It is a prevailing belief that a score received as a result of a taken IQ test is final and that the intelligence quotient will remain the same until the end of our days. Such conviction is entirely erroneous, because our IQ evolves throughout the years. It stems from the fact that a human brain acts partially like a muscle – if it is not trained, it works less effectively; yet, if it is trained intensively, it will work in full swing. Interesting research was conducted at a few American universities in late 80s – a group of students was gathered in one place and asked to carry out a standard Wechsler’s IQ test. After ten years, the same people were found and asked to retake the test. The scores differed in different cases even by eight points! Below you can find a few methods to effectively train your brain and systematically improve your intelligence quotient.
1. Read books
It is a common belief that an encounter with a written word is one of the best methods to keep one’s brain fit. It results from the fact that reading motivates both the right hemisphere, responsible for imagination, and the left one, responsible for logical thinking and quickly associating facts, to hard work. IQ tests proved that students reading at least one book a month have scores higher generally by three points compared to student of the same age who do not read at all.
2. Eat healthy food
The products we consume have a considerable impact on the condition of our brains. For a brain to function correctly, it is recommended that you eat fish, nuts, avocado and all products with a high content of iodine. In contrast, eating fast-foods, sweets, salty snacks and drinking alcohol are factors having a negative effect on the intelligence quotient.
3. Avoid watching TV
No other activity makes our brains as lazy as watching television. It resides in the fact that information heard on TV is accepted without thinking. Reading newspapers or surfing on the Internet is much more stimulating. A research was once carried out in the USA on a group of 14 year olds. It was proven in an IQ test that children who had watched TV over three hours a day received scores three points lower than those attained by peers of the same age who had watched TV more seldom and for a shorter period of time.
4. Play chess
No other game requires as much analytical thinking as chess. Planning the next moves and trying to understand the opponent’s strategy is a perfect method to train one’s wits. It has turned out that the best chess players can pride themselves on a very high intelligent quotient: Bobby Fischer - IQ of 190, Garry Kasparov - 185, Robert Byrne and Judith Polgar - 170.