Are you tired of activities damaging your brain cells? If you would like to put your intelligence to the test, there are plenty of fun hobbies you can embrace that will get you thinking and improve your skillset. Here are five activities that’ll make you smarter.
Read Regularly
One activity that will certainly increase your IQ is regularly reading books. Not only will reading fiction and non-fiction books help to increase your intelligence, but it can improve your vocabulary, imagination, creativity, and empathy. You can even pick up a book to learn more about a subject, such as a history, science, geography, or industry you’re passionate about. The more you read, the smarter you will be. This is a great way to separate yourself from screens for a while, as well.
An Escape Room Experience
A Charlotte Escape Room is not just a great way to have some fun with friends, as you will need to use your problem-solving skills to break out of the room within a sixty-minute time frame. You will feel the pressure as you go up against the clock to follow clues and solve puzzles, so it will test your intelligence. It can also help to improve your teamwork skills, as you will each need to work together as a collective to find a way out of a themedroom.
Play a Musical Instrument
Have you always wanted to master a musical instrument? There’s more to it than simply playing cords to make a great sound. Playing a challenging instrument, such as a guitar, piano, or violin, can improve your cognitive skills. It’s also a great activity for children to try, as learning an instrument can reportedly lead to improved processing speed and verbal fluency. So, teach yourself how to play an instrument or book a lesson with a music teacher.
Play Video Games
Video games have developed a bad reputation in recent years, but they can improve your skills. Playing for as little as thirty minutes each day can reportedly improve a person’s spatial navigation, motor performance, and strategic planning. It can also considerably increase grey matter in the brain and can develop your working memory, which is responsible for both new and stored information. So, start playing strategy games and puzzles for half an hour each day to improve your skills.
Learn a New Language
Learning a new language cannot only help you to connect with locals abroad, but it is believed to slow down brain aging, so you can enjoy a sharper mind throughout the decades. It’s believed the process of learning a new language can improve your brain’s executive function, so it can help you easily perform mentally demanding tasks. Research has also found that bilinguals are better problem solvers and planners and can easily manage tasks. This is because their brain has a greater attention span and they have the capacity to switch tasks with ease. Taking on a new challenge can only go to benefit you in the long run in terms of what you can gain, even if you just give it a go.
If you’re looking to learn a new language, Spanish is a great choice. With over 460 million Spanish speakers worldwide, it’s the second most widely spoken language in the world. Learning Spanish can open up new opportunities for travel, work, and social connections, as well as providing the same cognitive benefits as learning any other language. Whether you choose to take classes, use language learning apps, or immerse yourself in Spanish-speaking culture, the benefits of learning a new language are numerous. So why not take the plunge and start learning Spanish today?