In the feedback on my original post, 5 Simple Ways to Make the Most of Your Intelligence, two of the most common comments were:
1. 5 ways aren’t nearly enough
2. Nothing works for everyone
I whole heartedly agree with both of these statements.
One reader even went as far as posting his/her own 5 Ways in the Reddit comment thread. I thought they were so good that I wanted to share with everyone else. Here they are:
1. Cultivate friendships with people who think differently. I enjoy talking to people who really challenge my conception of the world. Artists (I’m not one), medical staff (I’m not one), construction workers (I’m not one) and so on.
2. Get outside your own culture through travel, social gatherings, … Travel is great (but the hit on the environment is large, so…. do a few long trips rather than many short ones perhaps?) especially if you immerse locally. Going to Cuba and staying in a western hotel is not travel. Going backpacking in Nepal is. Doing voluntravel (going somewhere to help, e.g. Medicins Sans Frontiers) is ideal. But in any event the challenge to your sense of normalcy is fabulous. I spent a month in western China with my kids. Watching them take in the local environment and adapt was a real eye opener to how stuck-in-my-own-ways I’d become.
3. Learn that it is okay to turn off your cell phone and email. Reflective thought and deep reading take time. Oh excuse me, just got an email, be right back. Nope, that doesn’t work. Its okay to be unreachable for hours a day. I aim to answer email for an hour at the end of the day, at most. For many hours I’m unreachable except by family. Since I started that my time for thinking and reading has risen dramatically.
4. Do less better. There’s always another project that we rush to, never finishing the one we were doing. Sorry, great works of science and art take great dedication, polish, and repolish! Sure, we’re not all Darwin or Monet, but we should ASPIRE to be. Just say no to some projects. Focus on a few (make your family a project… for extra points!).
5. In all things seek balance. I agree that exercise is good. So is reading. So is relaxation – and if a bit of TV is what works, great. I for one watch old romantic comedy movies when I’m brain dead (well, okay, when I’m especially brain dead). I also enjoy blending my activities – go for a long walk that ends up at a coffee shop where I read a paper or book and stare out the window.
These 5 things are a great compliment to the original article, but there are still many more the haven’t been mentioned. I’d love to hear what works best for you.
What are your favorite ways to make the most of your intelligence? Share them in the comments.
I’ve been battling a sense of futility concerning intelligent people and how they really don’t DO anything for the world anymore. That the influential people of the world are more concerned with their own power than sharing the knowledge they have and inspiring passion amongst the apathetic masses.
Stumbling upon this blog has been a bright point in my search for examples that there are people who honestly give a damn about anything.
I adore you. I also adore this commenter’s five reasons because they display some sense outside of the self and more of a continuity with the world that a lot are lacking.
Keep up the great work. Much love.
“Going to Cuba and staying in a western hotel is not travel.”
It depends where you started the journey. When I lived in Big Spring, TX and had never been out of west TX, going to Dallas broadened my view of the world immensely. So what if I stayed in Motel 6?
If you’ve never stayed in a motel, staying in ANY motel, is indeed travel.
You will need to expand your travels to achieve clarity regarding the “staying in a Western hotel” statement. There is a huge difference when you are fully immersed in another culture.
Marcel Proust once said, “The only true voyage, the only Fountain of Youth, would be discovered not in travelling to strange lands but in having different eyes, in seeing the universe with the eyes of another, of a hundred others, in seeing the hundred universes each of them sees, which each of them is.” But I think what he said was half right. The physical displacement from your ordinary vista, everyday environment is a logical prerequisite for seeing the universe with the eyes of another person.
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I for one love playing challenging games like chess or Igo, which sharpens mental acuity.
I’m sorry to say this, Beth, but traveling to Dallas is not Journey. Yes, you may have grown up in a small town, away from large cities, but getting out of your culture is different. You still spoke english when you went to Dallas. You knew the type of food you were going to order. You knew how find a place to stay…. But going to a foreign country where you are immersed into a different culture… now that’s Travel… You don’t know the langauge, food, where to sleep, how to get around, etc. You have to learn the customs of their land and adapt accordingly. I’ve never been to NYC, and have lived in the U.S. my whole life. Going to NYC is not “Travel”, it’s a visit… There’s more to the world then just the U.S…
Another way to maximize your intelligence is through your diet. Excess fat (especially trans fats) and simple sugar intake leave the brain sluggish. In additon, degenerative diseases like diabetes heart attack and stroke can be linked to ill considered dietetic choices. Cruciferous vegetables, almonds, salmon, soybeans, brown rice, reishi mushrooms, avocado and bananas all help with brain function. Supplements and herbs in capsule form like Flaxseed Oil and Ginkgo Biloba are beneficial as well.
