The simple tips to get smarter, according to Harvard

Desired by many and realized by few. The intelligence it is an ability that for some comes from birth while for others it is acquired over the years and depending on the circumstances, it is the result of effort.

The million dollar question is: can you acquire intelligence on your own? According to professionals from the University of Harvard, Yes. Although it is impossible to know everything and dominate all the subjects, for professionals there are habits, behaviors, decisions and attitudes that help to work on intelligence.

In their book Make it stick: The Science of Successful Learning, professionals Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel from the prestigious North American university give recommendations to improve the ability brain, agility, memory and as a consequence of these, being more intelligent.

Recommendations to keep in mind

Good teaching must creatively adapt to the different learning styles that all people have, no one learns in the same way or handles the same type of intelligence. That’s why the Harvard publication builds on recent discoveries in cognitive psychology and other disciplines to help people further develop their abilities. These are:

1. Learn something new to stimulate the mind

Training the brain is like going to the gym, you work as if it were a muscle that you have to train daily. For that, the mind must get used to acquiring new knowledge or skills, in this way the neurons and the communication between them are stimulated. Whether it’s reading a book, following a manual or cooking, any activity that requires doing something unknown.

2. Repeat words out loud

Hearing words out loud makes them more likely to be remembered and especially works when it comes to learning something new. If you meet someone new and you say their name several times in the first conversation, you can probably associate their face with their name more easily.

3. Writing and eating with the non-dominant hand

Doing activities as simple as grabbing a ball or a utensil with the opposite hand to the dominant one helps the mind to make different neural connections and thus speed up brain function.

4. Engage the senses

A study from the same university implemented a display in which test groups were exposed to a series of emotionally neutral images, each of which was also presented with a scent. Then they were shown others, but without the scents, and asked to point out which ones they had seen before.

The subjects remembered very well all the images associated with aromas, especially those with pleasant odors. Brain imaging showed that the piriform cortex (the main region of the brain dedicated to processing the senses) began to activate when people saw things linked to smells.

5. Relate memories with new information

This technique works to strengthen the mind. The more linked the stimuli are to each other, the greater the power of cognitive relationship is acquired. Connect new information with the past, which is important so that one has a better ability to analyze and integrate concepts.

On the other hand, learning expert Shari Tishman and her colleagues at Project Zero – a project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education that seeks to refine theories and disseminate tangible guidance on how to help children rethink the idea of ​​being “smart” – have highlighted seven mindset types that are key to learning and thinking effectively in today’s world:

1. Be broad and adventurous.
2. Wonder, find problems and investigate.
3. Construct explanations and understandings.
4. Make plans and be strategic.
5. Be intellectually careful.
6. Find and evaluate reasons.
7. be metacognitive.

It should be added that there are theories such as that of Multiple Intelligences by psychologist Howard Gardner that recognizes the diversity of skills and abilities. He described the existence of eight types of intelligence that revolutionized the way of thinking about education. He named them:

1. Visual-Spatial Intelligence

It is the ability to observe the world and objects from different perspectives. People with this type of intelligence have great ability to present ideas visually, create mental images, perceive visual details, draw and make sketches.

2. Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence

It is related to the ability to master language and be able to communicate with others. It not only refers to the ability to communicate orally, but also to other forms such as writing and gestures.

3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

For decades it was considered the standard for measuring intelligence in a person. As its name suggests, this type of intelligence is linked to the ability to reason logically and solve mathematical problems.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence

Composed of the body and motor skills required to handle tools or to express certain emotions. Those who have this intelligence have a greater facility to perform activities that require strength, speed, flexibility, hand-eye coordination and balance.

5. Musical Intelligence

It is a natural ability and innate auditory perception in early childhood until there is the ability to interact with instruments and learn their sounds, nature and capabilities. His abilities include the ability to listen, sing, play instruments as well as analyze sound in general and create music.

6. Interpersonal Intelligence

Notice things about other people beyond what the senses can capture. It is an intelligence that allows us to interpret the words or gestures, or the objectives and goals of each speech. Basically it assesses the ability to empathize with people.

7.Intrapersonal Intelligence

It allows to understand and control the internal environment of oneself in what refers to the regulation of emotions and attentional focus. Those who have this intelligence are able to access their feelings and emotions and reflect on these elements.

8. Naturalist Intelligence

It allows detecting, differentiating and categorizing aspects related to the environment, such as animal and plant species or phenomena related to climate, geography or natural phenomena. An interesting fact is that it was added later to the original study on Multiple Intelligences, specifically in 1995. Howard Gardner considered it necessary to include this category because it is one of the essential intelligences for human survival.