The secret to upgrade your thinking skills is in your hands! Raising intelligence levels is totally possible and we’re here to show you how with these 17 different ways to increase your IQ!
So, What Are Some Ways to Increase Your IQ?
Snapshot of Ways to Increase Your IQ:
As you can see, there are lots of things you can do to increase your IQ and maximize your intelligence. Now, let’s go a bit deeper into each one of the things on this list shall we?
Walk And Talk
Suggesting the idea of holding meetings on a treadmill sounds uncanny and a tad bit funny.
However, little do people know that walking encourages the release of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
The BDNF is the key to biohack the brain!
It not only mends damaged brain cells (neurons) but also promotes the development of new synaptic connections!
If you have an exam or an important meeting that needs rehearsal, try practicing while walking or exercising!
P.s: We have an amazing article that gives you a detailed guide on how to biohack your brain here!
Solve Puzzles And Recognize Patterns
People with high IQs can recognize those patterns better than others. That’s how they can connect ideas and form new brilliant ones.
What you’re going to be looking for is a correlation as in shapes, alphanumeric differences, colors, similarities, and differences between things.
Solving puzzles challenge your brain and make it more active.
Attempting these activities daily sharpens the brain over time, and is one of the best ways to increase your IQ over time.
A good place to start would be here: Brain Puzzles to Increse your IQ
>> Click here to Check out their hundreds of challenging puzzles
(From Level 5 “Easy” – Up to Level 10 “Mind Boggling”)
Meditate Daily (Clear Your Mind…)
Individuals that meditate daily configure the brain effectively; such that it offers a longer attention span!
This study conducted by some neuroscience researchers involved running MRI scans of people who meditated daily.
Surprisingly, their synaptic activity was much more pronounced than individuals who did not meditate!
Deep Breathing Exercises
Replenishing the brain’s oxygen supply frequently is often taken for granted.
When one should find themselves in a situation where it becomes hard for them to think clearly due to stress, they are advised to take deep breaths.
Why?
Because this helps the brain function efficiently!
Taking deep breaths frequently is the easiest way to boost your IQ level over time!
Active Journaling
Writing everything down on paper helps you analyze your goals precisely and hence achieve them.
It also allows you to merit your catharsis.
Many famous scientists and philosophers were journaling fanatics, writing everything that crossed their minds on paper!
Examples include Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, and the infamous Albert Einstein!
Did you know that there are actual “Brain Journals” that you can buy to help with this process?
Pretty cool huh?
They are jam packed with useful activities to help you on your way to incresing your IQ through daily journaling.
Periodic Short Breaks
Burning yourself out with excessive amounts of work can deteriorate your performance and focus.
Taking frequent but short breaks is a good way to give your brain an essential breather.
For example, after every 20-25 minutes, a 5-minute break would be ample enough to reinvigorate the brain.
Just do it!
Taking a break is one of the easiest things you can do, yet many people tend to skip over this simple, yet powerful tool.
Never Skip Breakfast
It is the most important meal of the day.
Individuals who skip breakfast daily demonstrate poor performance and unrefined cognitive skills.
Having breakfast delivers the nutrients (mainly glucose) your brain needs after a good night’s sleep.
There are some exceptions to this rule however, especially for those who are following an intermittent fasting diet, but that is another topic all on its own.
Sugar Is Your Enemy
If I would advise you to replace one element in your diet forever, it would be sugar.
Sugar is a MAJOR reason for inflammation and poor brain health.
Over time, it harms cognitive abilities and provokes an unhealthy metabolic cycle in the body making you feel sluggish and low energy.
Natural sugar substitutes like honey or Stevia should be used instead. If you feel like the damage has already been done, you may even look into a garlic or coffee enema to help rid your body of toxins.
Cardio (Cardiovascular Exercise)
Walking is good.
But cardio is even better!
It triggers the release of BDNF, flushes out toxins, speeds up the metabolism, and encourages weight loss.
All of this is great for a healthy brain!
One should incorporate an exercise regimen at least thrice a week, if not more.
One of the best forms of cardio is called HIIT (sometimes HIT), known as high intensity interval training.
You basically workout as hard and fast as you can for short bursts (like 30 seconds to 2 minutes) followed by a less intensity interval, and then repeat the process several times back to back.
Many HIIT workouts only last 12 to 20 minutes, but have far greater benefits than by simploy walking for 30 minutes (for example).
But, walking is also great for your brain. The bottom line, is to get moving!
