Getting smarter is possible if you take into account some aspects of critical thinking and the fact that people can stimulate it through habits and mental exercises. And this will last forever.
Read More: How to Avoid Being Late Everywhere?
That is, even though adult brain development stops between the ages of 25 and 30 (this is called the “brain maturation arrest stage”), it’s important to remember that our minds can still change based on how we live until after we turn 80.
Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is the brain’s ability to change and adapt to new situations and learn new things. This ability is much stronger in children and teenagers, but it stays with us throughout our lives. Neuroplasticity means that the brain can recover, change shape, and adapt to new situations for most of our adult lives. After all, there are more than 100 billion neurons in the brain. These neurons are born, get stronger, and die, but they can keep making new connections with other neurons. if the right training and exercises are done.
Read Also: How does Music Effect Our Health?
Harvard University professors Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel say in their book The Science of Successful Learning that some habits you can pick up to make you smarter are:
1. Learn New Things
Every time we take in new information, our brains create synapses that ultimately make us smarter. It doesn’t matter if you’re learning a new recipe for dinner, assembling a piece of furniture, or a new language; what matters is that you’re opening your mind to the possibility of learning something new.
2. Repeat Words out Loud
The greatest way to commit something to memory is to say it out multiple times. The mental association with the material will be strengthened, allowing you to retain more of it.
3. Use your Hand for things you Rarely do
Yes, it’s hard, but it can help you strengthen the links between your brain cells. Try doing things with your non-dominant hand, like brushing your teeth, combing your hair, etc.
4. Stimulate the Senses
Try to keep your senses active—smell, touch, and taste—so that your brain is more active, especially in the parts of the brain that like this kind of stimulation.
To Know More: Fitness Trends for 2023
Shari Tishman, who is also from Harvard and writes about how to think effectively today, suggests other ways to be smarter, even if they can make you have trouble with love.
5. Construct Explanations and Understandings
Find ways to explain things to yourself when you have questions or when something surprises you. You can learn about the world through books, movies, or research.
6. Ask Questions, Identify issues, and Do Research
Smart people can learn a lot from being able to think critically. A great place to start is by not blindly believing what you see or hear and instead developing your own sense of right and wrong. To develop critical thinking, it’s also important to stop and think before acting and to always know what’s going on.
7. Intellectual Vigilance
Watch what you read and watch. When there is so much information to take in, be picky, because everything you take in stays in your mind.
8. Discover your Unique Intellect
Think about how you think, try to improve it, and try to figure out what makes your mind unique.
9. Be Bold and Creative
Don’t pass up the chance for a new adventure when it comes along. An active mind needs to be stimulated by what it sees, what it thinks, and even what it can make.
Also Read: Tips to Reach Your Fitness Goals
In addition to these ideas, you can make yourself smarter by doing things like reading books, essays, and articles, watching movies like documentaries that make you think critically, doing puzzles, playing cards or chess, and keeping your body active. For your mind to work well, you should eat well and drink enough water.
