How to Raise Your Intelligence: 10 Science-Backed Ways to Get Smarter

For decades, people believed that intelligence was fixed — that you were born with a certain IQ and couldn’t change it. Today, we know that IQ is dynamic, and tools like the modern IQ Test or even more advanced frameworks such as the International Standard IQ Test show how cognitive abilities can evolve over time.

But modern neuroscience tells a different story: your brain is far more adaptable than you think. Through a process called neuroplasticity, you can strengthen neural connections, form new pathways, and effectively raise your intelligence with the right habits and mental training.

This article explores 10 evidence-based strategies proven to enhance your IQ, problem-solving skills, and cognitive performance — no gimmicks, just real science.

1. Engage in Lifelong Learning

One of the most powerful ways to raise your intelligence is to never stop learning. The brain thrives on novelty — every time you absorb new information or challenge yourself with a fresh skill, you encourage neuroplasticity, the process by which your brain forms and strengthens new neural connections.

Learning keeps your cognitive abilities sharp, enhances memory, and improves reasoning skills. But not all learning is created equal — the key is to push beyond your comfort zone and engage with complex, unfamiliar subjects.

Practical ways to stay mentally active:

• Enroll in online courses or workshops on topics you’ve never explored before.
• Read books that challenge your worldview — philosophy, science, history, or psychology.
• Listen to podcasts or watch documentaries that spark curiosity and debate.
• Write summaries of what you learn to reinforce understanding and retention.

The takeaway? Curiosity keeps your brain young. The more you feed your mind with diverse knowledge and perspectives, the smarter and more adaptable you become over time.

If you’re curious about where you currently stand, taking a structured assessment such as a High Range IQ Test or exploring IQ scores can help you understand your cognitive strengths.

2. Practice Critical Thinking Daily

Intelligence isn’t just about knowing facts — it’s about how you think. Critical thinking allows you to analyze information objectively, evaluate evidence, and draw logical conclusions. It’s one of the hallmarks of high intelligence because it strengthens reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

To develop critical thinking skills:

• Always ask “why” and “how” instead of accepting information at face value.
• Cross-check facts using multiple credible sources before forming opinions.
• Engage in debates, reflective journaling, or analytical discussions.
• Challenge your assumptions — even those you’ve held for years.

When you practice critical thinking consistently, you stimulate the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for logic, planning, and higher-order thought. Over time, you’ll notice that you make better decisions, solve problems faster, and process information more effectively.

If you want to explore how critical thinking ties into workplace performance, you can read about the role of IQ vs. soft skills in hiring.

3. Exercise Regularly: Train Your Body, Boost Your Brain

Your body and mind are deeply connected — and regular physical exercise is one of the most reliable ways to enhance intelligence naturally. Aerobic activities like running, cycling, or dancing increase oxygen flow and nutrient delivery to the brain, supporting the growth of new neurons (a process known as neurogenesis).

According to a 2011 study published in PNAS, consistent aerobic exercise can actually increase the volume of the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory, learning, and spatial navigation.

Try incorporating these habits:

• Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 5 times per week.
• Combine aerobic workouts with coordination-based activities (like tennis, yoga, or dancing) to challenge both your body and mind.
• Take short movement breaks throughout your workday to stay mentally alert.

In short, when you move your body, you strengthen your mind — exercise not only boosts brain structure but also enhances mood, focus, and creativity.

To learn more about the science behind this, you can explore how exercise affects the brain.

4. Feed Your Brain with Smart Nutrition

Your brain is your most energy-hungry organ, using about 20% of your body’s total energy. What you eat can dramatically influence your memory, concentration, and learning ability. To raise your intelligence, focus on nutrient-dense, brain-boosting foods that fuel long-term cognitive health.

Top nutrients for a smarter brain:

• Omega-3 fatty acids (found in salmon, walnuts, flaxseed): support neuron structure and communication.
• Antioxidants (from blueberries, dark chocolate, green tea): combat oxidative stress and protect brain cells.
• Complex carbohydrates (from oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes): provide steady glucose for sustained focus.
• B vitamins and choline (from eggs, spinach, legumes): aid neurotransmitter production and memory function.

