vocabsushi are examples of English vocabulary bulletins that you can get by registering yourself online.
- There is also a daily vocabulary app that you can download on your smartphone or tablet.
Method 2 of 4: Playing Games or Solving Puzzles
Step 1. Do crossword puzzles to challenge your memory and improve your memory
Crossword puzzles improve your verbal skills and improve your vocabulary memory. Plus, doing crossword puzzles is fun, and solving them can reduce stress and improve your mood. Usually in the daily newspaper there are crosswords you can try, and you can also get free crosswords online.
- Download the crossword app on your smartphone for you to work on right away or whenever you want.
- Scrabble is also a fun game that you can play with other people to test your vocabulary with a bit of competition. Download the Words with Friends app on your smartphone to play against friends or other people at any time.
Step 2. Download brain teaser app to train your brain
There are some popular brain teaser apps like Lumosity, CogniFit Brain Fitness, and Brain Fitness Pro which are full of games and challenges designed to improve memory, problem solving skills and cognitive function. Your brain has to be trained and stay active to stay fit, just like your body.
- Brain teaser apps also help increase the speed of processing in the brain and help prevent plaque build-up in the brain that is linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
- Some brain teaser apps are free, but there are also ones where you have to pay or require a monthly subscription to download them.
Step 3. Play Rubik's cube to improve concentration and cognition ability
Rubik's Cube is a classic brain game that requires a lot of concentration to solve. The benefits of solving a Rubik's cube are that it improves hand-eye coordination, improves short-term memory, and if you solve it successfully, you will feel happy. You can buy a Rubik's cube at a shop that sells game tools for a starting price of around IDR 20,000.00.
You can also order a Rubik's cube in online stores
Tip:
For a bigger challenge, try different versions of the Rubik's cube such as those with more cubes or different shapes such as triangles and hexagons.
Step 4. Challenge your strategic and critical thinking by playing chess
Chess was invented in the 6th century and later became a popular game that required strategy, memory and spatial skills. The game of chess can stimulate the growth of dendrites, extensions of nerve cell branches in the brain that transmit information between cells, which increases the speed of communication between brain cells, so you can think more quickly and clearly.
- You can buy a regular chessboard set at a shop that sells game tools or a stationery shop for around IDR 25,000.00.
- You can also play chess on the internet or through an application on your smartphone.
Method 3 of 4: Exercise to Improve Brain Function
Step 1. Build a habit of exercising regularly to grow and form new neurons
When you exercise, your body raises levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that promotes the growth of new neurons, especially cells in the brain that transmit nerve impulses. Regular exercise increases blood flow and oxygen levels, and renews brain function.
- The more neurons you have and the healthier they are, the faster you think and the better your memory will be.
- Exercise regularly so that it becomes a habit. For example, set a goal to exercise on certain days of the week, or make time to exercise during certain times after work or school.
Step 2. Do aerobic exercise to produce a protein called irisin
Irisin is believed to activate genes used in learning memory in the brain. Aerobic exercise uses large muscle groups such as the back, legs, and arms that increases heart and breathing rates and increases the protein irisin, which is associated with the growth of new neurons.
- Try signing up for a gym that offers aerobics classes.
- You can also buy DVDs or take online classes to do aerobics at home.
Warning:
Avoid exercising excessively which can cause cognitive loss, inability to focus, and memory loss. If you are new to the sport, start slowly and then do more challenging exercises.
Step 3. Challenge your brain by changing sports movements
If we have been exercising regularly, we can quickly become bored or discouraged when we feel that there is no progress or improvement. When you try a new sport, you need to sharpen your focus and improve your cognitive abilities while using other parts of your brain to conquer a new physical challenge or skill.
- If you take regular classes at the gym, try taking a different class.
- If you lift weights a lot, switch to sprinting.
Step 4. Try doing yoga to improve your problem solving skills
Regular practice of yoga can improve your ability to use logic, recognize patterns, and solve new problems. Meditation in yoga can slow down brain activity so the brain can rearrange itself and rest. Giving your brain a chance to rest while you're active will make it ready to absorb new information and approach the problem from a different perspective.
- Join a yoga studio if you want to do yoga with a trainer.
- Yoga still uses muscles as well, which improves blood flow and cognitive function.
- Headspace is a popular app that you can download for a meditation guide.
Tip:
You don't have to meditate for hours. Research shows it's enough to meditate for 20 minutes every day to feel the benefits.
Method 4 of 4: Reading to Increase Intelligence
Step 1. Read a little bit every day to improve cognitive function
Mental stimulation obtained by reading can help improve thinking skills and memory. Reading increases the flexibility of your brain, which is an important part of memory, by stimulating your entire brain and keeping every part of your brain active.
- You don't have to read a whole book every day. At least reading for 15-20 minutes continuously can provide mental benefits for you to be smarter.
- Listening to audiobooks is a fun way to read every day.
Step 2. Read more fiction books to increase emotional intelligence
Reading more fiction books will help you empathize with other people more and see the world from their point of view, as novels and short stories encourage you to understand the motivations and perspectives of many characters. The ability to understand other people requires a high level of emotional intelligence, and fiction is an easy way to increase your emotional intelligence.
Fiction also increases your cognitive flexibility by placing yourself mentally in different situations and situations so that you can imagine the response you will give
Step 3. Read the news every day to understand what is going on in the world
Reading news keeps you informed and reading national, local and international news will make you smarter, sharper and more intellectual. Whether through the newspaper or the news app on your smartphone or tablet, at least read the headlines of the day.
- Don't ignore local news. Knowing what's happening in the community around you is just as important as knowing what's happening in the wider world.
- Discussions on the radio are also a good way to get the news of the day.
Tip:
Subscribe to daily newsletters such as The New York Times Morning Briefing for a quick summary of important news.
