Improve IQ – 17 Ways
Rosemary
This common herb may have an effect on the brain when the scent is inhaled. We are waiting for the research, but some people swear that just sniffing rosemary wakes up their brain. It seems safe, so if you have rosemary in your spice rack, give it a try.
Write.
Writing is good for your mind in a number of ways. It is a way to tell your memory what is important, so you’ll recall things more easily in the future. It is a way to clarify your thinking. It is a way to exercise your creativity and analytical ability. Diaries, idea-journals, poetry, note-taking and story-writing are all ways to use writing to boost your brain power.
Listen to Mozart.
In a study at the University of California, researchers found that children who studied piano and sang daily in chorus, were much better at solving puzzles, and when tested, scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the non-musical group. In another study, 36 students were given three spatial reasoning tests on a standard IQ test. Just before the first test, they listened to Mozart’s sonata for Two Pianos in D Major, K. 448 for ten minutes. Before the second test, they listened to a relaxation tape. Before the third, they sat in silence. The average scores for all 36 students: 1st test: 119. 2nd test: 111. 3rd test: 110. Improve iq by nine-points with Mozart!
Avoid foods that cause subtle allergies.
These can include wheat, corn, peanuts and dairy products. Watch yourself to see if you have a problem with any of these. They cause digestive problems and brain fog in some people.
Speed reading.
Contrary to what many believe, your comprehension of material often goes up when you learn to speed-read. You get to learn a lot more in less time, and it is definitely a good brain exercise. A quick lesson? When scanning, read the first and last parts of paragraphs; this is where the important stuff is. Just pick up any book or article now to verify this.
Exercise.
Long term exercise can boost brainpower, which isn’t surprising. Anything that affects physical health in a positive way probably helps the brain too. Recent research, though, shows that cognitive function is improved immediately after just ten minutes of aerobic exercise. If you need a brain recharge, you might want to walk up and down the stairs a few times.
Learn more efficiently.
When you decide to learn something, take notes from the start. Leave each “learning session” with a question or two in mind, to create anticipation and curiosity. Take short breaks, so there will be more beginnings and endings to your studies (Things learned at the beginning or ending of a class or session are remembered better).
Use techniques for clear thinking.
Cluttered rooms and offices can contribute to cluttered thinking. Organize a space for mental work. Sigh, stretch, and take a deep breath before you start on a tough mental job. Plan some distraction-free time for brainstorming.
Brain wave entrainment.
The newest brain wave entrainment products are powerful tools for altering your brain function. Some will almost immediately relax you, while others will put your brain waves in a pattern that is most conducive to analytical thinking. For more information on these, you can visit the page on Brain Wave Entrainment.
Creatine.
This is a compound found in meat, used by athletes to help build muscle. Now the evidence is here to show that it helps your brain as well. Proceedings B , a journal published by the Royal Society reports that the research showed improvement in working memory and general intelligence resulting from creatine supplementation. The dose used in the study was 5 grams per day. This is about the level used to boost sports performance, and is as much as you’d normally get in four pounds of meat, according to lead researcher Dr. Caroline Rae.
Talk.
Talking is only good for the brain if you are actually exercising it, of course. Try explaining something that you don’t understand very well to a friend, though, and you’ll notice that the process of explaining will help you clarify your understanding.
Do something you enjoy.
This is a way to both lower stress and rev up your brain. The key is to do something active. Watching TV doesn’t count. Whether it is playing Scrabble or building birdhouses, when you are actively engaged in an activity that you enjoy, you worry less about things and you start to think better.
Adjust your beliefs.
Believe you are smarter, and you’ll become smarter. For this, affirmations may work, but even better is evidence. Make a note of your successes. Tell yourself, “Hey, that was really creative,” when you do something creative. When you have a good idea, make a note of it. Gather the evidence for your own intelligence and you’ll start to experience more of it.
Brain exercises.
Do math in your mind while driving. Think of a new use for everything you see. Almost any brain exercises have the potential to improve IQ and brain function. Regular use of the brain has been shown to generate new neuronal growth, and even halt the decline of mental function that often comes with age.
Model others.