A 2008 review in Nature Reviews Neuroscience found that diet plays a critical role in cognitive performance and long-term brain resilience. When you fuel your brain with the right nutrients, you create the biological foundation for sharper thinking and faster learning.

To understand intelligence more holistically, you can explore the article “What Is IQ?” — a complete guide to how intelligence is measured and influenced.

5. Get Enough Quality Sleep

Sleep isn’t just rest — it’s a biological reset button for your brain. During deep and REM sleep, your brain consolidates memories, strengthens neural connections, and clears away metabolic waste such as beta-amyloid (a toxin linked to cognitive decline). Without sufficient rest, your brain literally can’t think clearly, reason effectively, or stay creative.

Even mild sleep deprivation — like losing just one or two hours of rest — can drastically impair focus, problem-solving ability, and emotional regulation. Over time, chronic lack of sleep leads to memory problems, slower reaction times, and reduced cognitive flexibility.

To optimize brain performance through better sleep:

• Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep every night.
• Stick to a consistent sleep-wake schedule, even on weekends.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine: dim lights, stretch, or read something calming.
• Avoid blue light from screens and caffeine at least 2–3 hours before bed.
• Keep your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark to promote deep rest.

As Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, emphasizes:

“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.”

In short, sleep is not a luxury — it’s a requirement for intelligence. It’s when the brain organizes information, repairs itself, and prepares you to learn, create, and think critically the next day.

If you're curious whether intelligence changes across your lifetime, see: Does IQ change with age?

6. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

In a world full of distractions, meditation is mental strength training. It teaches your brain to focus, observe thoughts without judgment, and control emotional impulses — all key components of higher intelligence.

Research in neuroscience has shown that consistent mindfulness practice increases gray matter density in brain areas responsible for memory, learning, and emotional regulation. It also strengthens the prefrontal cortex, the region associated with attention and decision-making.

Simple ways to start practicing mindfulness:

• Begin with 10 minutes a day of focused breathing or guided meditation.
• Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and pay attention to each inhale and exhale.
• When your mind drifts (and it will), gently bring it back to your breath.
• Gradually increase your sessions as your concentration improves.

A 2015 study in Nature Reviews Neuroscience found that regular meditation enhances attention control, emotional balance, and cognitive flexibility — effectively sharpening both your mental and emotional intelligence.

With consistent practice, meditation helps you think more clearly under stress, stay present during challenges, and make better, more rational decisions — all hallmarks of an intelligent mind.

7. Strengthen Cognitive Flexibility

True intelligence is not about storing facts — it’s about how quickly and effectively you can adapt when faced with new information or challenges. This skill, known as cognitive flexibility, allows your brain to shift perspectives, adjust strategies, and innovate solutions.

People with high cognitive flexibility tend to learn faster, solve problems creatively, and handle uncertainty with greater ease. It’s a mental agility that can be trained through intentional practice.

Ways to boost cognitive flexibility:

• Learn something new — a language, musical instrument, or coding skill.
• Play brain games that involve strategy and pattern recognition, such as chess, Sudoku, or Rubik’s Cube.
• Expose yourself to different perspectives — travel, read diverse literature, or talk to people from various backgrounds.
• Challenge routines — change your route to work, try new cuisines, or switch up your daily schedule.

Each time you do something unfamiliar, your brain forms new neural pathways, improving adaptability and problem-solving. Over time, this flexibility enhances not just intelligence, but also creativity and emotional balance.

Learn more about it here: What Is Cognitive Flexibility?

8. Limit Multitasking and Practice Deep Work

Many people associate busyness with productivity — but multitasking is the enemy of deep intelligence. When you switch rapidly between tasks, your brain suffers from “attention residue,” which reduces comprehension, creativity, and memory retention.

To truly raise your intelligence, cultivate deep work — the ability to focus intensely on one meaningful task without distraction. This kind of sustained attention is where learning, innovation, and insight occur.