Do crosswords and cryptograms…my favorites…
Read math books!
Work up to advanced math.
Nothing is as challenging as math.
That’s a good one. I guess I forgot to include anything about math. Programming exercises would be good too.
I traveled to Italy several years ago and was there for several weeks. When I returned, the first thing I did was to go find the nearest good burger joint and enjoy a 100% USDA sandwich. While I was eating, my father made a comment to the effect, “What a great opportunity, that was once in a lifetime, son.” I stopped, looked him straight in the eye and replied, “Better kill me now.”
If I could ever make a recommendation, it would be to travel. Do it often. Do it with someone else. Get out of your comfort zone.
I know what you mean. I traveled through Europe for a few weeks with a few friends after graduation this summer. Who knows when I’ll get the chance to go back.
I completely agree with the idea of travel as a way to increase intelligence. I spent a month in Ireland during college and it changed my life. You cant fully grasp the fact that there is another way of life besides that of the U.S. until you experience it first hand. Once you do you become more open minded then you ever thought imaginable.
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I have to agree about turning off the phone and e-mail, especially the phone. For most people it is an addiction; you really don’t have to answer it as soon as it rings. And having time for yourself allows you to recharge. I know I’m less cranky around other people when I’ve had time to myself. We all need our personal space.
Oh darn! Why in the hell did I find you AFTER I decided that I was going to strictly limit my time on the internet?
John,
You’ve got an impressive connection with your “inner self” and it comes out in the wisdom to share. I’m impressed with this, and with your equally prolific writing! Keep up the great work! (Here and in your workouts — congrats on the weight loss and muscle gain!)
Thanks a lot, Christopher. I’m glad you’ve found my writing worth while.
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Thank you for the writing you have posted . It was very helpful for all of us . my collegues, students and my family
thank you again
Write! It doesn’t matter what, as long as you’re trying to express thoughts or feelings, understand the world, comment on events, develop a theory of something, or make stories up. Just write in full sentences, not in lists or bullet points, and your mind will grow.
(I also suspect that writing longhand, at least some of the time, gives an extra boost… and it avoids the drain of looking at a monitor.)
I couldn’t agree more with you sea!,I’ve been writing in journals for quite some time now, and think that this has not only helped me on an intellectual level, but has also transfered over into my social life (naturally very shy) by helping me express my thoughts and feelings openly, logically, and fluidly. thanks for your input!
I found this is the best game!
Reading something new and challenging often can stimulate the mind. Try not to always read about something you are already familiar with, but instead seek new material that cover subjects you may have never heard of. How else can you become enlightened if you don’t venture outside familiarity?
I understand what you mean. The only books i read now are fantasy books, they make me feel like i am traveling. The only book that i read that i liked and didn’t hate was Hatchet (outside of school), i read the whole series and now i feel like i should go into the wilderness. It made me feel like i was traveling. So, i watch only the informational channels now and try to watch man vs wild and other survival shows like that as much as possible. The alaskan episode of m v. w makes me want to eat fresh caught salmon, YUMMM!!! Oh yeah, im alittle off subject but bear with me(not a joke). I was in the boyscouts witch taught me how to use certain things in a first aid kit, plus im taking chemistry(i hope Mr. T teaches me what chemicals are used to heal skin. The point is i have a very very high intelligence for a sophmore, but nobody knows it. I mean come on i practically invented a car that uses NO gas when i was in the fourth grade, NO KIDDING!! Just nobody knows bcause they cant see throught my ADD, and they dont even know its there… It would help if someone commented this, and if i remember replying to this message…
now that i look back at this message i really got off subject…
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John,
That was great work. I think me visiting this article was something different which I did apart from my daily technical works. It was really boosting my brains ..
aubh9T hi nice site thx http://peace.com
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I find car jorneys are the best thing to make me think.
