For a long time, it was believed that people were born with a given level of intelligence that couldn’t be increased and that the best we could do is to live up to our potential. Yet, nowadays, it has been proved that we can actually increase our potential and that by learning new skills, our brain creates new neural pathways that make it work better and faster. Of course, getting smarter isn’t something that happens overnight; you have to build your intelligence every day through intentional daily habits. Here are 7 habits science says will make you smarter that you should consider:
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1. Read the Newspaper
This is one of those habits that you need to build if you want to become smarter. By reading the newspaper every day, you will become more aware of the important things that happen around the world, you will learn to form your own opinions and you will increase your worldly knowledge. You will also have an endless supply of interesting topics to talk about at dinner parties.
2. Eat Breakfast
A lot of studies have shown that kids who eat breakfast perform significantly better in school. This happens because the brain needs nutrients to function and if you skip your breakfast, you miss those nutrients.
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3. Exercise
There are a ton of studies out there which show that exercise actually helps us think more flexibly and in the long term, it helps us increase our productivity. Just start with something simple like walking, then buy a gym membership and turn this activity into a hobby that will help you become more efficient when you are at work.
4. Spend Time with Intelligent People
If you want to increase your intelligence and be smarter, try to surround yourself with intelligent and creative people from whom you can learn a lot of interesting things. This way, you will be exposed to more interesting news and information and your brain will stretch to hold the new ideas.
5. Get an Extra Hour of Sleep
There are studies that have shown that “people who slept less did up to 40% worse on a cognitive test than people who slept more.” Apparently, even an hour of extra sleep made a significant difference in computerised mental agility tests. If you want your brain to work well and become smarter, then you need to give it enough rest.
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6. Learn a New Language
A lot of research has shown that “people who are bilingual are better at solving puzzles than people who speak only one language.” Apparently, learning new languages enables your brain to perform better at any mentally demanding tasks.
7. Play a Musical Instrument
Playing music helps with analytical skills, creativity, language, math and fine motor skills since this activity will strengthen the corpus callosum that links the two hemispheres of the brain by creating new connections. This actually helps with memory, executive skills, problem solving and overall brain function.
There are a lot of simple actions that can help you become a smarter person. You just need to put in some effort and time so you can turn them into habits. This way, you will be able to enjoy the benefits those new habits will bring to all the areas of your life. Do you know any other habits that can make your smarter? Please tell us more about them in the comments section!
Sources:
wisebread.com
entrepreneur.com
businessinsider.com
news.bitofnews.com
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