How to approach the issue of developing yourself, what to do so as not to miss anything and what you should focus on. How to easily develop intelligence, creativity and erudition: exercises How to become a more erudite person
Someone who lived back in the 18th century wrote: “It’s bad to live without a mind; What will you do without him? And indeed, without intelligence, it is impossible to become successful. But what kind of person can be called smart?
Educated and well-read? Or someone with natural ingenuity? Or someone who can put their knowledge into practice?
In everyday life, when talking about a person that he is smart, they usually mean that he knows a lot. It turns out that someone who knows different sciences can be called smart: physics, chemistry, mathematics and others. However, such knowledge only indicates a person’s good memory or his desire to learn something.
Being educated or well-read is not always a sign of great intelligence. Undoubtedly, education enriches a person, but it is not a substitute for intelligence. Everyone has probably met people with more than one education, about whom we can say that they are not particularly intelligent.
An intelligent person is one who knows how to apply his knowledge in practice, has logical thinking, is able to analyze events and see perspectives, who can distinguish the important from the secondary and thinks outside the box. This is the one who knows how to think.
It is noteworthy that many people do their actions without thinking. Sadly, research shows that most people think only 10% of the time. And in their actions they are guided by established habits, brought to the point of automatism. Often people make mistakes not because they are stupid, but because they do not like to think.
An intelligent person is quick-witted, knows how to draw conclusions and learn lessons from his life experiences.
As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle noted, “Intelligence lies not only in knowledge, but also in the ability to apply knowledge in practice.”
Is it possible to develop your mind?
The mind, just like muscles, must be developed and trained, otherwise it will atrophy as unnecessary. Therefore, in order to grow wiser, you must always give your mind a load, force it to work. And, as the English writer Daniel Defoe wrote, “It’s never too late to grow wiser.”
1. Read more
Reading is gymnastics for the brain. It helps to expand your vocabulary, improves visual memory and develops the ability to analyze information. The main thing is to read every day, setting aside at least half an hour or an hour.
They say that reading for the mind is like exercise for the body. True, you need to not just read, but comprehend what you read.
2. Make your own decisions
Some people push others for some decision, not wanting to strain their brains. After all, making a decision involves analyzing the situation and making a choice. optimal solution, that is, it forces you to turn on the thought process, to start thinking. Refusal to think gradually leads to degradation, and there can be no talk of any intelligence or success here.
3. Surround yourself with smart and successful people
There is a category of people who strive to communicate with, but at the same time have mercantile goals. Firstly, they believe that against their background they themselves will look smart and successful. And secondly, they make such acquaintances, hoping to take advantage of their position and connections.
However, the advice to surround yourself with smart and successful people only means that a person who finds himself in such a company should try to catch up to their level: think broadly and outside the box, develop, travel, learn foreign languages, etc. After all, as the popular proverb says, “ Whoever you hang out with, that’s how you’ll gain.”
4. Get rid of habitual behavior patterns
Each person creates a comfort zone around himself in which he feels safe. At the same time, being in it constantly, he gets used to performing the same actions, says almost the same words and, as a result, lives automatically. New people, events and impressions frighten him because they threaten to disrupt his daily stay in the “stagnant swamp”.
However, if you look at your own memory, you will notice that all the most significant events happened precisely when we destroyed patterns and stereotypes, broke out of the circle of habitual actions.
New people and impressions, unusual situations shake up our minds, force us to think, compare, analyze and make decisions.
The Christian philosopher Augustine the Blessed wrote: “If I am deceived, that is why I exist. For whoever does not exist cannot, of course, be deceived: therefore, I exist if I am deceived.”
People whose lives pass without emotions, are boring and monotonous, do not themselves notice how they are degrading, their minds are fading. They do not need success, because they begin to be content with little - satisfying just basic physical needs.
Travel, change jobs, go on an excursion to another city, try a new dish, buy new thing or just start going to work a different way - just change your usual lifestyle!
5. Give up the TV
TV can be safely called a chronophage - a time eater. With a huge number of different channels, just switching from channel to channel in search of an interesting program takes at least half an hour. Unnecessary shows, series with other people's lives and problems create the appearance of their own full-fledged interesting life.
