The simplest and quickest approach to improving your IQ

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term “intelligence quotient” before. But what exactly does it mean? IQ is an abbreviation for “Intelligence Quotient.” It is a number that indicates how smart a person is in comparison to others their age. Is IQ, however, fixed? Can persons with low IQs improve their intelligence?

IQ is a statistic that indicates how clever a person is compared to others their age. It is computed by dividing a person’s mental age (how old they are mentally) by their actual age in years and multiplying the result by 100. For example, a 5-year-old with an IQ of 200 would have a mental age of 10 (10/5 x 100). Some tests additionally compare this score to others in a comparable age range to standardize the result. This is when you determine whether someone has an above-average or below-average IQ.

It’s crucial to remember that IQ testing isn’t flawless. They do not always assess all types of intelligence. This might be something like being a brilliant artist or having a lovely singing voice. Street smarts are not measured either. Often known as common sense, street smarts are sometimes deficient in persons with so-called high IQs. Survival of the fittest is the name of the game in life, and individuals with street smarts generally outperform their intelligent colleagues.

Research on twins found that IQ is determined by heredity. However, they discovered that it was unclear if the same genes influenced school grades. This might explain why the two siblings are so different. The children have the same parents, DNA, and IQ, but one has book smarts and the other has street smarts.

You’re probably wondering if there’s anything you can do to improve your IQ now that we’ve defined it. The answer, however, is not simple. According to some experts, because IQ is mostly governed by heredity, it is not feasible to considerably improve your score. Others, on the other hand, feel that by providing the correct environment and chances, people of all ages may get smarter over time.

The easiest approach to see if you can improve your IQ is to take one of the accessible online tests, implement some of the recommendations in this article, and then retest yourself. There are several possibilities if you search “How can I test my IQ?” online. Conversely, Mensa is one of the most trusted, particularly in the United Kingdom. Remember that you are just using your intellectual capacity for these exams. This is because you will take psychometric exams rather than searching for answers online. That could catch a few people off guard!!

So, how do you go about increasing your IQ? Here are a few recommendations.

Do jigsaw puzzles.

This may appear to be a pretty simple approach to increasing your IQ. When doing a jigsaw puzzle, you use memory, form, and spatial awareness. As stress and anxiety are two of the most common disorders connected to brain shrinkage and cognitive degeneration, doing a jigsaw puzzle may also be calming and reduce stress, which can help enhance your brainpower.

Play online brain-training games.

There are several online games and applications available for your smartphone. Memory games, matching shapes or colors, language, and distance abilities are all part of these games. Working memory and IQ are tightly related, which is why memory games can be beneficial. Research on children was conducted to examine if brain training increased working memory. Over a thirty-five-day period, the youngsters participated in brain training exercises for around half an hour every day. The children’s working memory improved due to the study’s findings.

Play Scrabble and other word games.

Playing Scrabble is a fun method to raise your IQ while also improving your overall well-being. Scrabble is classified as an executive control activity since it involves reasoning, which is part of our intellect. Working memory, mental flexibility, and self-control are examples of executive control functions. Scrabble, Pictionary, Jenga, Chess, and Sudoku all involve one or more of these functions.

Furthermore, playing Scrabble helps you learn new words, enhance your concentration and focus, and improve your communication abilities, all of which contribute to your IQ. Another advantage of playing board games is that we are socializing and having fun, both of which benefit our brains by protecting them from damage and loss of function.

Learn a new language.

Learning a new language is an excellent strategy to boost your IQ. This is due to neuroplasticity, which causes the brain to grow in size. The formation of new neurons that make up grey matter in the brain is called neuroplasticity. Grey matter is what allows us to feel emotions, remember things, and regulate our movements. People with higher IQs have more grey matter in their brains than others. However, don’t expect this to happen overnight. Research was conducted on persons who had been learning a new language for less than three months. They were assessed at the start and conclusion of the learning period, and their IQ levels did not improve.

However, another study discovered that the younger children are when they begin learning a second language, the higher their IQs will be when they are older. The optimal age to begin learning the language is between the ages of eighteen months and two years. One reason for this is that children’s brains are significantly more efficient than adults’ brains in creating new neural connections (neuroplasticity).

Every day is a school day.

It has been demonstrated that continuing to study or be educated can enhance IQ by up to five points for every complete year of learning. This can take the shape of formal education, such as continuing on after high school to attend college and university. You can also study at home if you choose. Reading, on the other hand, is one of the finest methods to educate yourself while also increasing your IQ. Reading as many books as possible can boost your vocabulary and, as a result, your verbal IQ.

Having a bigger vocabulary from which to draw can benefit you in all facets of life where communication is essential. You will be able to convey your ideas, opinions, and information with confidence. Furthermore, reading textbooks rather than fiction books will broaden your understanding of a variety of areas. Finally, like with learning a language, teaching a kid to read as early as possible and beginning by reading aloud to them while they are very young all contribute to their IQ increasing as they get older.

If boosting your IQ is essential to you, you now know what to do to improve your IQ. Some of these suggestions may appear basic, but as previously stated, try some and see for yourself. Just don’t expect things to change in an instant. Increasing your brain capacity is something that must be done on a regular basis, maybe for the rest of your life. Everyone has the ability to become wiser over time; all it takes is a little effort!

References

1. What’s the Average IQ? https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-average-iq-2795284
2. What IQ Tests Test http://www.swisswuff.ch/files/richardson2002whatiqteststest.pdf
3. Clever sillies: why high IQ people tend to be deficient in common sense https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19733444/
4. Genes don’t just influence your IQ—they determine how well you do in school https://www.science.org/content/article/genes-dont-just-influence-your-iq-they-determine-how-well-you-do-school
5. Verbal and non-verbal intelligence changes in the teenage brain https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10514
6. https://www.mensa.org.uk/iq-tests
7. Jigsaw Puzzles As Cognitive Enrichment (PACE) – the effect of solving jigsaw puzzles on global visuospatial cognition in adults 50 years of age and older: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5588550/
8. 6 Ways Stress Affects Your Brain https://premierneurologycenter.com/blog/6-ways-stress-affects-your-brain/
9. Can anxiety damage the brain? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26651008/

• The role of prefrontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executive attention, and general fluid intelligence: An individual-differences perspective https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/BF03196323
• Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children http://jtoomim.org/brain-training/holmes2009-sustained-enhancement-of-wm-in-children.pdf
• Fluid intelligence and executive functioning more alike than different? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26281913/
• Executive Function & Self-Regulation https://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/executive-function/
• Socialization and Altruistic Acts as Stress Relief https://www.mentalhelp.net/stress/socialization-and-altruistic-acts-as-stress-relief/
• Laughter is the Best Medicine https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm
• Neuroplasticity as a function of second language learning: Anatomical changes in the human brain https://hmlfunctionalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/language.pdf
• Neuroanatomy, Gray Matter https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553239/
• Grey matter matters for intellect https://www.nature.com/articles/news040719-11
• Foreign language learning in older age does not improve memory or intelligence: Evidence from a randomized controlled study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32011156/
• Language Experience in the Second Year of Life Predicts Language Outcomes in Late Childhood https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6192025/
• Why Children Learn Faster than Adults and How You Can Learn Their Tricks https://irisreading.com/why-children-learn-faster-than-adults-and-how-you-can-learn-their-tricks/
• How Much Does Education Improve Intelligence? A Meta-Analysis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088505/
• The influence of reading ability on subsequent changes in verbal IQ in the teenage years https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929313000406
• Reading Aloud and Child Development: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Brazil https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744270/

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