Play Dual N-Back App
This is a famous memory game.
People who constantly play Dual-n back have better memories.
Having a great memory is one of the main signs of high intelligence. 20 minutes devoted to this game should be more than enough!
There is even a full reddit community for dual n-back here that swear by this app as being one of the best ways to increase your IQ.
But, be the judge for yourself…
Also Check Out: My List of 19 Different Pre-Frontal Cortex Exercises You Can do to Boost Brain Power!
Supplementing With Nootropics to Help with Increasing IQ
The nootropic industry has evolved greatly over the years.
These smart pills are a great way to attain focus, energy, drive, and cognition.
A lot of them also happen to be memory boosters and mood elevators.
Have a look at our article to get a better know-how of nootropics!
You can find our top nootropics supplement recommendations list here.
Incorporating Antioxidants into Your Diet
Antioxidants hunt down free radicals responsible for causing damage to the brain.
They also promote cognition and create a healthy brain environment.
Citrus fruits and green vegetables such as Oranges and Brocolli are great sources of antioxidants.
You can also incorporate a greens powder supplement (like I do) if you find it difficult to eat a ton of vegetables every and every day.
Supplementing With Creatine
Creatine boosts brainpower.
It does this by upscaling the production of ATP, a small molecule responsible for yielding energy.
It can also offer some degree of neuroprotection.
Meat is a good source of Creatine. There are also hundreds of creatine supplements on Amazon at very affordable prices.
Learn A New Language
Learning a new language would pose a great challenge to the hippocampal region of the brain.
It is one of the most effective ways to trigger critical thinking in the brain.
Learning a new language is certainly not an easy task in the beginning, but gets much easier once you get started, and one that will always come in handy in the long run!
Plus, if you think that the only language learning options out there are limited to Spanish, French, and German, you’d be surprised!
In fact, you can now learn ANY language online with 1 on 1 instruction!
(Yes, I said ANY language!)
Whether it’s Bavarian, Hungarian, Mongolian, Polish, Serbian, Swahili, Turkinsh, Vietnamese, or any other language spoken around the world, there is a one on one language teacher that can help you 100% online!
If you’ve ever contemplated learning a new language, this is one of the absolute best ways to get the ball rolling!
With one-on-one instruction, you’ll not only learn much faster than normal language learning software programs, you’ll actually save money too. What do you have to lose? Give it a try.
Adopting Creative Habits
Practicing creativity is super important to your mental health and your intelligence.
Having hobbies is also important because it’s a way to relieve yourself from stress.
Creativity can manifest itself in the form of many things.
May it be painting, drawing, doing puzzles, writing fiction, or anything that makes you happy and loses track of time, (yes, this includes video games too!).
Getting Proper Sleep
Getting 8 hours of sleep at night can do wonders for you.
It gives your brain the rest it deserves and gears it up for demanding tasks ahead.
And not just that, proper sleep raises the immunity bar, maintains a healthy weight, and reduces stress as well as brain fog!
Ultimately, cognitive skills and memory skills are polished over time!
If you want to take it even further, you can take a lucid dreaming supplement to maximize the effectiveness of your time asleep!
Lucid dreaming has many different benefits, including more mental clarity after you wake up!
>> Check out our list of 20 lucid dreaming supplements here.
Read, Read, And Read Some More!
Reading opens numerous portals, some of which directly influence the brain for the better!
Any genre helps!
Even starting off by reading 1-2 pages daily can encourage healthy thought processes to run your mind!
Make reading (even if just for 5 to 10 minutes) a daily activity, preferrably right after you wake up. Your mind will be much sharper in the long run!
Ways To Increase Your IQ Through Science – My Final Thoughts….
Grasping all 17 of these habits might become a bit too overwhelming for some.
I’d suggest you start out by adopting the one or two that appeal to you the most, and add more to your routine over time.
Stay consistent in your efforts, and let the many fruitful benefits unravel, and watch your IQ increase as a result!
Quick Question…
What types of habits or exercises have you tried to help you on your journey to increasing your IQ?
Please share them in the comments below!
About David Gracey
Founder of SuperMindHacker.com
In other words, I am completely obsessed with anything and everything related to cognitive brain enhancement!
Whether it's nootropics supplements, challenging brain puzzles, or even meditation techniques, chances are, I've tried it! This website is my outlet to give back and share what I've learned in the past 15+ years in this field of study.
You Can Read my Other Posts Here: David Gracey's Articles