How to get smarter
As humans, we’ve long been fascinated by the concept of intelligence and its limitless possibilities. But can we actually enhance our cognitive abilities and become smarter?
The other day I was scrolling through Twitter and I encountered a tweet with a striking thought:
The idea of the tweet seems true for me. Although I have been cultivating the love for reading for a couple of years, I haven’t been able to do the experiment that the tweet suggest.
When I read it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of regret. I thought that if I had done this when I was a child, then I would be smarter than I am now.
For example, if you look at people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, they have been voracious readers all their lives. They read a lot when they were kids and then, when they grown up, they were undoubtedly very smart.
Reading is one of the best things you can do if you are trying to become smarter. As the tweet said, the pure act of reading rewires your brain because reading stimulates every part of your brain (it doesn’t matter if you can’t read 5 hours a day, you still get the benefits). Reading requires multiple cognitive functions, including: attention, predicting, working memory, long-term storage memory, abstract reasoning, comprehension and visual processing of letters.
We can break down intelligence into two parts. Crystallized intelligence encompasses your accumulated vocabulary, knowledge, and skills, which tend to grow with age. On the other hand, fluid intelligence, or fluid reasoning, relates to your capacity for abstract thinking and problem-solving. I think that the power of reading lies down into it can make you enhance in both parts.
In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time — none, zero.
— Charlie Munger
The quality of reading is as important as the quantity of reading. If your purpose is to get smarter, then it would be a great idea to read non-fiction since it gets you to refine the framework of your thought process.
If you read the right books, then you will be able to develop judgement, critical thinking and a solid foundation. This is very important because in a world full of vast reading material, it is essential to be cautious about consuming information that may be false or only partially true. Such content has the potential to shape your fundamental beliefs, thought patterns, and overall perspective on the world.
So, in non-fiction you want to read things that constitute a high-quality and solid foundation. For example, a very solid foundation to reading and learning in general is to stick to science. As science is the search of truth, and you want your foundation to be based on true thing not false or weakly true things. Stick to science.
Reading science, math, and philosophy one hour per day will likely put you at the upper echelon of human success within seven years.
Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!
— Leonardo Da Vinci
Also, there are other things that you can do in order to get smarter:
- Exercise regularly. Maintaining an active lifestyle is among the most effective methods to enhance brain functionality.
- Get enough sleep. During sleep, your brain rests and recharges. It organizes information and improves memory and cognitive skills.
- Continue learning new things. To enhance intelligence, adopt a lifelong learning mindset and strive to be a perpetual learner. As Charlie Munger (again) said:
I constantly see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than when they got up and boy does that help — particularly when you have a long run ahead of you.
- Surround yourself with people smarter than you. If you surround yourself with people who are worse than you, you will move in that direction and the same with people who are better than you.
There’s no shortcut to smart.
— Naval
In conclusion, the journey towards intelligence requires a commitment to continuous learning and growth. It is through dedicated effort, perseverance, and a thirst for knowledge that we can expand our intellectual capacities. Remember, true intelligence is not achieved overnight but is the result of ongoing curiosity, determination, and a willingness to explore the depths of knowledge.
