#ImprovingIntelligence #BecomingClever #EnhancingIntelligence #PersonalGrowth
Feeling like you’re not as smart as you’d like to be can be a frustrating and discouraging experience. But the good news is, intelligence is not fixed and can be developed over time with the right approaches and mindset. There are various ways you can improve your cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills, and overall intelligence. Let’s explore some effective strategies that can help you become more clever and intelligent.
Understanding Different Types of Intelligence
Intelligence comes in various forms, and it’s essential to recognize and appreciate the different types of intelligence. Some people may excel academically, while others may have exceptional interpersonal skills or creative abilities. Here are the main types of intelligence:
1. Academic Intelligence: This type of intelligence is often emphasized in traditional educational settings and involves problem-solving, analytical thinking, and academic success.
2. Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence involves the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions, empathize with others, and navigate social situations effectively.
3. Creative Intelligence: People with creative intelligence are imaginative, innovative, and able to think outside the box to generate new ideas and solutions.
4. Practical Intelligence: Practical intelligence is the ability to apply knowledge to real-world situations, adapt to new environments, and solve everyday problems effectively.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Enhancing your critical thinking skills is crucial for becoming more intelligent and capable of navigating complex issues and dilemmas. Here are some practical ways to develop critical thinking:
– Practice questioning: Encourage yourself to ask questions and challenge assumptions. This helps you develop a more analytical and inquisitive mindset.
– Evaluate information: Be discerning about the information you consume. Look for evidence, evaluate sources, and consider different perspectives before forming opinions.
– Engage in discussions: Participating in discussions and debates can help you refine your thoughts, consider opposing viewpoints, and improve your ability to articulate your ideas.
Expanding Knowledge and Learning
Continuous learning and expanding your knowledge base are essential for boosting your intelligence. Here are some strategies to incorporate learning into your daily routine:
– Reading widely: Make a habit of reading books, articles, and essays on various subjects to broaden your understanding and perspective.
– Engaging in online courses: Utilize online platforms to take courses on topics of interest, whether it’s history, science, philosophy, or any other area that intrigues you.
– Seeking new experiences: Immersing yourself in new experiences, such as traveling, attending workshops, or trying new hobbies, can stimulate your mind and enhance your adaptability.
Embracing a Growth Mindset
Developing a growth mindset can significantly impact your intelligence and overall success. A growth mindset involves believing that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. Here are some ways to cultivate a growth mindset:
– Embrace challenges: View challenges as opportunities to learn and grow, rather than as insurmountable obstacles.
– Persist in the face of setbacks: Rather than giving up when faced with setbacks, use them as learning experiences and motivation to improve.
– Learn from criticism: Instead of taking criticism personally, see it as constructive feedback that can help you develop and improve.
Utilizing Memory Techniques
Improving your memory can enhance your intelligence by allowing you to retain and recall information more effectively. Here are some memory-enhancing techniques to consider:
– Mnemonic devices: Use mnemonic techniques, such as acronyms, visualization, or rhymes, to aid in memorizing information.
– Practice retrieval: Actively retrieving information from memory through quizzes, flashcards, or self-testing can strengthen your memory recall.
– Organize information: Create structured outlines and associations to organize and store information for easier retrieval.
In Conclusion
Becoming clever and intelligent is a continuous journey that involves developing various aspects of your cognitive abilities, critical thinking skills, and mindset. By understanding the different types of intelligence, honing critical thinking skills, expanding your knowledge, cultivating a growth mindset, and utilizing memory techniques, you can enhance your intelligence and approach life with greater adaptability and clarity. Remember that intelligence is not fixed, and with dedication and deliberate practice, you can continue to grow and evolve intellectually. Embrace the journey of self-improvement and enjoy the process of becoming increasingly clever and intelligent.
My response would be to “forget” all the useless crap and focus more on what you actually want.
The unfortunate truth is that critical thinking and things of that nature are very hard to improve. Theres no much you can do to change your IQ, IQ mainly changes with age.
I would suggest the best possible way to become “smarter” is to read. You may not be able to do something like quick math in you head or adapt quickly to complex situations but if you can take in and retain as much knowledge as possible, mainly through reading, then you can definitely make yourself seem clever or intelligent.
There are so many books that give great perspective on how to communicate well, make the right decisions, and just overall improve yourself as a human being. Knowledge is power.
My advice with this is to ask yourself if you are actually putting in the effort to learn more. Most people don’t magically inherit information without trying. If you are not attempting your homework or studying for whatever it may be, don’t expect good results.
Also do not listen to people on Instagram and Tik Tok, ESPECIALLY about politics. Almost all of those people are frauds and just redistribute information that was told to them. Im a firm believer that political opinions should be kept to themselves and left for individuals to decide what is their own stance.
