Science Says: Yes, You Can Be Smarter!
“Summa Cum Laude!”
“First Honor!”
“Best in Math!”
A few weeks ago, the country celebrated its graduates, handing out awards and accolades to the nation’s brightest students.
Have you ever wondered if you can be as smart as those kids with stacks of medals around their necks?
You can!
And you are!
In this post, we’ll run through a list of things you can do to unlock the power inside your noggin–because there are many ways to train your brain besides geeking out in the library.
Train Your Brain
#1 Learn A Musical Instrument
In the largest study of its kind, researchers discovered that students who play a musical instrument do better in Science, Math, and English than their non-playing cohorts.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia looked into the records of 110,000 high school students and discovered how, for example, high grades in Music correlated also with high grades in Math (but not vice versa).
It is said that playing music engages multiple areas of the brain, enhancing their cognitive functions.
Musicians are known to have a larger hippocampus, the part of the brain that’s responsible for memory and learning.
So if you want to give your brain a boost, you might want to pick up a guitar, a drum, or a sax, and pray that you have nice neighbors.
#2 Learn A New Language
According to an analysis of 20 different studies on language learning, students who learn a new language perform better academically than those who don’t study a second language. The language learners are seen to have advantages in core subjects like Science and Mathematics.
They also have:
The links between language learning and improved cognitive functions are well-documented. So there might be more benefits to your addiction to K-dramas.
(If you are intentional with your learning, a day might come when you won’t need subtitles swooning over your “Oppa!”)
#3 Learn A Sport
You might think that playing basketball or volleyball under the midday sun is a waste of time, or that it’s simply horsing around when one is done with homework.
But we don’t even have to tap into the idea of multiple intelligences to know that sports have a positive impact on academic intelligence.
Physical activity, like sports, boosts blood flow to the different areas of the brain, enhancing cognitive processes like learning and memory.
Sports require focus, concentration, and quick decision-making. It trains executive functions like planning, problem-solving, and creativity.
It’s no wonder why research has found that students engaged in sports also perform academically better than their peers who do not.
We’ve always wondered how some student-athletes excel both in academics and athletics. This might be part of the explanation.
#4 Solve Puzzles, Riddles & Brain Games
If you want to develop muscles, you go to the gym.
The brain is like a muscle, and solving puzzles, riddles, and mind-benders is like going to the gym. It strengthens the connections between neurons and increases efficiency and processing speed.
By working on riddles, logic games, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and jigsaw puzzles, you’re honing your visual and spatial reasoning skills, as well as problem-solving and analytical thinking chops.
Not only that, research has shown that working on puzzles can be an effective way to combat cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
So what are you waiting for?
Don’t wait for old age before giving your brain that all-important workout.
#5 Meditate
That’s right! Meditation isn’t just for stress relief.
Studies have shown that meditation can increase IQ by 23%.
A lot of wonderful things happen in the brain during meditation. With slower brain waves, the brain is better able to reorganize itself to become more optimized. The hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, vital for short-term and long-term memory, also show increased activity during meditation.
Increases in the formation of gray matter have also been found in certain areas of the brain.
Neuroscience has shown that meditation is one of the most effortless ways to become innovative and creative.
#6 A Healthy Lifestyle
Let’s not forget that having a healthy body also means having a healthy mind.
So all activities that boost our body as a whole will also bring positive outcomes for the brain.
We’ve already mentioned earlier how exercise, through sports, can bring fresh supplies of blood and oxygen to the brain, keeping it active and alert.
Adequate sleep is needed as well. As it relates to learning, sleep is required before and after learning. Sleep is needed before learning for the brain to become receptive to new information. And after, sleep gives your brain the chance to integrate that new information.
Another pillar of healthy living is good nutrition. Eating a balanced diet ensures that the brain gets all the nutrients it needs to function properly.
Nutrition has such a big role to play in intelligence that governments around the world are prioritizing the nutritional needs of their population, especially that of their students. There’s little learning to be had when the body cannot fuel its most energy-demanding organ—the brain.
#7 Social Interactions
We often do not associate “Maritess” activities with increased cognitive functioning. But research has shown that social interactions do make us smarter.
When researchers looked into the frequency of social interactions and their participants’ level of cognitive competence, they found a positive correlation between the two. Compared to a control group, people who engaged in more social interactions also had higher cognitive functioning.
On the other hand, “social deprivation,” and “social isolation” especially during the brain developmental phases, have deleterious effects on cognitive ability.
The “Maritesses” in the neighborhood certainly don’t have anything to worry about.
#8 Travel
You may be coming home with more than just pictures after your travels. You’ll be bringing back more “brain capital.”
Exposure to new environments and cultures can stimulate an individual’s creativity, which comes in handy when problem-solving and creative thinking. Travel gives you front seats on how different people approach and solve the same problems. Or notice, for example, how different cultures use the same ingredients to come up with very distinct culinary traditions.
Travel often requires cognitive flexibility and quick thinking, as you may have experienced navigating through an unfamiliar territory.
When researchers compared well-traveled people and their non-travelling peers, the former were more creative, more mentally flexible, and better able to hold conflicting viewpoints at the same time.
Ticking that bucket list item just might give you more than you bargained for.
So take time to travel. Tell your boss you’re doing it for the sake of the company.
These 8 things are not only fun, they put your brain through a workout. Do them and, before long, you’ll come out the other end a lot wiser.
BloodWorks Lab is your partner in developing both a healthy body and a healthy mind. We offer check-up packages to help you monitor your health.
BloodWorks is your one-stop shop for all your blood tests and medical screening needs.
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