A lot of research has been done on increasing intelligence.
Well there are some who says intelligence can't be increased but many researchers and psychologists believe that it is possible.
Our brains are like muscles and like muscles the more you use them the more they become stronger.
Similarly the more we use our brain, the more it becomes better in the form of increased intelligence and here is why.
Our brains contain billions of neurons and neurological studies show that when the brain is exposed to a stimulating environment, neurons continue to grow, expand, and synapse.
Synapse is a connection between two neurons.
It is believed that when synapses are stimulated more frequently they become stronger and permanent.
This in a way helps to improve cognitive function or intelligence.
What can we do to stimulate our brains and increase intelligence? Below are 5 methods.
1) Reading - Read books on mathematics, philosophy, science, history, art, etc.
Reading allow one a wide perspective of the world and the on going happenings around us.
It also increases our creative ability to solve problems.
Another benefit of reading is it increases your vocabulary, a contributing factor to a person's overall Intelligence Quotient (IQ).
2) Playing Games - Exercise the mind by playing games.
It is believed that mental exercise, such as playing puzzles, strategy games like chess and playing musical instruments, can help to maintain and improve the cognitive abilities.
3) Listen and Learn Music - Listen to not just any music but one of the music from Mozart.
This particular music is Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major.
The effect is known as Mozart Effect.
In a study of the Mozart Effect, researchers showed that university students who listened to this particular music before taking a test performed better than those who did not.
However the effect is temporary, for permanent effect, researchers recommend taking music lessons.
Researchers had found that children who had music lessons for two years did better on IQ tests than those who took did not.
4) Physical Exercise - Physical activity also appears to contribute to intelligence, increasing memory retention, improving some types of problem-solving ability, and helping relieve stress.
Stress has been shown to negatively affect learning and memory.
However do ensure to have a good night sleep.
Insufficient sleep causes degradation of mental functions.
5) Proper Diet - A proper diet is important for the proper function of the brains.
The brain requires a wide variety of nutrients daily and this means do not skip your meals and foremost meal breakfast.
Many studies have shown that skipping breakfast reduces the mental performance.
However make sure the foods consumed are not junk foods like fizzy drinks or sugary stuffs and highly processed cakes, pastries and biscuits, which contain trans-fatty acids.
An example of good food for the brain during break fast is toast bread with beans or with marmite.
These provide the brain with a steady supply of glucose.
Other things to take note are to consume food rich in the following nutrients like Vitamin B, C, E, fibre, choline, beta-carotene (an antioxidants) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Examples of food rich in these nutrients are eggs, vegetables or fruit salads, fish, etc.
So our mums were right, fish is a good brain food.