TV became not only her surrogate, but also a drug that lulled her consciousness. Why strain and think, analyze, if you can just listen - figuratively speaking, obediently “chew” television “food”, specially selected for mass consumption, without giving yourself the trouble to start thinking.
By the way, one of the great people noted that “Those who read books will always control those who watch TV.”
The Internet can also be classified as a chronophage, if it is not used to obtain the necessary information, the same social media, computer games and even some people. People-chronophages, not knowing how to spend their own time and what to do, begin to devour the property of others. Don't forget that our time is the most valuable thing we have. After all, this is something that once we give to someone, we will never be able to return.
By identifying the chronophages in our lives and getting rid of them, we will have a lot of time that we can use to become smart and successful.
6. Keep a diary or start a blog
It turns out that expressing your thoughts beautifully and intelligently is not so easy. Many people have long lost their school skills in writing and presentation; they have forgotten how to write letters. Keeping a diary or blog develops logical thinking, the ability to analyze, expands lexicon. If we make it a habit to devote at least half an hour a day to writing it, then within a month we will be able to see how successful we are.
7. Determine what you are really interested in
Surely favorite hobby Everyone has a hobby. What you can do, you need to try to do even better. If you don’t have a favorite activity, you can start studying an interesting, but completely unfamiliar topic. Or, for example, another foreign language. Learning something new is good mental training.
8. Play sports
Swimming, fitness, dancing, chess, basketball, cycling - this is not only relaxation, but also good. Scientists have noticed that with moderate physical activity, a special protein is produced in human muscles, which activates memory and promotes better assimilation of knowledge. In addition, physical activity improves blood supply to the brain. Physically active people maintain a clear mind into old age.
8. Listen to music
Psychologists say that, in particular, Mozart, has a beneficial effect on mental capacity person.
9. Laugh
― best vacation for the brain. During laughter, endorphins are produced, allowing him to relax and unwind.
10. Fall in love
Harmony in love and sex increases, and therefore makes a person smarter and more successful. This is stated by the authoritative neuropsychiatrist Amen Daniel Gregory, based on his 20 years of practice, in his book “Brain and Love”.
11. Get enough sleep
Everyone knows that sleep is necessary for the body, because during it our strength is restored. But the brain continues to work actively during sleep, analyzing, processing and sorting the accumulated information. Thanks to sleep, unnecessary information is also erased, which means memory reserves are freed, and the brain is ready to work again.
How many wars has humanity survived? How to measure beauty? What do laughter and a grimace of displeasure have in common?
You will find a hundred clear explanations of a variety of things in this book. Its author is a professor at the Department of Psychophysiology at Nizhny Novgorod State University. N.I. Lobachevsky, presenter Researcher at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Antonets.
From book:
Can the sound of your name affect how you are perceived?
Russian philologist Vladimir Zhuravlev found that the messages contained in the sound of words in the modern Russian language can be assessed using 25 emotional antonymous comparisons: “good - bad”, “joyful - sad”, “safe - scary”, “simple - complex” and others.
After conducting research with a large number of people, Zhuravlev was able to establish what subconscious rating each sound has on what scale.
Nowadays it’s easy to find clues on the Internet about what impression your name leaves. For example, Nikolai is handsome and safe, Kolya is good, and Kolyan is good, kind and handsome. An analysis of the poems and illustrations for them showed that poets intuitively follow phonosemantic rules and that there are also sound-color relationships that are also observed in the language.
Beauty squared
Most people think that mathematics is too abstract and far from real life the science. Not so!
Have you heard about a mathematical theory that helps simplify the search for a life partner? Can you guess how exponential growth is related to the catastrophes that threaten humanity? Do you realize that the numbers in a company logo influence your purchases? From the book by mathematician and philosopher Alex Bellos you will learn about this and much more. Read in one go!
From book:
A Warning to Humanity
Physics professor Albert Bartlett has been giving his famous lecture "Arithmetic, Population and Energy" since 1969. Each time he begins it by declaring in a foreboding tone: “The greatest flaw of the human race is its inability to understand the essence of exponential growth.”
Exponential growth occurs when a quantity continually increases in proportion to its value, for example by doubling: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64...
