They used to believe that intelligence is inherited and that each person has a fixed, unchangeable amount of intelligence from birth.
It was once thought that geniuses could pick up any foreign language in a matter of months without the help of a teacher. However, we now realize that intelligence is a dynamic concept, not fixed, and can be influenced by our environment, mindset, and commitment to improve ourselves constantly.
Two Fundamental Factors If We Want to Become Smarter
1. The Environment We Choose
- Nature: our genetic makeup.
- Nurture: the environmental factors which influence our development.
It has been revealed that the issue is not about nature versus nurture but rather about the extent of their interaction. Intelligence is only partially inherited, as our full potential can be determined through the environment in which we exist.
This means that the people we surround ourselves with, the new challenges we face, and the shows we watch are just a few factors affecting our intelligence. Nature and nurture interact to produce intelligence, and although we cannot change our genes, we can control many environmental factors.
2. The Mindset We Choose
However, the uncontrollable things that happen in our environment are related to our mindset. According to recent research, the only limitation on an individual's intelligence is their belief in what is possible and their behaviors, which either increase or decrease their intelligence.
If your teachers or family members always tell you that you are not unintelligent, you may have set mental limits for yourself and what you can achieve. As a result, this will prevent you from reaching your full potential.
Michael Strasner, a personal and professional coach for over thirty years, says, "our beliefs come from our past experiences and the interpretations we make from those events." We are genuinely free to become anything we want, including being more intelligent, when we try to recognize and eliminate the negative self-perceptions we hold.
Choose the Growth Mindset
The term "growth mindset" is a concept established by psychologist Carol Dweck, describing the need to develop our intelligence optimally.
The qualities are:
- Embracing challenges.
- Persevering in the face of obstacles.
- Viewing effort as the path to mastery.
- Learning from criticism.
- Finding lessons and inspiration in others' success.
To improve our intelligence, we need to make mistakes and immerse ourselves in situations where we are in a state of imbalance. Although this may initially feel uncomfortable, it ultimately leads us to more growth than the person whose main goal is to appear smart in the eyes of others.
4 Simple Ways to Become Smarter
1. Challenge Yourself
During the final ten years of his life, psychologist Lev Vygotsky developed the Zone of Proximal Development theory. According to him, the optimal tasks for cognitive development are those that are too challenging for us to master on our own but that we can accomplish with some help from our more experienced peers.
When we find it easy to finish a task ourselves, we are not challenging ourselves hard enough to reach our full potential in that area. Like any muscle, intelligence cannot grow stronger unless subjected to heavier weights and exercises.
2. Read Smarter
Reading almost anything can improve your awareness and help you understand new ideas. According to writer Glen Stansberry, "Those that read have higher GPAs, higher intelligence, and general knowledge than those that don’t."
Although reading books to become smarter is not new, very few people follow through on it. This is because most people do not read smartly, so anyone can read more books by increasing reading speed.
3. Surround Yourself with Smarter People
Perhaps we aren’t exactly as businessman Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
People who are close to us have the power to affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regardless of our strength. Although having friends who are not superior might help you feel less pressure, surrounding yourself with ambitious and intelligent people is ultimately one of the best ways to become more intelligent and developed. The same is true when we hang out with people who genuinely think we're intelligent and capable; they unconsciously treat us and our abilities with more respect and enthusiasm.
4. Record Your Ideas
In James Altucher's book The Choose Yourself Guide to Wealth, he shares his daily habits with his readers. Every day, no matter what happens, he writes down 10 new ideas. He says, "It is easier said than done. The more we practice it, the easier it will become for us to think of ideas and solutions during conflict where it is essential to react quickly."
You can either carry a small notebook with you and write down any idea you have during the day, or you can choose to write down all your ideas in one session.
In Conclusion
The techniques covered in this article are meant to assist you in observing quantifiable shifts in your mindset, your ideas, and the challenges you can face in real life. We are talking about the steps you take to reach your goals and create the future you desire, not about IQ tests or your academic standing.
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