8 Ways to Increase Your IQ Levels - Healthline

When many people take the test, it is possible to compare each person's score to the rest of the scores. Common standardized IQ tests include: Wechsler ... 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vecontroltraininginclude:ScrabblePictionaryredlight,greenlightbrainteasers3.VisuospatialreasoningactivitiesVisuospatialreasoninginvolvesthementalprocessesrelatedtophysicalrepresentations.Forexample,readingandinterpretingamapinvolvesvisual-spatialreasoningandprocessing.Inonestudy,researchersfoundthatimprovingvisuospatialreasoningledtoanincreaseinIQtestscores.Inthatstudy,memoryandexecutivecontrolactivitieswereusedinparttohelpimproveparticipants’visuospatialreasoning.AnotherstudyfoundthatvisuospatialreasoningabilitieswereassociatedwithyoungChinesestudents’academicachievementinmathandreadingsubjects.Activitiesthatinvolvevisualandspatialtraininginclude:mazespoint-of-viewactivities3-DmodelsunfoldedprismsOnlineIQgamesandtestsManyofthegamesandactivitieslistedabovecanalsobeplayedonline.TherearealsoonlineIQgamesthatcontainactivitiesthatworkmanyoftheareasofthebrainmentionedabove.WhiletheseIQgamesandtestscan’taccuratelymeasuresomeone’sIQ,theycanstillbeagreatwaytodevelopyourintelligence.4.RelationalskillsRelationalFrameTheory(RFT)relatestohumancognitionandlanguagedevelopmentthroughrelationalassociations.Relationalframetheoryarguesthatthebuildingblockofhumanlanguageandhighercognitionisrelating,i.e.thehumanabilitytocreatebidirectionallinksbetweenthings.Forexample,understandingthatthewords‘dinner’and‘supper’aretwodifferentwaystoexplainthesamething.Researchfrom2016echoesolderresearchthatindicatesusingRFTasaninterventioncansignificantlyimproveIQscoresinchildren.ThesamestudyfoundthatchildrenalsohadimprovedverbalandnumericreasoningskillsaftertheRFTintervention.Activitiesthatinvolverelationaltraininginclude:languagelearningbooks(“thisisa…”and“thatisa…”)objectcomparisons(fullcupversusemptycup)amountcomparisons(pennyversusdime)5.MusicalinstrumentsYoudon’thavetobecomethenextfamousmusiciantobenefitfromlearningamusicalinstrument.Onestudyfoundthatjust75minutesofmusiclessonsperweekfor12weekssignificantlyincreasedIQscoresinpreschool-agedchildren.Anewer2021studyalsoshowedthatinstrumentalmusictrainingmayimprovesomeexecutivefunctioninginchildrenages6-7.Adultscanbenefitfrommusictraining,too.Anotherstudyfoundapositiverelationshipbetweenthedurationofmusicalpracticeinadultsandexecutivefunctioning.Givenmemory’simportantroleinintelligence,itmaybenefityourIQtofinallypickupthatmusicalinstrumentyou’vealwayswantedtolearn.However,justlisteningtomusichasbenefits,too.A2018studyfoundthatamusically-enrichedenvironmentcouldimprovechildren’sverbalIQscores.6.NewlanguagesItshouldcomeasnosurprisethatlearningmultiplelanguagesisbeneficialtothehumanbrain—andtheearlier,thebetter.However,theageatwhichyoulearnanewlanguagemaydictatewhetherornotthepracticeishelpfulinimprovingyourintelligence.Astudyfrom2020foundthatadultswhotook11weeksoflanguagetrainingdidnotimprovetheirintelligenceorIQscores.However,arecentstudyinvestigatedtherelationshipbetweenearlylanguagelearningandIQ.Theresultsindicatedthatlanguagelearningthroughtalkandinteractionfrom18to24monthswasmostbeneficialforcognitiveoutcomeslaterinlife.Whilelearninganewlanguageatanyagecanhelpimproveoverallcognitiveabilities,thecriticalwindowforinfluencingIQscoresisduringtoddlerhood.7.FrequentreadingThere’snodenyinghowbeneficialbooksareinhumancognitivedevelopment.Infact,thebenefitsofdevelopmentareevenmorepronouncedwhenbooksbecomepartofparentalbondingactivities.Inonerecentstudy,researchersdiscoveredthatwhenparentsreadaloudtotheirchildren,thechildhadgreaterlanguageandcognitivedevelopmentskills.8.ContinuededucationEducation,inanyform,iscrucialtothedevelopmentofhumanintelligence.InareviewofstudiesonIQandeducation,over600,000participantswerestudiedtodeterminetheeffectofeducationonIQlevels.ResearchersfoundthatparticipantsexperiencedaboostofonetofiveIQpointsforeveryadditionalyearofformaleducation.Activitiesthatwon’tboostyourIQAlthoughtherearequiteafewactivitiesyoucanenjoyeachdaythatmayhelpraiseyourIQscore,thefollowingmythsaren’tincludedinthosesuggestions:takingmultivitaminstrainingforanIQtestGenerally,thesekindsofactivitiesdoverylittletohelpdeveloptheskillsnecessarytoimproveyourIQscore.Instead,youshouldfocusonactivitiesthatteachyourbrainskillsrelatedtofluidandcrystallizedintelligence.Fluidintelligenceisassociatedwithabstractreasoning,whilecrystallizedintelligenceisassociatedwithintellectualskilldevelopment.FrequentlyaskedquestionsHerearesomeanswerstosomecommonquestionsaboutincreasingyourIQlevels:CanIQbeincreasedafter18?Whilemostresearcherswouldagreethatthecriticalwindowforlearningnewinformationhappenswhenyou’reyoung,fewstudieshavefullyexploredwhetherornotthere’sahardcutoffforwhenyourIQplateaus.Arecentmeta-analysisof42datasetsinvolvingover600,000participantsupto63yearsofagefoundthatcognitiveabilitiesimprovedbyapproximately1to5IQpointsforeveryadditionalyearofeducation.WhileonemayassumethatthesefindingsindicateanincreaseinIQscoreaftertheageof18duetohighereducation,moreresearchneedstobedonetounderstandhowageaffectsIQscore.HowmuchcanyouincreaseyourIQ?TheamountbywhichyoucanincreaseyourIQdependsonpersonalandenvironmentalfactors.Researchersfromarecentstudyreimaginingapopular1980studyarguethatthe1980experimentalgroupshowedanimprovementof15IQpointsoverthecontrolgroup.However,morerecentdataisrequiredtofullyunderstandhowmuchonecanimprovetheirIQscore.HowdoIsupportmybaby’scognitivedevelopment?Beyondmaintainingahealthydietpre-birth,researchshowsthatexclusivelynursingyourbabymaybeassociatedwithhigherIQscoresinyounggirls.However,thisisnotalwayseasytodo.Somepeoplearenotabletonursetheirbabiesduetofinancial,social,ormedicalreasons.Talkingwithyourbabymayhelpimprovetheirverbalabilitiesandcognitiveskillsinadolescence.However,it’simportanttokeepinmindthatachild’sintelligencecanbeinfluencedbyavarietyofgeneticandenvironmentalfactorssuchas:parentalIQgeneshomelifeparentingstylenutritioneducationBirthweightmayalsoplayaroleinachild’sintelligence.Moreover,measurableintelligencelikeIQbyitselfdoesnotdeterminethevalueofapersonorwhethertheywillsucceedinlife.Manyotherenvironmentalfactorscanplayarole.Therefore,thebestwaytosetababyupforahealthylifeistoprovidethemwithsafetyandlove,whichinturnwillgivethechildthebestopportunitiesinthefuture.KeytakeawaysAlthoughscienceisonthefenceaboutwhetheryoucanraiseyourIQornot,researchdoesseemtosuggestthatit’spossibletoraiseyourintelligencethroughcertainbrain-trainingactivities.Trainingyourmemory,executivecontrol,andvisuospatialreasoningcanhelptoboostyourintelligencelevels.Thebestwaytotraintheseareasofyourbrainistoengageinthoughtfulactivitiesandgames,learnnewskills,andkeepyourbrainactive.LastmedicallyreviewedonJuly29,2022Howwevettedthisarticle:SourcesHistoryHealthlinehasstrictsourcingguidelinesandreliesonpeer-reviewedstudies,academicresearchinstitutions,andmedicalassociations.Weavoidusingtertiaryreferences.Youcanlearnmoreabouthowweensureourcontentisaccurateandcurrentbyreadingoureditorialpolicy.AlThuneyyanDA,etal.(2022).TheEffectofBreastfeedingonIntelligenceQuotientandSocialIntelligenceAmongSeven-toNine-Year-OldGirls:APilotStudy.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35252287/BerggrenR,etal.(2020).Foreignlanguagelearninginolderagedoesnotimprovememoryorintelligence:Evidencefromarandomizedcontrolledstudy.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32011156/ButlerHA,etal.(2017).Predictingreal-worldoutcomes:Criticalthinkingabilityisabetterpredictoroflifedecisionsthanintelligence.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187116300384CassidyS,etal.(2016).Arelationalframeskillstraininginterventiontoincreasegeneralintelligenceandscholasticaptitude.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608016300231CriscuoloA,etal.(2019).OntheAssociationBetweenMusicalTraining,IntelligenceandExecutiveFunctionsinAdulthood.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6682658/DaughertyAM,etal.(2018).Multi-modalfitnessandcognitivetrainingtoenhancefluidintelligence.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289617300818#bb0465DiamondA.(2014).Executivefunctions.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084861/Flensborg-MadsenT,etal.(2017).Birthweightandintelligenceinyoungadulthoodandmidlife.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/139/6/e20163161/38723/Birth-Weight-and-Intelligence-in-Young-Adulthood?redirectedFrom=fulltextFrischenU.,etal.(2021).Musiclessonsenhanceexecutivefunctionsin6-to7-year-oldchildren.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959475221000013?casa_token=UcwLHoMnjeIAAAAA:mOwAPzb2VxsQOYDeqiup57_DeJJ-qHvMW0podQUJnKolbhNuj6Ph70X0aQnK3Ghnwq2aER4QQAGilkersonJ,etal.(2018).Languageexperienceinthesecondyearoflifeandlanguageoutcomesinlatechildhood.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6192025/GuddeHB,etal.(2018).The(spatial)memorygame:Testingtherelationshipbetweenspatiallanguage,objectknowledge,andspatialcognition.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931317/Isintelligencedeterminedbygenetics?(2019).ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/traits/intelligenceJaschekeAC,etal.(2018).Exposuretoamusically-enrichedenvironment;Itsrelationshipwithexecutivefunctions,short-termmemoryandverbalIQinprimaryschoolchildren.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30419066/KavianiH,etal.(2014).CanmusiclessonsincreasetheperformanceofpreschoolchildreninIQtests?pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23793255/KaufmanJC.(2015).Whycreativityisn’tiniqtests,whyitmatters,andwhyitwon’tchangeanytimesoonprobably.citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.903.1383&rep=rep1&type=pdfLiuS,etal.(2021).Visual-SpatialAbilityPredictsAcademicAchievementThroughArithmeticandReadingAbilities.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8063904/RitchieSJ,etal.