Imagine a bottle of bacteria whose numbers double every minute. At 11:00 there is one bacteria in the bottle, and by 12:00 the bottle will be completely filled with bacteria. “If you were an ordinary bacterium living in this bottle,” Bartlett asks, “at what point in time would you realize that there was about to be no free space left?” Amazingly, at 11:55 the bottle appears almost empty: it is only 3 percent full.
Bartlett's bottle is a warning to the inhabitants of the Earth. If the planet's population increases exponentially, there will be no free space left much faster than it seems.
Game theory
Do you want to delight others with your insight? Learn to think strategically and emerge victorious from any situation? This book is written especially for you.
From book:
Less is better
You may think that it is always useful to have more options. But if you think strategically, reducing the number possible options may bring more benefits.
Thomas Schelling writes in his book about how the Athenian commander Xenophon fought with his back to a deep gorge. He deliberately chose such a position so that his soldiers would not have the opportunity to retreat. Their backs became stiff in that battle, but they won.
Likewise, Cortés sank his ships after arriving in Mexico. The Aztecs could retreat deep into their territory, and Cortez's soldiers had no opportunity for escape or retreat. By making the defeat even more disastrous than it would have been on its own, Cortés increased his chances of victory - and won.
Psychology
Psychology is one of the most interesting human sciences, and now it has become accessible to everyone. To better understand yourself and other people, you don't need to read written complex language works of scientists.
This book explains the theory so simply and engagingly that in just a couple of days you will be able to advise your friends. Paul Kleinman will help you understand the key ideas of psychology, the concepts of Freud, Fromm, Rorschach and other researchers.
From book:
Social phobia
Social phobia is one of the most common types of anxiety disorder; Its symptoms affect nearly 13 percent of the world's population at some point in time.
A person suffering from social phobia is constantly worried about how others perceive him. Such people experience an irrational fear that someone treats them badly or evaluates them negatively, and also that they do not appear to others at their best.
Social phobia should not be confused with excessive shyness, since the former is accompanied by persistent and very serious symptoms of an emotional and physical nature: trembling, increased sweating, rapid heartbeat, severe nervousness in situations of communication with strangers, fear of being underestimated, anxiety about the possibility of being humiliated, excessive worry that others will notice the patient’s anxiety, fear of pre-planned events, etc.
Naked statistics 
Our world is generating huge amounts of data faster and faster. However, as The New York Times rightly noted, “data is just the raw material of knowledge.” Statistics are the most powerful tool we have at our disposal for the practical use of information.
In this book Charles Whelan gives answers to many interesting questions: how to calculate the number of homeless people in a metropolis, why casinos are always in the black, how globalization affects poor people, and others.
From book:
Forecast police
In the 2002 film Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a crime-stopping detective. His hero is an employee of a certain bureau that uses certain technology to predict crimes before they are committed. And this is no longer fantasy.
In 2011, The New York Times published an article entitled: “Police are on the scene before a crime is committed.” It said that special computer program predicted a high probability of car thefts that day in an underground parking lot located in the business district of the city of Santa Cruz.
When detectives got there, they found two women staring too closely into the car windows. One of them has been repeatedly detained for theft, and the other was found in possession of illegal drugs.
The system used in Santa Cruz was developed by two mathematicians, an anthropologist and a criminologist. The Chicago Police Department has created an entire unit of forecasting analysts. Part of its formation was explained by the fact that the gangs that terrorized the city acted according to certain patterns.
Interstellar. Science behind the scenes
Before filming Interstellar, consulting scientist Kip Thorne offered the director two simple rules. First: nothing in the film should contradict the generally accepted laws of physics or reliable knowledge about the world. Second: all speculation must be scientifically supported.
If you still have questions after watching, then Kip Thorne’s book about the curvature of space and time, black holes, gravity and other mysteries of the Universe will help answer them.
From book:
Time Warp
The main character of the film"Interstellar" Cooper is worried that he will no longer see his daughter Murph, because, being near Gargantua, he ages only a few hours, while years pass on Earth. How to explain this?
Back in 1912, Einstein realized that massive bodies can bend time and this curvature is the cause of gravity. The greater the time dilation, the stronger the gravitational attraction. And at the surface of a black hole, where time hardly moves, gravity is so enormous that even light cannot overcome it.
