7 Hobbies That Make You Smarter According To Science
Smart people get an added advantage in work, relationships, and social life. It is not uncommon that smarter employees are recruited for leadership positions and high-paying posts. Do you want such a competitive advantage to reap greater benefits? Then it’s time to cultivate hobbies that make you smarter.
Play a Musical Instrument
Studies show that playing music boosts language, analytical skills, memory, fine motor skills, executive skills, problem-solving skills, and creativity
- You can reap the benefits of playing music even when you are old
- Stroke patients can recover from brain injury if they undergo music training
Brainstorm To Become Smarter
Brainstorming complicated chess games or tough riddles changes neural pathways and synapses, which help us to see things from different points of view.
- As our cognitive abilities improve, we become aware of new patterns, learn things faster, and memorize more.
Be Physically Active
Walking or running is a form of exercise and one of the easy-to-cultivate hobbies that make you more intelligent.
- Regular exercise strengthens connections between brain cells and increases BDNF, which helps with learning, concentration, memory, and understanding, also called mental acuity.
Read Like No Tomorrow
Read anything that you can – murder mystery, comic, horror story, romantic novel, or the latest issue of the Wall Street Journal
- Different areas of the brain become active and activate a network of circuits and send signals to the brain
- Reading increases crystallized, fluid, and emotional intelligence
- You are better able to navigate your everyday life and solve problems
Learn A Foreign Language
People who can speak more than one language are better at solving puzzles than people who speak only one language.
- Learning new languages boosts your critical thinking, listening skills, attention, and makes you perform better at mentally demanding tasks such as planning and problem-solving.
Meditate Daily
Meditation is the oldest form of relaxation technique that significantly affects every part of the brain and benefits the mind and body.
- In 1992, Scientist Richard Davidson studied the brain waves of the Dalai Lama during meditation to check out if he could generate specific brain waves on command
- The Dalai Lama and other monks were meditating and focusing on their brain waves showed that they were in a deeply compassionate state of mind
- We can control our own brain waves so by practicing meditation we can feel whatever we want to feel, and feel more powerful and confident.