Activities that Grow Your IQ

Here's an interesting piece from Rich Habits that says your IQ is not fixed at birth.

He then goes on to list some activities that can increase IQ. Here are some of them:

• Reading to learn
• Auditory learning
• Visual learning
• Studying (Semantic Memory)
• Learning a new language
• Utilizing a new language through repetition or absorption in a new country
• Traveling – exploring different parts of the world and different cultures (Episodic Memory)
• Learning a new skill
• Novelty
• Daily exercise
• Engaging in athletic activities
• Practicing a skill, new or old, repetitively
• Creative pursuits such as writing, painting, music, engineering, building design, invention, etc.
• Increasing your communications with others (networking, volunteering, working, social interaction, etc.)

These (and more) are detailed in his book Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Strategies that Transformed 177 Average People into Self-Made Millionaires.

What does this have to do with money? A couple things:

• My guess is that the items above also promote brain health, something that becomes an issue as we all get older. If you lose your health, all the money in the world won't help you.
• Intelligence is linked to income -- smarter people earn more. Unfortunately, that higher income doesn't translate to higher net worth in many cases, but it's a start.

I do many of the items above not only to help keep myself sharp but because they make life more interesting IMO. If we're not doing some of these things, what are we doing? Watching TV all day? Ugh!

How about you? Do you practice any of the above?

Comments

[Mrs. Picky Pincher]

I also think intelligence-building activities keep you more alert and energized. Watching TV for four hours makes me feel sleepy, lethargic, and unmotivated. If I read a book, write, bake, or work in the garden, I feel much more content and awake. And that means I'm less likely to spend money. ;)