The theory was confirmed when Robert Wessot of Harvard used a NASA rocket to lift the atomic clock 10,000 kilometers and, using radio signals, compared its time with the clocks that remained on Earth. It turned out that time on Earth flows about 30 microseconds per day slower than at an altitude of 10,000 kilometers.
Economics of everything
The dean of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University explains how economics influences various social processes.
By reading this book you will learn moreabout the structure of the state and understand why we are faced with certain forces of social friction, for what reasons perfection is unattainable, what social capital is, the problem of the freeloader, as well as the British disease and red sclerosis, what dilemma the elites face in Russia and much more.
From book:
Do we need a state?
Not only in Russian, but also in the world public consciousness, there were many myths associated with the state. And at some point these myths began to be tested. For example, all the great British economists gave the same example: if it were not for the government, who would build lighthouses in England? But the nation needs lighthouses - what would England be without shipping?
Economist Ronald Coase went to the British Admiralty archives and began to look at who actually built the lighthouses. It turned out that not a single lighthouse in England was built by the government. Whoever built them - captains' guilds, local communities, shipowner corporations, but not the government.
Then Friedrich von Hayek checked how things were going with monetary systems. It turned out that different states in different time created their own treasury systems of monetary notes, but they all died. The banknotes we use now are so-called banknotes, that is, systems of private receipts between banks. They began to look at the police, the fire department, the army, and again there were mixed answers.
The conclusion that can be drawn from all this is this: if the state is needed, it is not for what it was previously thought to be for. The state has substitutes everywhere.
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We all want to be smart, to shine with ingenuity, wit and intelligence, but only a select few like Nikolai Baskov and Gennady Onishchenko succeed in this. Read this article - and the world in your head will sparkle with new convolutions.
Alexander Kanygin
1. Read more
The more complex and unusual the books are, the better. Complex designs, long, detailed sentences, rare words, abstruse articles from our magazine and especially poetry - a real “Rastishka” for your brain.
2. Drumming on the table
Better yet, make it a rule to accompany the music you hear: on your knee, on the table top, or on a freshly bought tom-tom - it doesn’t matter. With your palms or chopsticks. Neuroscientist Anirudh Patel from San Diego believes that the sense of rhythm plays an important role in learning. After all, the basal ganglia, the lobes of the brain involved in motor functions, are responsible for it.
3. Listen to classical music
Especially Mozart. In 1995, psychologist Frances Rauscher tricked thirty rats into a room. For two months the Sonata for two pianos in C major was periodically played there. After the experiment, it turned out that the animals began not only to dance better, but also to run the maze faster and with fewer errors than another group of rats who lived in silence for these two months.
4. Train your memory
London taxi drivers, for example, have an enlarged hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for emotions and memory. Why are you worse?
■ Bookmark the website brainscale.ru. There you will find one of the versions of the "N back" task, developed in 1958 to study and stimulate the activity of certain areas of the brain, the development of working memory, logical thinking and the ability to concentrate. Try to take the test every day, spending a few minutes at the beginning of the day and the same at the end. According to a 2008 study by Suzanne Yeggi, regular training in this task can significantly develop fluid intelligence, expand a person's working memory, improve logical thinking and the ability to concentrate.
■ Having made a list of products that you need to buy, re-read it several times and try to remember not their names, but your future path through different departments in the store. After collecting everything in your cart and standing in line, try to calculate the total amount in your head. If she later turns out to be correct, you can buy yourself a spinach bush as a reward: it is good for memory.
■ Set aside half an hour every day to memorize poetry. The last time you did this was kindergarten, but all the words flew out of your head the moment the official part of the holiday ended and the coffin was lowered into the ground. The content of the poems does not play any role.
5. Drink coffee
Caffeine stimulates the release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, which help you stay alert and focused longer. It is important not to overdo it: a very large dose of caffeine will make you overexcited and unable to think rationally. Caffeine in doses greater than 300 mg (four cups natural coffee) per day will give a state of anxiety, headache, tremor, arrhythmia.