Figure out the type and level of “smart” you want to reach, then read the people who are writing at that level. Ignore social media and focus on books and long form essays. Read, a lot. A LOT.
FWIW, you don’t sound “not smart”, so you could be over-analyzing, too.
Study things. Read broadly. Expose your mind to new perspectives and ways of doing things. Think about the way you think.
Read more – Stories stick with us and help us form opinions. The more you read, the more perspectives you’ll have to compare with. Reading will also help you have easier conversations with people on common topics, etc.
Meditate – self-reflection and mindfulness are great tools for opening the way you think and perceive things. Over a period, it will help you become a better observer of things around you.
Pick up a hobby that’s enjoyable and easy but has a scope of turning intense like gardening or cooking.
Also, nuanced political opinions are on websites like Politico, Diplomat, Hard News, magazines etc. Read non-fiction and and books on International Relations, history.
Don’t take this the wrong way. Smart doesn’t mean you’ll be happy. just have some integrity, ask questions, and you’ll be fine 🙂
Have you asked Chat GPT lol?
U don’t. IQ is pretty set from a genetic standpoint. Harsh reality. Here’s what you can do though. Go deep dive your family history from both sides of the parents. Figure out which ancestor was successful and try to copy what he/she did.
For example: if you had an ancestor who worked in the mines, that means you probably have the genes to push your body to the limit and try trades (ppl do get rich in trades). I’m a believer of doubling down and leveraging strengths and gifts rather than working on weaknesses.
Read books. Lots of books. Find a topic of interest, look at college degrees that teach these things and look up what books they use for those classes.
Pick up some new hobbies that include working with your hands. We learn best through doing.
While you’re trying your hand and woodworking/weaving/beginners electronics projects/knitting/sewing/painting/etc look into some podcasts on subjects you find interesting. Biographies and history are a great place to start to expand your general knowledge. When we listen while working with our hands, we are able to retain the knowledge better than if we just listened without doing. Also, just about every hobby I mentioned above has an element of math, spatial awareness and creative thinking to it, which will overall expand your understanding of those concepts. As you excel at your craft, your understanding of the skill set associated with it will deepen as well. Honestly, woodworking or electronics are the ones I would choose to become “smarter” in general.
Lastly, take some time to go for quiet walks (no ear buds) after engaging in your hobbies. Walking allows our subconscious to ponder what we’ve experienced and work through that information. A quiet reflective walk helps to solidify that new knowledge, and compound upon it through our own unique views and perspectives. Then we bring that new knowledge into our sleep with us to further solidify it.
We learn best when when we yearn for that knowledge, and there is so much out there to learn that letting our passions lead us makes it practically effortless. Just takes those first couple steps and you’ll be off and running.
There are different kinds of “smarts”
Some of it is genetic (luck). You cant improve.
Some of it comes from practice. The more you do something, the better you become at it.
Some of it comes from education. Study something and you will become better at it.
Some of it comes from observation. Watch others and see how they do it.
Some of it comes from discussion. Converse with others and learn their perspectives.
Some of it is logic (critical thinking). It’s not necessarily intuitive.
Math. Learn as much math as you can. Trust.
Find something that you like. Anything. Get REALLY good at it.
This will give you that confidence that you can replicate that experience in other endeavors.
This is being more intelligent.
Reading. Books. Not articles and social media posts.
It’s the best way to see inside someone else head and absorb their thoughts. It also improves general processing speed of language which is very helpful.
Also improves focus which is helpful.
Books. Books. Books. The key is sustained effort over time on a focused subject. That’s why books are better.
For critical thinking, you need to read about logic and fallacies. Learn to identify the who, what, where, why and how of a situation. Verify the information you have with at least tow other independent sources, although more is always better. Realize that there is no such thing as unbiased news. Learn to be able to separate facts from emotions when you read and talk.
Learn to question everything. If someone tells you the sky is blue, find two sources to verify that and then find out why it is blue. Don’t know how bluetooth works, look it up instead of just wondering.
For the clever part, I would suggest increasing your vocabulary. Learn a new word every day. I would also listen to comedy as this is what has really helped me. Stay away from comedy that is degrading to other people.
You should also understand what a double entendre is and look at examples of them.
Everything is a skill, you just have to get started. It does take a long time. Doctors don’t happen over night. Just run your own race at your own pace. Take some classes (and be sure to study with your classmates) or read books.
Expose urself to as many new words and ideas a day as possible. Read, audio books, informational documentaries on YouTube.
Take advantage of a local library, thrift store, or book store to get books.
