After you have left school you may believe that that is it as far as intelligence goes. Your intelligence is influenced by a number of factors – genetics, the culture you were born into, your socio-economic status. Studies have shown that, no matter what your intelligence is, there are ways to improve it. In his book Intelligence and How to Get It,  Richard E. Nisbett shows some of these ways which include:

  • Exercise: Just 30 minutes per day sharpens problem-solving abilities and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s.
  • Meditation: Controlled breathing, mindfulness, and good posture enhance brain function.
  • Determination: Maintain faith in your ability to become smarter and to build skills. Assuming intelligence is fixed, or determined entirely by genetics, discourages us from working to improve ourselves.
  • Video games: Games that require reflexes and strategy improve attention, working memory, and reaction time.
  • Education: Learning promotes mental acuity and prevents cognitive decline in brains of all ages.

Rise of Nations
It is good to see that video games are included in the lists as they are often vilified for being a negative influence on young minds. Those hours spent playing Rise of Nations may not have been such a waste after all! In a recent study Dr Arthur Kramer said:

“We showed that playing a strategy-based videogame (Rise of Nations Gold Edition) can result in not only becoming a better videogame player but it transferred to untrained executive functions. We saw a significant improvement in task switching, working memory, visual short-term memory, and mental rotation. And some, but more limited, benefits in inhibition and reasoning.”

How many of the above activities are you doing on a regular basis?

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Filed under: Positive Psychology • Relaxation and Meditation • Self Development • Success Skills

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