6. Albert Einstein
Theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize winner:
“Intellectual growth should begin at birth and end only at death. Knowing where to find information and how to use it is the secret to success. The mind, once expanded its boundaries, will never return to its former limits. Outstanding personalities are formed not through beautiful speeches, but through their own work and its results.”
7. Marcus Porcius Cato
Senior statesman, writer:
“A wise man learns more from fools than fools from a wise man.”
8. Play chess, checkers and poker
These games can not only make you richer, but also perfectly develop your thinking. If you think you play chess too well, try playing against the clock so that it takes no more than a minute to make a decision.
9. Develop your numbers sense
Yes, yes, you already have this. Take a handful of change out of your pocket, glance at it briefly and try to count the total amount from memory. Véronique Isgard, a cognitive psychologist at Harvard, found that ancient brain structures are responsible, about a quazillion years old (is there such a number? We're bad at that), but they can develop throughout life. To check how developed your brain is at the moment, take a short test or a large-scale test, the results of which will even be preserved in the annals of an American university and will help move science forward. Well, then - develop the CH. The easiest way is to pack things in a bag. When you figure out how best to squeeze them in, your brain solves the most complex problems and trains.
10. Feed your brain correctly!
Especially if you still can’t fully recite a single poem from school curriculum, and Facebook reminds you of the birthdays of your friends.
■ Walnuts. Almost the main food for an erudite! They even look like a brain. Five nuts a day - and you will be provided with lecithin, which improves brain function and activates memory. Nuts are also useful if you suddenly live in conditions of increased radiation.
■ Fish. Lacissistic and cold, it is rich in iodine, its meat contains omega-3 fatty acids, which provide a rapid flow of energy necessary for the transmission of impulses in brain cells. They also regulate blood cholesterol levels and improve vascular function. If you eat at least 100 grams of fish a day, your reaction speed will increase and you will reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
■ Pumpkin seeds. Pour half a glass into your jacket pocket and during office scandals, improve your memory and force your brain to think faster. All thanks to zinc.
■ Spinach. Add it to your morning omelet two to three times a week. Lutein contained in spinach will protect brain cells from premature aging.
■ Sage. Johns Hopkins University found that sage suppresses the action of amino acids responsible for memory impairment. Now they drink tea with sage every day and everyone remembers everyone.
11. Try to guess the next phrase of the interlocutor
Rebecca Seix from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is confident that with proper training, people will be able to understand others without words at all - by facial expression, gaze and other similar signs. The section of the brain responsible for this is located behind the right ear and is responsible for intuition.
12. Start a blog
By talking about the events of the day in it, you will not only learn to clearly formulate your thoughts, but you will also constantly think about new topics and poignant answers to questions from loyal readers.
13. Koichi Tohei
Writer, Aikido master, holder of 10th dan, founder of the Ki-Aikido Style Kii Society “Reading is the cornerstone of intelligence. Fill your free time by reading all kinds of books. Read novels, non-fiction, biographies. First, skim through the book quickly to get a general idea of it. If you think it makes sense, read it again. As a result, your brain's ability to adapt to various circumstances and organize a wide variety of data.”
14. Solve crossword puzzles
Surprisingly, it works: serious crossword puzzles greatly stimulate brain function.
15. Konstantin Sheremetyev
Researcher, author of the “Intelligence” project (), author of the books “The Perfect Brain: How to Control the Subconscious” and “How to Become Smarter”:
“Some people think that if at school he was good at solving problems in mathematics or something like that, then he is smart and will remain so forever. This is utter nonsense. If you pump up your muscles at the age of 18, and then lie down on the sofa and forget about them, then very soon they will atrophy. And the same thing happens with the efficiency of the brain.”
To the answer!
Konstantin Sheremetyev intelligently answers our stupid questions.
Who can be considered smart?A person who uses his brain to solve everyday problems. The main mental activity takes place in the subconscious. They don’t teach how to handle it in school, so most people’s brains run idle. He doesn't help them in life in any way. And the main purpose of intelligence is to ensure survival. Therefore, to evaluate a person’s intelligence, remember the rule: the result of the work of the intellect is a change in the material world. Survival? Then who is smarter - an office worker or a hunter in wildlife?