Looking our the window at the world rushing by with my mp3 player really does it for me for some reason.
Also I think your comment about travel very valid. I’ve been backpacking to Sri Lanka, Turkey, Tunisia and Vietnam and on each trip I’ve gained some insight onto others lives and felt more confident within myself.
I’m hoping to go to Malawi with my school this year to help build a well and help a school there that we have correspondence with.
Moreover, I LOVEEEE reading. Have you read any Cecelia Ahern books? They always get me thinking.
Your a impressive guy John, I’ll keep looking out for any more posts you went out.
Love x
Great tips, ill put these into play
excellent information.
ill take number 3
exercise your breathing everyday it only trakes 10 min the most your brain needs oxygen
What an interesting article! I shall be sure to put these into use!
brilliant tips, i am all for the travel, i wanna go backpacking in china, or japan lol.
I for one love playing challenging games like chess or Igo, which sharpens mental acuity.
Knowledge transfer from experienced people can improve your intelligence too
I am a big fan of this website and I read as many articles as I can. I find that good ideas come to me when I am relaxed and confident. Sometimes I can be very relaxed, as if I am in a spa and a good idea will come to me. Music helps me relax a lot and that is when ideas hit. I was at a concert yesterday evening listening to a pianist play Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto and when I close my eyes my imagination runs wild and I start dreaming of various dances, a beautiful scene, I imagine transforming the concert hall into a specatularly modern music hall. At other times, I get ideas from the newspaper, books and articles on the web. I also get ideas from design books, fashion and interior design magazines. Travelling is also a great way to observe how other cultures are, how other people in foreign countries live and how different each culture can be. There are so many ways people can maximize their creativity and intelligence and all you have to do is find a way that suits you and makes you feel comfortable and relaxed.
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awesome
Travelling definetely expands the horizon of oneself. Seeing how other people live, especially when you see what they go through, you’re more efficiently able to put in perspective what’s really important in your life.
Like Augustine of Hippo said:
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
Travelling definitely expands the horizon of oneself. Seeing how other people live, especially when you see what they go through, you’re more efficiently able to put in perspective what’s really important in your life.
Like Augustine of Hippo said:
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned playing an instrument. I think that it’s rewarding in lots of ways: manual dexterity, “mental dexterity”, it can be social, emotional, challenging, etc.
Music can be challening/rewarding in more technical terms when you get into the theory behind it, which is ultimately rooted in math. Or even write your own.
Finally, if you like to sing along like i do, it’s a big physical pick-me-up. I find that the physical engagement, emotional expression, and deep breathing to have very pleasant effects.
I might give step 3 in the main blog a go as I’m always connected online with messengers and that. Thanks for the advice
your blog is very good, keep up the good work.
I believe one way to engage our brains to function more is to think differently. For example, when you are looking at something, your brain tells you what it is. Then you gotta think why it is there, how it got to be there, how does this work, how you can use it, etc, etc.
Questioning until you cannot find an answer, and then digging more to learn further is a good way of cognition. It is fun too.
Keep asking ‘what if’, then you can imagine one situation in different perspectives and know distinct outcomes. That would be acquiring ‘creative-experience’ (as I call it). Problems would be easily solved if you knew nearly all the answers, right?
A little known way to increase one’s intelligence is actually to go into ‘beta-wave mode’ for a little while every day. When you are only half listening to someone or not really paying attention to the world even though you still recognise it around you, your brain will pick up on things you might not have noticed and will even make some very interesting connections that you might not have otherwise made.
FIRST SORRY FOR MY LATE REPLY BUT I HAVE A SMALL PROBLEM THAT I CAN SAVE THINGS I MEAN IN STUDYING ONLY WHEN IAM WALKING AROUND THE ROOM REPEATING WORDS BUT I SAVE VERY SLOWLY WHEN I SIT THAT`S DRIVING ME CRAZY
I forget things easily it can be anything, people says that money is the one thing that one cannot forget, but I forget. I m now applying your tips in my daily routine. I noticed that it works. when I want to exercise my brain I used to read any interested article that no one stop reading until it ends. thank you.