Buzz
To enhance your intelligence, it's essential to practice daily, but don't worry—this process is far from dull or boring. Learning new things can be a fun and exciting experience. There are numerous ways to become smarter, such as online learning, reading, exercising, or challenging your mind with games and puzzles. And the best part? You don’t have to stick to just one method!
Steps
Get Smarter by Using the Internet
Make use of your internet time to learn new things. The internet is a fantastic tool, not only for posting on social media and watching cat videos. Instead of checking notifications, try reading articles about topics you’re unfamiliar with or stories on subjects you've never encountered before.
Tip: Websites like Wikipedia and Google allow you to randomly view a page or article of your choice.
Join online courses to broaden your knowledge. You can enroll in many free online courses to explore a specific topic. Websites like HarvardX and Coursera offer free courses with curriculums, materials, and videos from professors, just like in real classrooms. Search online for free courses, pick a topic that interests you, and discover new things.
- Some online courses even offer admission into prestigious universities upon completion.
Tip: You can earn a certificate of completion and take tests to demonstrate that you've completed the course and grasped the material.
Watch TED Talks online to learn from experts on various subjects. TED (short for “Technology,” “Entertainment,” and “Design”) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading knowledge and ideas. They host talks by experts in different fields, which are recorded and made available for free viewing. Visit TED.com to watch talks on topics that interest you or explore new ones.
- Each TED Talk lasts about 10-15 minutes.
- You can also watch TED Talks on poetry, literature, history, and science.
Sign up for daily vocabulary email alerts. Websites like Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com offer daily vocabulary emails that you can subscribe to each morning. Start your day by learning a new word, or dive deeper into a word you already know, exploring its etymology, synonyms, and other interesting details. Simply visit these websites and sign up for their daily email alerts.
- Other daily vocabulary services include Wordsmith, Vocab Vitamins, and Vocabsushi.
- You can also download a daily vocabulary app on your smartphone or tablet.
Play Games and Solve Puzzles
Solve crosswords to challenge your memory and improve retention. This activity helps enhance your vocabulary skills and boosts memory. Additionally, crossword puzzles are fun and can help reduce stress and elevate your mood. Many newspapers offer crosswords, and you can also solve them online for free.
- Download crossword puzzle apps on your smartphone so you can enjoy solving puzzles on the go, anytime you like.
- Word games like Words with Friends are also enjoyable to play with others, testing your vocabulary while adding a competitive element. Download the app to play with friends or strangers anytime.
Download brain training apps to exercise your mind. Popular brain training apps like Lumosity, CogniFit Brain Fitness, and Brain Fitness Pro offer numerous games and challenges to improve memory, problem-solving skills, and cognitive functions. Just like your body, your brain needs regular exercise to stay healthy.
- Brain training apps can also improve your brain’s processing speed and help prevent the development of plaques that contribute to conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Some brain training apps are free, while others may require a one-time payment or a subscription for continued use.
Solve Rubik’s Cube to improve focus and cognitive ability. Rubik’s Cube is a fun brain game that requires intense concentration. Benefits of solving the Rubik’s Cube include improved hand-eye coordination, better short-term memory, and the satisfaction of completing the challenge. You can find Rubik’s Cubes in bookstores, supermarkets, and toy stores for under 200,000 VND.
- You can also order a Rubik’s Cube online from platforms like Tiki or Shopee.
Tip: To increase the challenge, try different versions of the Rubik’s Cube, such as ones with more squares or alternate shapes like triangles and hexagons.
Challenge your strategic and critical thinking skills by playing chess. Chess, which originated in the 6th century, has since become a popular game that requires the use of strategy, memory, and spatial skills. Playing chess stimulates the development of dendritic branches – extensions of nerve cells in the brain that transmit information between cells. This enhances the speed of communication between brain cells, making your thinking faster and sharper.
- You can purchase a chess set at toy stores, bookstores, or supermarkets for under 300,000 VND.
- Alternatively, you can play chess online or through mobile apps.
Boost brain function through exercise.
Creating a workout schedule helps foster and form new neurons. When you engage in physical activity, your body increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – a protein that promotes the growth of new neurons (special cells in the brain responsible for transmitting nerve signals). Regular exercise improves blood circulation, oxygen levels, and overall brain function.
- The more healthy neurons you have, the quicker your thoughts will be and your memory will improve.
- Establish a regular workout routine to create a habit. For example, aim to exercise several days a week or allocate specific time after work or school for your workout.
Engage in aerobic exercises to produce irisin, a protein essential for learning and memory. Aerobic exercises, which involve large muscle groups like the back, legs, and arms, raise your heart rate and breathing while triggering the production of irisin, a protein believed to activate genes involved in brain memory processes. Aerobic exercise contributes to the growth of new neurons.
- Consider enrolling in an aerobic class at a gym.
- You can also purchase DVDs or watch online videos to practice aerobic exercises at home.
Warning: Avoid overexerting yourself during exercise, as this can lead to a loss of focus, concentration, and memory. If you're new to exercising, start with light activities and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts.
Challenge your brain by changing up your exercises. You can easily get used to a routine and feel bored or discouraged if there is no change or improvement. When you try new exercises, your focus and cognitive abilities improve as you engage different parts of your brain to tackle new challenges or skills.
- If you're too familiar with the classes at the gym, try joining a different one.
- If you often lift weights, consider switching to sprinting.
Practice yoga to improve problem-solving skills. Regular yoga practice enhances your ability to use reasoning, identify patterns, and solve new problems. The meditation aspect of yoga slows down brain activity, allowing your brain time to reorganize and rest. Allowing the brain to rest while staying alert helps it become ready to absorb new information and approach challenges from a different perspective.
- Sign up for a yoga class to receive guided practice.
- Yoga also engages muscles, which boosts circulation and cognitive function.
- Headspace is a popular app you can download for guided meditation practice.
Tip: You don't need to meditate for hours. Research shows that just 20 minutes a day is enough to gain the benefits of meditation.
Become smarter through reading.
Read a little every day to enhance cognitive function. The mental stimulation from reading can help improve your thinking and memory skills. Reading books increases brain flexibility—a key component of memory retention—by stimulating your entire mind and activating all areas of the brain.
- You don’t have to finish a book in one sitting. Reading for just 15-20 minutes can provide the mental benefits needed to make you smarter.
- Listening to audiobooks is also a convenient way to read daily.
Reading fictional books can enhance emotional intelligence. Fiction helps you empathize with others and view life from their perspective, as novels and short stories encourage you to explore the motivations and viewpoints of various characters. To understand others, you need a high level of emotional intelligence, and reading fiction is a simple way to achieve this.
- Fiction also increases cognitive flexibility by immersing your mind in various situations and contexts, allowing you to imagine how you would react in different circumstances.
Stay updated with the news every day to know what's happening in the world. Reading the news is a great way to stay informed, and knowing what's going on locally, nationally, and internationally makes you more knowledgeable, alert, and intelligent. Whether you read the news in a newspaper or via news apps on your smartphone or tablet, make an effort to go through the headlines each day.
- Don't ignore local news – staying informed about what's happening in your community is just as important as global updates.
- Listening to the radio is also a convenient way to keep up with the news.
Tip: Sign up for newsletters to quickly receive the latest news updates of the day.
Tip
- Approaching situations with a growth mindset can help you become smarter. Instead of thinking that intelligence is fixed, you should view it as something that can be developed and expanded as you push your limits and challenge yourself.
- Develop critical thinking skills. Rather than just following instructions and accepting things at face value, be curious. Ask questions and consider your feelings before making decisions.