Stay flexible, investigate your strong feelings when they arise, and strive to be kind to yourself and others. You can do it!
buy two or three Encyclopaedias and go through them regularly
Life is just as much about unlearning as it is about learning. To start off, unlearn that you are not clever nor intelligent.
Most Higher virtues are observed before they can be implemented. Follow people whom you find, intelligent, credible and inspiring. Read books, written by strong authors that have a good grasp of plot narrative, every day, strife and interpersonal exchanges. If you like fiction, try Thrawn by Timothy Zahn. It’s about a great character with deep wits and respectable ambition.
On the computational side, watch YouTube videos on any tech skill and make a habit out of it. AI and machine learning are becoming big. Cybersecurity is in demand.
You’re already smarter than your friends with political opinions.
Read, read, read, fiction, nonfiction, encyclopedias. Find online tutorials in critical thinking and logic, e.g. fallacies of logic, syllogisms.
Start reading.
Physical exercise (HIIT especially) staves off cognitive decline that starts in your 30s, so get on that to keep your brain in peak shape. Other than that, learning something that you’re genuinely interested in and asking questions and taking in feedback. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to build from the bottom up, and join some interest groups with people who are better than you to keep you sharp. Also reading and summarizing, doing active reading, etc. It won’t improve your IQ points, but if you’re around 100-115, and have a decent breadth of knowledge as well as one or two areas of expertise like say theory, psychoanalysis or something like that then you’ll be fine. Join some reading groups and ask questions and have integrity in researching answers. It’s pretty easy to “appear” smart if you fill your head with junk, but if you don’t have any foundation, it’s ultimately useless to you, and those close to you. I can see this being necessary when you’re in certain circles to just keep up on topics and appearances. Also, finally, problem solve, if you have knowledge and aren’t applying it, it’s not really knowledge, it’s just gunk in your head after a time.Don’t underestimate the value of structure and accountability and peer pressure. Most who got their degrees wouldn’t have done do without having that accountability and grading imposed on them from without. While degrees don’t necessarily mean someone is smart, utilizing that accountability structure is well worth it, you found something you’re interested in and would like to excel.
Finally, if you’re isolating a lot, your brain can take a hit. People underestimate how important social interaction is for cognition.
Jordan Peterson and the likes who advocate active reading and articulating your thoughts in writing to help you digest information and firm up your understanding may be worth looking into for the tools / best practices for essay writing self-study
Wisecrack channel is digestible but galaxy brained.
Read, read, and then read some more. Find things that interest you and dive in. We are so lucky to live in a world that has a wealth of knowledge right at our fingertips… when I was a kid, I only had the library and my parents collection of Encyclopedia Britannica 😂
Why do you want to be smart? So others can think highly of you? Because you compare yourself to others and want to be better?
What you should do instead is try new things until to come across something that passionately drives you. Something you feel compelled to do without anyone asking you to.
Pursue that which speaks to your heart and you’ll become a master at it
Surround yourself with smart people. You’re the average of your five closest friends
Be reliable, confident, friendly and presentable instead.
If I was looking for an employee, I would take someone who has their shit together, over a clever person that goes to bed at 3am, comes in tired and makes mistakes and calls in sick with depression that they caused themselves through a shitty lifestyle.
Slow down. Think. Playing Games helps a lot too.
Hard work beats intelligence any day man. I was constantly told I’m intelligent by everyone. 25 unemployed dropped out of University thrice and now completing my degree online. 🤞 If anything being seen as intelligent has been nothing but a curse.
Even though you don’t think you’re smart, you’re super smart at things I am dumb at. Guarantee it.
Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do. You weren’t blessed with the universal aura of intelligence. People who were can tap into this aura and are incredibly intelligent (like me). Anyways, good luck 👍
So basically you feel this way because of fake people on Tik Tok and Instagram… Your first step is to delete your Tik Tok and Instagram. Your second second is to find something you want to be good at and go become the best at it… If you get really good at something it will make you seem like the smartest person in the world
Awareness has nothing to smarts. It is taking an interest in things. Paying attention to yourself and to others I think you’re halfway there. If you can notice your feelings. and pay attention to other people’s feelings you’ll be way smarter than anyone else you know
Traveling helps open your mind as well as reading or listening to audiobooks
The more you try new things, the more your brain unlocks into a new way of thinking.
Question things more often. Build a habit of asking why. I like to look for patterns in things
Remember that you can be a doctor and not know the capital of Uganda. There’s no way to know everything so focus on a topic and head down the rabbit hole with it so you can feel well versed in that topic. You can even take free online courses from Harvard, Google, etc and just listen to lectures. You might not understand at first but you’ll be hearing a new perspective that you can consider.
Follow and foster your curiousity.