Oddly enough, the brain does not distinguish between these types of activities. Both need to explore their surroundings and learn to operate effectively in that environment. How many minutes or hours a day should you devote to brain training?
The brain works around the clock. The only question is what kind of load you give him. If you look at life critically, look for what you want to do, realize yourself, then your brain begins to work to its fullest. If there is no mental load, he atrophies and is only capable of thinking according to a template. You developed an emergency response program for astronauts. Are they smarter than those who have not been in space?
I entered knowledge in different areas into the system artificial intelligence in order to dangerous situation she suggested the right solution. But you can save up useful tips for all occasions on the phone. Then, for example, in the event of an accident, you will know exactly what to do.
16. Learn a foreign language
Andrea Macelli, a doctor of neurology at the University of London, argues that people who know a few foreign languages, it is easier to switch between different mental tasks. Will give an additional impetus to the development of your brain new way learning unknown foreign words.
■ Let's say, learning a language using parallel translations. On the site getparalleltranslations.com you will find books on the pages of which English and Russian texts are simultaneously posted. Essentially, these are the same credits with which you love to watch the latest TV series.
■ Slovak web developer Vojtek Rinik believes that words should be learned before they appear in a book. Surprised by his advice, you should feed the unfamiliar text to the wordsfromtext.com service, in response it will generate a list of the most commonly used words and invite you to mark the unfamiliar ones in it. If desired, you can print them out with a translation, memorize them, and then attack unsuspecting literature fully armed.
17. Install a smart app for yourself
Feeling an unpleasant pulsation in our too quickly growing brain, we buried ourselves in the screens mobile phones hoping to find salvation in some mind-numbing game. But what is it? And on mobile devices you can’t take a single step away from the dominance of educational programs!
Memory trainer. Consistently memorize the presses of multi-colored buttons and repeat them. Essentially, this is the same “N back” task disguised as a game.
Einstein. Training for the mind. HD collection of 30 exercises for the development of logic, memory, counting and attention.
Brain of a Genius. A variation on the theme of the famous logical problem, created, according to legend, by Einstein because he did not want to go to kindergarten.
18. Don't waste time
If you have a free minute at work and you want to look at a couple of meters of funny pictures, it’s better to open Wikipedia and read a “random” article.
19. Walk
It is enough to walk around the house three times a week for half an hour to concentrate your attention, learn and think abstractly by 15%. And it’s not just about the flow of oxygen to your neurons that have withered away in the stuffy office: scientists from the Salk Institute have proven that moderate exercise stress on fresh air causes the brain to grow new cells.
20. Give your brain a rest
No matter how busy you are, during mental activity you definitely need to rest every hour and a half. For example, make simple physical exercise or just walk along the corridor and have a cup of coffee. Consider it a necessity. This way, the analytical centers of the brain better digest the accumulated information and, no, no, and even come to some unexpected conclusion.
21. Stimulate your brain
If you ignored all our advice, and tomorrow is the championship final “What? Where? When?" League of classmates, there is another way to shake out the fat on the brain convolutions.
■ Neurometabolic stimulants, also known as nootropics, will help to urgently increase IQ - drugs that have an activating effect on memory and mental activity. Note: completely legal. The words to search in a pharmacy are: phenotropil, allertek, deprenil. You can also try phenibut, but, unlike previous drugs, it is taken in a course of 2-3 weeks; a one-time use will not give the desired result. And it should be like this: lack of desire to drop everything and go to sleep, increased reaction speed, slight irritability and the feeling that you are smarter than everyone around. There is, however, a small problem. “The effect of nootropics on the brain has not yet been fully studied,” says Konstantin Anokhin, head of the laboratory of memory neurobiology at the Institute of Normal Physiology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. And one more thing: do not confuse nootropics with dietary supplements. These will also make you smarter for a while, but they act differently, and their effect is weaker. These are, say, ginkgo biloba, guarana, eleutherococcus and ginseng root.
22. Play Tetris
A study by American scientists has shown that this classic puzzle can have a positive effect on human brain development. Testing has confirmed that regular practice of playing Tetris can increase the volume of gray matter in a player's brain and improve his thinking abilities. The brains of people who played this puzzle for half an hour a day for three months underwent changes in areas associated with movement, critical thinking, reasoning, language and information processing.