Here’s how to practice deep work effectively:

• Use the Pomodoro Technique: work in focused 25-minute sessions followed by 5-minute breaks.
• Eliminate distractions: silence notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and set clear boundaries.
• Schedule 1–2 hours of “deep focus time” each day for cognitively demanding tasks.
• Reflect after each session on what you learned or accomplished.

As productivity expert Cal Newport explains in his book Deep Work:

“The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable.”

When you train your brain to focus deeply, you improve not only your concentration but also your capacity to connect ideas, solve complex problems, and think at a higher level — the essence of true intelligence.

If you’re preparing for one, here’s a guide: How to Prepare for a Recruitment IQ Test.

9. Cultivate Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Cognitive intelligence (IQ) helps you solve logical problems — but emotional intelligence (EQ) determines how effectively you navigate life, relationships, and stress. In fact, psychologists argue that EQ often predicts success better than IQ, especially in leadership, communication, and personal fulfillment.

Emotional intelligence involves four key components:

• Self-awareness – recognizing your emotions and their impact.
• Self-regulation – controlling impulses and staying calm under pressure.
• Empathy – understanding others’ emotions and perspectives.
• Social skills – building positive relationships and resolving conflicts.

A high EQ allows you to make better decisions, communicate more clearly, and recover faster from setbacks. For example, an emotionally intelligent leader doesn’t just rely on data; they also sense team morale, manage tension, and inspire motivation.

How to develop emotional intelligence:

• Practice empathy: Before responding, pause and try to understand what the other person feels.
• Reflect before reacting: Emotional control is a sign of maturity and cognitive depth.
• Seek honest feedback: Ask trusted people how your emotions or communication affect others.
• Journal your emotions: Writing helps you identify patterns in your reactions.
• Engage in mindfulness: It sharpens self-awareness and reduces emotional reactivity.

As Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, once said:

“What really matters for success, character, happiness, and lifelong achievements is a definite set of emotional skills—your EQ—not just purely cognitive abilities.”

True intelligence, therefore, isn’t just about knowing facts; it’s about understanding people, showing compassion, and managing yourself with wisdom.

10. Surround Yourself with Smart and Curious People

Your social environment profoundly influences your mental growth. The people you spend time with shape how you think, speak, and even what you believe is possible. When you’re around intelligent, curious, and driven individuals, your mind naturally stretches to match their energy and curiosity.

In psychology, this is called the “social contagion effect” — behaviors, attitudes, and even levels of ambition spread through social contact. If you spend time with thinkers and learners, you’ll start absorbing their habits: reading more, questioning assumptions, and exploring new ideas.

Practical ways to build an enriching environment:

• Join book clubs, study circles, or professional communities that challenge your thinking.
• Attend seminars, workshops, or online forums where intellectual exchange thrives.
• Seek mentors who inspire curiosity and lifelong learning.
• Limit time with overly negative or unambitious groups that drain your motivation.

Surrounding yourself with smart people doesn’t mean competition — it means collaboration. Iron sharpens iron. Every meaningful conversation or debate adds to your cognitive toolkit, helping you become more articulate, insightful, and confident.

Conclusion: Intelligence Is Trainable

Contrary to old beliefs, intelligence isn’t fixed at birth — it’s a dynamic ability that can grow throughout life. Your brain is a living network capable of rewiring itself in response to learning, challenge, and experience — a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.

Raising your intelligence isn’t about memorizing facts or acing IQ tests. It’s about training your mind to think deeply, learn continuously, and adapt creatively. By combining good habits — such as learning, exercising, meditating, resting well, and maintaining strong emotional health — you can steadily elevate your cognitive performance.

Remember this guiding truth:

“The brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.” — Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself

Every new challenge, conversation, and piece of knowledge you embrace builds neural strength. Your potential for intelligence is not a number — it’s a lifelong journey of curiosity, growth, and evolution.

Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep expanding your mind — because raising your intelligence means raising the quality of your entire life.