Intelligence is one of those topics that almost seems too “fixed” to worry about – we instantly find ourselves labeling others as smart, dumb, intelligent, slow and all kinds of other markers that have to do with our ability to perform mentally. All of our brains work on remarkably different levels, and interpret the same information from our environment in vastly different ways. Put ten people in a room and give them a topic, and you can be sure that you’ll see all kinds of new, interesting conclusions and opinions based on their past experiences and the way their brains process the incoming information.

But here’s the kicker: you can enhance your mental performance, and increase your intelligence, in several fascinating ways. The two main strategies for improving mental performance are to build new neurons and neural connections, and to optimize the speed of transmission (neural communication).

First is the building process. In the November/December issue of Scientific American Mind, they discuss the recent studies done on a group of subjects learning to juggle. While training, the amount of gray matter (neuron bodies) in the areas of the brain related to motor skills grew dramatically. When they stopped training, however, research revealed that the additional gray matter disappeared. So the real takeaway here is that the brain is plastic; it’s always changing, and you’re the one deciding how!

You can, in effect, choose to develop whatever regions of your brain you’d like – so long as you have the right habits and practices to develop them effectively. But what areas would be worth developing the most? Surprisingly, the answer generally depends on gender differences. According to researcher and author Richard J. Haier, professor emeritus in the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, research has also revealed interesting contrasts in brain structure between genders. While male and female groups may both be scoring identically on IQ tests and other standard tests, the structural development of the brains give us some further insight.

In men, higher IQ scores went hand-in-hand with gray matter in posterior areas (integration of sensory information), as well as frontal areas. In women, higher IQ scores were much more focused on these frontal regions, especially those associated with language. What researchers are now seeing and continually testing is the fact that if you develop these specific brain regions, you can develop that general intelligence quality, “g”, to a great degree. In other words, they’ve found that you can develop intelligence by selecting and developing those key regions that correlate to higher intelligence. Just how to do that most effectively is still, of course, a great debate and hot topic for professors and researchers everywhere – but the implications are vast.

So the takeaway for Part 1 is that in order to enhance your mental performance and increase your intelligence, you can start developing the brain areas that correspond to higher intelligence. This first part is all about building the gray matter, or neurons, in your brain by challenging yourself with new, stimulating habits and practices. It could be learning to play a new instrument, reading for 60 minutes a day, crossword puzzles, card games, sudoku, or any number of other habits. Think about what new daily habit would excite you – something that you would enjoy doing that would also challenge you to develop your ability to perform mentally. Tie this into a practice that develops the specific regions of intelligence, and you’ve got a powerful developmental plan for your mind.

I’ll see you on Part 2, where we’ll discuss the second way to start increasing your intelligence – the speed and ease of neural communication.

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett