For as long as one can remember, it was believed that people were born with a set level of intelligence, and what you had, is all you would ever have. And that your potential was a predetermined bar that you could not rise above.

However, recent studies have shown this to be totally incorrect. One such study at Michigan University was conducted by Susanne M. Jaeggi and Martin Buschkuehl. They found that at least one aspect of a person’s fluid intelligence, which was primarily thought to be fixed at birth, can vastly improve with proper stimuli. Another study from the University of Oregonfound similar findings when testing first grade students who were
struggling academically. They found that spending less than six hours playing brain games over the course of ten weeks enabled them to catch up to those students in the top of their class.

“When it comes to improving intelligence, many researchers concluded that it was not possible. Our findings, however, clearly show that this is not the case. Our brain is more plastic than we think,” said lead researcher of the Michigan University team, Susanne M. Jaeggi.

What these studies show us is that learning new skills makes the brain work better and faster by creating new neural pathways.

The following six hobbies can increase your intelligence, and I’ll tell you how!

1. Playing a musical instrument

Playing a musical instrument boosts creativity, helps develop analytic skills, and greatly improves overall  brain function.Glenn Schellenberg conducted a study at the University of Toronto which found that learning to play a musical instrument strengthens the corpus callosum that connects both hemispheres of the brain, thereby creating new neural connections. In fact, after testing students who were playing musical instruments, he saw an average jump of seven points on their IQs.

2. Reading

You can read anything, really anything, and your brain will thank you. There are three types of intelligence- fluid, crystallized, and emotional- and reading helps improve them all. Emotional intelligence involves awareness and understanding of one’s own emotions. According to IQTestExperts, “crystallized intelligence relies on existing skills, knowledge and experience to solve problems by accessing information from long-term memory.
Fluid intelligence, on the other hand, relies on the ability to understand relationships between various concepts to solve the problems. It is independent of any previous knowledge, skills or experience and accesses information from short-term memory or ‘working memory'”.

On top of improving those three aspects of brain function, reading also reduces stress, and who couldn’t use a little less stress in their life?

3. Exercising REGULARLY

Leg days at the gym, and the occasional strenuous workout won’t cut it. To reap the benefits of mental acuity, regular exercise is needed. A nightly walk, a daily swim, or even morning yoga will help improve memory, learning, focus, concentration and understanding. Exercising on a regular basis increases levels of a crucial protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. This protein is essential maintaining healthy neurons and creating new ones. The study done by Gomez-Pinilla at UCLA states that regular exercise can even repair the synapses in the spinal cord, relating to neuromuscular activity.

With these finding, the opposite has also been found to be true- lack of exercise and prolonged periods of inactivity actually inhibits our brain from functioning as well as it could.

4. Learning new languages

When we learn a new language, we trigger responses in the brain that improve skills like planning and problem-solving. Learning and speaking more than one language also positively enhances one’s ability to monitor their environment and helps them to process thoughts faster.

There is even research which was done at Pennsylvania State University that states learning a second language can actually increase grey and white matter in the brain!

5. Giving your brain a workout

Whether it’s solving a crossword puzzle, playing video games or board games, challenging the brain increases neuroplasticity, and makes you smarter. Neuroplasticity refers to noticeable differences and changes in neural pathways and synapses that happen because of changes in one’s environment, or situations. Basically it means the brain can adjust it’s own neurons to compensate for the changes we initiate in our own lives.

Solving problems causes us to be aware of new modes of thinking, and improves our cognitive abilities!

6. Meditating

There have been few studies on meditation as prolific as the ones Richard Davidson, a prominent neuroscience professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has conducted. His findings suggest that meditation can ultimately alter the structure and function of the brain.

Wired writes that Davidson suggested “if meditation could enhance the brain’s ability to produce ‘attention and affective processes’ – emotions, in the technical language of his study – it might also be used to modify maladaptive emotional responses like depression”.

The entirety of the research results can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results were also published in the Wall Street Journal, and boy did it draw some attention.

The general concept here is understanding that the brain can change itself and heal itself (in a manner of speaking). Various activities engage different parts of the brain so you can improve your strengths and diminish your weaknesses.