23. Leonardo da Vinci
Artist, inventor, scientist, writer:
“Iron rusts without finding any use, stagnant water rots or freezes in the cold, and a person’s mind withers.”
24. Anatoly Wasserman
Journalist, political consultant:
“Read and look more, try to find connections and analogies between different knowledge- and pretty soon you will feel what other gaps need to be filled in order to understand more. Without intelligence, everything else is simply useless. Being smart is not only fashionable, but also very pleasant. In my experience, what interests you is better remembered. Be curious - and without special effort remember everything that turns out to be interesting. But in order to preserve memory, you need to actively work and have diverse interests. Then a lot will be remembered, and memory will be a reliable support.”
25. Get a good night's sleep
It is during sleep that the brain processes the information collected during the day and forms memories. According to researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, an adult usually needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep.
26. Read in new ways
You, of course, have already skimmed this advice and moved on to the next one. Try going back and doing this.
■ Take a pencil and, moving it under the line, read the text. The eye, having caught the movement, will run after the pointer, while reading everything that you slipped it. Each time, speed up the movement of the pencil - this way your eyes will get used to the increased load, your reading speed will increase, and you will be able to absorb information faster.
■ 80% of people pronounce words in their minds when reading. This bad habit you acquired it while learning to read: you spoke the text letter by letter, then by syllables, then put them into words. But this is not at all necessary for understanding. To combat your inner voice, learn to read the text while counting to thirty or singing (you can without words) a song. For a week or two you won’t understand the content of the text, but gradually everything will return to normal.
■ According to physiologists, when a person sees something exciting, the pupils reflexively dilate. When you get to interesting place in the text, the same thing is observed: the pupil dilates, more light enters the eye, which means it can capture a larger amount of information. The only problem is how to make yourself believe that the investigative report in front of you is as interesting as an interview with the girl on the cover. From a neurophysiological point of view, interest arises at the moment when the brain compares new information with what is already in memory. So just guess what exactly might be written in the text. The brain will be forced to compare information with real ones and, willy-nilly, show interest.
27. Get yourself an unusual hobby
(our “Idea” section will give you ideas!).
New activities, according to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the suburbs of San Diego, firstly, are great for taking a break from routine, and secondly, they will force your brain to adapt to unfamiliar activities and, as a result, to train.
28. Alan Weiss
President of the NCH Health Union:
“When you are completely immersed in the world of a game, your brain focuses on solving the problems at hand. He's looking for unusual solutions and ways out of the unusual Everyday life situations. Later, these same ideas may be useful to you in real life, at work or when communicating.”
29. Try new ways to get information
Are you being interrupted from reading books at a rock concert? Pay attention to audiobooks and audio podcasts. And on the Internet, sign up for free courses at knowledgestream.ru (coursera.org for English speakers).
30. Stop watching TV
The contemplation of flashing pictures, supposedly designed to give rest to the brain, which has been overworked during the day, loads it in the same way as reading or proving theorems. But at the same time it does not develop at all. Conclusion? Throw the TV out the window and put a pot of sage in its place.
Set goals for yourself. How will this help the cause? Well, you're happy when you achieve a goal, right? Start small - say, read a book a month. Then - 2 books a month. Once you get the hang of it, you can read a book a week or even faster! Make yourself a list of books, don’t deviate from the plan, and everything will work out for you.
- Set goals so you can spend your time productively. If, for example, you want to finish reading Ulysses this week, then be distracted by new season You won't be a soap opera anymore!
Read the Top 100 lists. Almost every self-respecting magazine has already published its own version of hundreds of books “that everyone should read.” Why not, read them too! You will become very well read if you master everything. In other words, look for lists and read. For example, you can read works from the lists:
Listen to audio books. Find an audio book, it is in no way inferior to a regular one! If you are too tired to read with your eyes, then listening with your ears, in general, will also pass for reading. This way you can become very, very well read! This option is especially good for those who spend a lot of time on the road. Make good use of your time!
- Before purchasing a book, it would be a good idea to listen to a sample and make sure you like the reader's voice. If you don't like the voice, the book will read very slowly...