(2018).Howmuchdoeseducationimproveintelligence?Ameta-analysis.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088505/StankovL,LeeJ.(2020).WeCanBoostIQ:RevisitingKvashchev'sExperiment.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7709590/ThilmanyJ.(2022).DoesIQmatteronthejob?asme.org/topics-resources/content/does-iq-matter-on-the-jobWeislederA,etal.(2018).ReadingAloudandChildDevelopment:ACluster-RandomizedTrialinBrazil.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5744270/WhatisIQ?(n.d.).mensa.org/iq/what-iqWongPCM,etal.(2019).LanguageTrainingLeadstoGlobalCognitiveImprovementinOlderAdults:APreliminaryStudy.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31251679/vanAkenL,etal.(2015).Fluidintelligenceandexecutivefunctioningmorealikethandifferent?cambridge.org/core/journals/acta-neuropsychiatrica/article/abs/fluid-intelligence-and-executive-functioning-more-alike-than-different/07077C1B8FAC09EFADF477BFC3D862B8Ourexpertscontinuallymonitorthehealthandwellnessspace,andweupdateourarticleswhennewinformationbecomesavailable.CurrentVersionJul29,2022ByEleeshaLockett,MSEditedByAlinaSharonMedicallyReviewedByKarinGepp,PsyDNov19,2019ByEleeshaLockett,MSEditedByWillowBanksMedicallyReviewedByTimothyJ.Legg,PhD,PsyDSharethisarticleMedicallyreviewedbyKarinGepp,PsyD—ByEleeshaLockett,MS—UpdatedonJuly29,2022Readthisnext13BrainExercisestoHelpKeepYouMentallySharpMedicallyreviewedbyTimothyJ.Legg,PhD,PsyDIfyou'relookingforwaystoimproveyourmemory,focus,concentration,orothercognitiveskills,therearemanybrainexercisestotry.Learnwhich…READMORE25WaystoImproveYourMemoryMedicallyreviewedbyTimothyJ.Legg,PhD,PsyDExercisingyourbrainandtakingcareofyourbodycanhelpyoustaysharpintooldage.Our25tipswillshowyouhowtodothat.READMORE14TipstoImproveYourConcentrationMedicallyreviewedbyDanielleWade,LCSWWaystoimproveconcentration,includebraingames,meditation,music,andmore.Ifyou'refindingithardtofocusandthesetipsdon'thelp…READMOREThe10BestNootropicSupplementstoBoostBrainPowerByHelenWest,RDNootropicsaredrugsorsupplementsthatcanboostbrainfunction.Hereare10nootropicsupplementsproventohavebrain-boostingbenefits.READMORE14NaturalWaystoImproveYourMemoryByJillianKubala,MS,RDHavingpoormemorycanbefrustrating.Youcanusethese14lifestyleanddietarytipstohelpimproveyourmemorynaturally.READMOREAGuidetoHelpingChildrenwithDyslexiaOutsideofSchoolDyslexiaisoftendiagnosedinearlychildhoodwhenreadingeducationbegins.Withpropersupportandconditionmanagement,achildwithdyslexiacan…READMOREWhatIsDyspraxia?MedicallyreviewedbyNancyHammond,M.D.Dyspraxia,ordevelopmentalcoordinationdisorder,isaconditionthataffectsfineandgrossmotorskills.Learnaboutitssymptomsinchildrenand…READMOREEverythingYouNeedtoKnowAboutBodily-KinestheticIntelligenceMedicallyreviewedbyTimothyJ.Legg,PhD,PsyDThislearningstyleisoftenreferredtoaslearningwiththehandsorphysicallearning.Basically,peoplewithbodily-kinestheticintelligencecan…READMOREThereAreManyLearningDisordersaChildMayHave—3AreMostCommonLearningdisorderscanhavevaryingdegreesofseverity,andsomearemorecommonthanothers.Butwiththerightsupportandproperguidance…READMORESendALetter,SaveALife:SuicidePreventionThroughCaringContactsWithlonelinessbeingconnectedtodepression,programslikeCaringContactsaddressthistangiblecausehead-on.READMORE