There are literally countless ways to improve your brain function and increase memory, along with altering emotional responses to a more positive way of life. Two of my favourite brain enhancing activities consist of traveling to new places, and writing. I find that experiencing new cultures and lifestyles opens the mind up to endless possibilities and stirs the curiosity within. And writing is where imagination flows freely- letting the mind explore places I never knew were there.

What are some things you like to do to kickstart your brain? Leave us your tips in the comments!

       Amad Ahmad

We wake up, see the alarm clock, and roll over for another five minutes. But the act of even seeing what time it is, is something unimaginable for those without eyesight. And what about noticing the colours of flowers, the sky, or of your children’s eyes? Those who were born colour blind can never experience such things- or they couldn’t until now.

A non-profit organization called 20/20/20 has been helping those who have lost their eyesight to see the world again. 20/20/20 has found a simple way to correct a complete loss of vision, colour blindness, and even blindness from birth. The surgery costs around $300 and takes less than 15 minutes! How can this happen? The surgeon removes the defective lens that’s causing the blindness and replaces it with an artificial lens. The operation occurs through a small incision, and there are no stitches needed- just some bandages and a few hours of healing!

One of the most inspirational bits about this, is that 20/20/20 performs these surgeries to help children and adults in 40 of the world’s poorest countries; those who live on less than a dollar a day could never afford a $300 surgery.

On top of what 20/20/20 is doing, there are companies that are helping those with low vision and total colour-blindness. Esight has created a device which “uses a sophisticated high-speed camera, patented video processing software, a computer processor and the highest quality video OLED screens to project a real-time image that allow the legally blind to actually see”, according to their website. There is also EnChroma, who have developed specific glasses for those with colour-blindness, and they even have a test you can take on their website totest your vision!

#1. Lagos, Nigeria

Most people define success differently, whether it’s at work or at home. People say they want to be a successful parent or spouse, but they don’t really know what that means when they try to define it. How many times have you heard someone say, “We are just doing the best we can”? While that at least indicates they are trying, it doesn’t really tell me that they know what they are shooting for. Our families are too important to just shoot in the dark and hope something good comes out of it. Here are a few things that you can try to help you create a “successful” relationship with your family at home.

1. Love Unconditionally
This goes without saying, but you will be happier as a family if you love each other unconditionally. Your spouse or kids are going to make you upset occasionally. It’s ok to get angry sometimes, but you can never forget that you love them and only want the best for them. Sometimes you may not like each other, but you shouldn’t have to remind yourself that you love them.

2. Set High Expectations
By setting goals and expectations among-st your family, you can avoid slipping into the mundane and routine lifestyle that can get stagnant after a while. Love each other enough to set high expectations for each other in all aspects of life. If you improve as individuals, then you will improve as a family. The higher the expectations that you set for each other, then the more everyone will feel accountable because they don’t want to let anyone down. This is a great way to become closer as a family and talk about goals and expectations instead of sitting around watching TV or playing around on social media.

3. Be Truthful
If there’s something bothering you, then be truthful about it. Whether something within your family or outside of the family is weighing on your chest, then get it off as soon as possible. Be truthful to one another and expect that the rest of your family is being truthful as well. If you or someone else happens to break that trust, then try to rebuild it as quickly as possible and give others a chance to rebuild it as well.

4. Be Supportive
Support each other in each endeavor that takes place. The old saying goes that family needs our presence more than our presents. This just means that you being there for them is more meaningful than giving them something. Time can be an investment, so why not invest some of your time into your family?

5. Never Give Up
Successful families aren’t the ones that are perfect at everything. In fact, it is mostly the opposite. Families that are imperfect, but refuse to give up on one another, are the strongest and most successful families in the world. Celebrate when things are good and cry with each other when things are bad. It may seem like the world is against you at times, but make sure that you know that your family is on your side.

Life is a beautiful gift that should be cherished by you and your family. Life is also a lot better when you do it with your family. Never compromise your integrity with your family to achieve popularity outside of your family. And just remember that the success that you achieve at the expense of your family isn’t really success after all.

Thank You For Reading

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