People often talk about people being born geniuses. How true is that? Smartness is not something that you would get by reading books and attending lectures in your daily life, and contrary to popular opinion, it mostly depends on your external environment. In this article we will see 15 Reasons You Stopped Getting Smarter.
Have you ever had the nagging feeling that you are not making any progress in your quest for knowledge? Then you should check on certain factors that have a lot of influence on our overall smartness. Doing the bare minimum of that can take you a long way. Welcome to Alux.com, where future billionaires come to get inspired. If you don’t feel like reading the article here’s the video version:
1
You don’t read
Most of the people agree that reading is essential to getting smarter. Many cognitive functions come into play when you read. Whether it be non-fiction, fiction, poetry, or history, reading basically enhances connectivity within regions of your brain, and when you don’t do this activity, several parts of the brain are not used.
2
You are not open to new ideas
No people have sea of knowledge or is very intellectual, so if you find yourself being the only one with suggestions in a group, you’re probably not listening to what others have to say. The beauty of your individuality is the ability to get the same result in different ways. Try this sometimes. When you are solving a problem with others, ask if anyone has a better suggestion and see the uniqueness in everyone’s comments.
There’s a popular saying that several roads lead to the market.
3
You don’t ask questions
Sometimes the first step to finding a solution to your problem is asking why. ‘Why’ has been the starting point for the greatest discoveries in history? So if you feel you are not getting active and smarter than the reason must’ve been that you are more active.Have you ever questioned the state of things and their reason for being so?
If not, you have your answer.Intelligence is about your ability to learn and process information and not about how much you already know. So if you don’t ask questions, how then are you going to learn?
4
You don’t eat right
Have you ever stopped to check what type of food you eat? Several pieces of research have pointed out the importance of nutrition to our overall IQ. People that have low scores tend to eat unhealthy food and often load up on things like sugar and fast food with very little amounts of vegetables and fruits.
Foods like dark chocolate and green tea are good to improve your brain activity. While eating cannot magically make you smarter, you can put your body in the right position to work well and assimilate better.
5
Proper rest isn’t a priority, and you are always stressed
A good night’s sleep is an important recipe for growth. Sleep is largely ignored by people I can hardly when they believe they have a lot to do. People often forget the power of sleep and its effect on their performance; world-class athletes prioritize their sleep, and so do other career professionals like musicians and teachers.
Most of the people are guilty of skipping sleep to prepare for an exam, but contrary to popular opinion, it actually has an adverse effect on our ability to memorize. The science behind it is this, while they sleep, their brain creates new connections called synapses between neurons. These neurons are the building block for their decision-making and memorization.
6
You don’t make time to have fun
How often do you take time off to have fun? We”re not talking about resting but actual activities that are your hobbies. For context, a fun activity is something you enjoy doing, something that gives you pleasure and is amusing. Do you know that about 100 million nerve cells are stimulated when you are happy? There’s also an increase in the white matter, which is a key factor in positive mental health.
Let’s not bore you with the details, but if you work all the time without having fun once in a while, you become less and less effective in what you do, including reading, and that makes it harder to become smarter.
7
You are not motivated
If the activity you are working on is something you are not interested in it will be very difficult to stay engaged and progress in it.
In fact, if you are not stimulated in one way or another, it will be very much difficult for you to grow mentally and physically. There’s a direct correlation between the amount of motivation and one’s level of intelligence in a field.
8
You don’t practice mindfulness and meditation
In this day and age where everyone is always on their smartphones, the amount of information they consume can easily overwhelm their senses, but people don’t notice. When was the last time you took some time away from your gadgets to just practice your breathing? You might not even remember how long it has been. Meditation is very important.
It helps to control and calm the brain so that you are able to perform better in the long run. When you meditate, you are able to unlock more potential while also suppressing anxiety, depression, and other mental ailments.
9
You don’t ask for help
It can be tempting to wade through activities alone. Yes, the final gratification is often very satisfying but is it really effective? Collaborative environments enhance brain activities. You also get to learn different ways to do the same thing. The advantage of working with others is very obvious: people fill in our lapses.
10
You don’t follow set routines
Do you have a routine that wakes you up mentally? If you are not getting smarter, it is probably because you don’t finish a task before jumping to another. Now, this might not be deliberate, but because you don’t have a guide on what to do at a specific time, you end up innocently messing everything up.
By establishing a routine, you can set aside time for miscellaneous activities and focus on your mental health. Routines help you concentrate on the task at hand, allowing you to give your all to whatever you are doing.
11
You don’t write down your thoughts
Do you keep a journal? A lot of people don’t, and while that isn’t bad, having a journal can give you a mental boost and make you smarter in the long run, also it has so many other benefits as well. When you have a journal, you’ll be forced to reflect on your activities each day, and it will directly boost your brainpower.
As an adult, you might think it silly to have a journal and that journalling is something that only teenagers should do. You couldn’t be more wrong; journals help you organize your thoughts, help you achieve your goals, and improves your memory in the long run because you will always be reminded of your goals.
12
You don’t teach others
The protégé effect. If you don’t know what that means, the protégé effect states that “when we teach, we learn,” and it was coined by the Roman philosopher Seneca. If you feel you are not getting smarter, find someone to teach the little you know.
In order to teach someone something, you need to be well versed in that topic to be able to explain it logically.How does it relate to smartness? The emotions elicited when you teach are very powerful stimulants for learning.
A teacher will have the urge to learn more about what wants to impact on students; with this goal in mind, they are able to assimilate better than someone who’s just reading for themselves.
13
You are the smartest in the bunch
Look around the room right now, do you think you are the smartest person in it? If you are, you need to go to a different room. You need a source of knowledge to gain knowledge. Smart people make you smarter, so if you are the smartest in the group, there’s almost no way for you to grow.
Very often, people who are smarter than you will make you up your game; they also spark interest and introduce you to different concepts you never knew. In your place of work, identify a co-worker that is the most skilled in an area and make him or her teach you about it.
14
No exercise and athleticism
Studies have shown that people who exercise often end up doing better than those who don’t. Yes, exercise is mainly about keeping healthy and building muscles, but it has its advantage when it comes to your neural network and your mental health.
If you do not perform moderate-to-high intensity cardio exercises setting chemicals that are released during them end up being absent in your bloodstream. You also have to deal with the anxiety that comes with sitting still for long hours.
Fun fact: aerobics is one the exercise which stimulates brain cells and it is very fun to do as well.
15
You don’t explore your creative side
When was the last time you picked up an instrument and played it?
Ok, you don’t know how to. How about the last time you did something that was entirely creative, like drawing?
While some are more challenging than others, music and art-related activities make certain parts of the brain work well. It is tested that when other
Painters are very much self-awared and that quality you will not find in any other profession.
This is because it requires a keen sense of awareness of details. Now imagine them using this heightened mental awareness to do other things; that is a formula to success.
A lot of factors have to be considered when talking about smartness. If you want to get smarter, you have to instill certain habits that will nurture your mind and allow you to find unique solutions to your everyday problems.
Tell us which of these reasons can have the most effect on your overall smartness.
Alright Aluxxers, you have make it up till here. Their are so many more articles on our website that you can check out.