Find others that are creative, intelligent, or very productive. Do what they do, and think what they think. This is a key principle of neuro-linguistic programming. Be careful about taking their advice, though. Successful people often don’t really understand why they are successful. Do what they do, not what they say.
Eat fish.
Eating fish actually speeds up brain waves, and improves concentration. Researchers have
also found an almost perfect correlation between intake of fish and lowered levels of depression in the various countries of the world. The U.S. has 24 times the incidence of depression as Japan, for example, where fish intake is much higher.
Avoid unnecessary arguments.
When you defend a position too vigorously, especially when it is just to “win” the argument, you invest our ego into it. This is not conducive to the easy acceptance and use of new information. In other words, you put your mind in a rut, and you dig it deeper with each argument. Debate can be a valuable thing, but when the ego takes over, the mind closes a little. This is not a way to improve IQ.
Meditation
This is mainly for concentration.
Meditation is easier if you’re not stressed, so it’s best to work on cutting that out first. But if there is nothing you can do about it, meditation will provide a breather.
Meditation is a good thing to keep up in the long term, but I’m not asking you to make a long-term commitment. The aim here is not to become a zen master, but rather to learn to sit still and concentrate. Commit to doing this daily for 30 days without fail. If you want to, you can take a break from it after that time, but commit to doing that 30 days.
How to Meditate to Clear the Mental Chatter
There are many forms of meditation. Unfortunately we are still waiting for more scientific research to point to the best forms. However, the evidence so far suggests that different types of mediation will help concentration in different areas. For this reason, I suggest picking a method and sticking to it for a couple of months and then trying a different form. A bit of personal experimentation is necessary here.
Begin with a simple meditation for concentration. This will provide an excellent base from which to further develop your concentration skills. This can be a focus on a mantra, an imagined object, or your breath. Don’t worry about picking the perfect method, as it is a good idea to try different types anyway. However, you should give each type a trial of at least a month.
Here is the procedure for the meditation I am currently practicing.
The first step is to find a comfortable sitting position with a good posture. Many postures like the Lotus can take a while for the body to comfortably acclimatise to, and this can be distracting for the meditation, so I find it’s best to stay out of those postures until you can do them easily.
The main meditation postures can be found here. My posture of choice is the Burmese Pose which is described on that page. I find I can sit in this position quite comfortably for a good length of time which makes it ideal. I can get into the full lotus, but at the moment I can’t stay there long enough because I lack the flexibility.
If you find it difficult to stay still and concentrate, many people find Asana Yoga to be easier. Asana Yoga still trains the concentration, but the body is moving as well. I found this helped when I was getting started. But, as with many things, the best choice is usually individual.
The second step is very easy to describe and understand, but difficult to perform. I’ve personally chosen to focus on my breath.
The idea is simply to focus only on the breath and nothing else. If a stray thought appears, you acknowledge it and then naturally return to thinking about the breath. This can be more difficult than it sounds – even if it sounds difficult! In this meditation the idea is not to try and control the breath, just to observe. As you become conscious of subtle changes in your body and breath, you will naturally make subtle changes to how you breathe without even realising it. These changes then spill out into your everyday life. To aid concentration you may find it helpful to count your breaths. I find this keeps me more focused.
For fastest results do this twice a day for at least 10 minutes.
As well as specific meditation exercises, I’ve also noted success with doing repetitive exercises such as juggling, jogging, drills on a musical instrument, mathematical equations, and even watching Avant-garde films! If repetitive enough these activities soon becomes mundane, but if you focus intentionally on what you are doing and look for subtle details, I’ve noticed a movement from boredom to a meditative state. This seems to transfer very well to other activities of a similar nature. Drawing also has a similar effect although it doesn’t seem to include the boredom phase – at least in my experience.
I actually don’t get bored at all anymore, but partly that is because I let my mind drift during some activities. I’m getting much closer to total concentration without boredom though. There are only a few activities that I’ve yet to develop full concentration on. I’m a little unsure what is next – perhaps telekinesis! hmm…
Something specific
The proceeding steps are very general and may not seem directly related to intelligence. While the above are incredibly important, I think it is also important to put something more tangible into the mix so that you can start to see direct results.