Get a Kindle reader. Yes, it’s not cheap, but it’s convenient, and you’ll also be able to save on books later! Classic works can be bought for next to nothing, and modern works can be bought at a decent discount! Plus, with Kindle, you can download a purchased book in a second, instead of waiting for it to be delivered to your bookstores.
- If you have a Kindle, you can read an excerpt from the book before purchasing.
Read funny books. Being well read is important. Having fun and having fun is also important. Reward yourself for every classic you read—say, with a book from your favorite genre!
Join a book club. Or organize one yourself. This way you will not only make friends with other well-read people, but also discover many new books. Plus, you will have specific deadlines to finish reading a particular book, and this is also useful. And in book clubs you can always discuss your favorite work! This, you know, is very useful, otherwise there is a risk of slipping into thoughtless and thoughtless reading.
Create an account on Goodsread or another similar service. Such services allow you to make a list of books you want to read, leave reviews for them, and communicate with other book lovers. Such services are usually free, and there are simply a lot of benefits from them. In addition, they themselves are also a good motivation to read, so register!
Review books on Amazon. Start there account and start leaving reviews for the books you read. When you read a lot of books and write a lot of interesting and useful reviews, you will become a “top reader.” If you think that this is nonsense, then you shouldn’t think so - this status gives you the opportunity to buy books at discounts, and sometimes even get access to them before the official start of sales!
- Even if you don't get this status, it's okay - writing reviews will help you understand the book better.
Connect with other well-read people. Communication with them will open up many new thoughts, ideas, books and names to you. There's no point in being well-read if you can't use your knowledge and discuss the latest in the book world with people!
Listen to podcasts. If you can download free podcasts of writers speaking, that's a good thing. You can learn a lot of new things from podcasts, discover things you never thought of before. For those who want to become well-read by ear, we can recommend the following podcasts (they are on English language, you will have to look for it separately in your native language):
- The New Yorker Fiction podcast
- KCRW's Bookworm
- PRI"s Selected Shorts
- WBEZ Chicago's This American Life
- PRI's America Abroad
- LearnOutLoud's Great Speeches in History Podcast
- New York Times Book Review podcast
Good afternoon, dear readers. Today I would like to talk to you about how to become literate, erudite and intellectually developed person. Today, to be successful, it is not enough to just be lucky or talented in one thing. General erudition and versatility are increasingly being valued. Having done just a few the right steps, you will be able to shine not only in the company of acquaintances and friends, but also to amaze everyone else.
Be open to everything new
The first and most important thing is not to close yourself off. Many people long years they build their value system, develop a certain line of behavior, and fill themselves with some knowledge. But the main problem is ossification. If you are only faithful to one specific piece of knowledge, you will not be able to expand your horizons. It is very important to be able to see and hear new things.
Do not rush
Remember that results will not appear quickly. Do everything with pleasure and pleasure. And for this you need to get rid of haste. Don't expect results right now. Many modern people suffer precisely because of this expectation. A person wants to get everything at once. Relax.
Do everything slowly and without haste. Be aware of your every action. Otherwise you may miss a lot the most important details. Don't pursue education just for the sake of education. Fill yourself up like a decanter. Study everything with interest, sincere and genuine.
The more you delve into the details, the better you will understand the essence of what is happening. I think we all understand the difference between speed reading and enjoying a favorite book. It’s the same with any knowledge. Just cramming a bunch of facts into yourself will be absolute nonsense.
Be sure to set aside time for yourself alone. Without a book, without a computer and a phone. Just you and silence. It is at such moments that a person can think calmly. But this is precisely the key to success. Don’t just fill yourself with all kinds of knowledge, but taste it, doubt it, criticize various statements.
What to focus on
What skills can help you achieve your goal? I think everyone will agree with me that developing your eloquence will be extremely useful. There is no urgent need for this, but being able to speak beautifully and correctly is very useful. Thanks to modern technologies you don't even need to leave the house for this.
Today there are a huge number of applications for phones and tablets that can give you direction for developing eloquence. If this isn’t enough for you, you can always sign up for courses with a live teacher.
Another thing that will undoubtedly be useful is logic. Buy or download a textbook on logic, solve problems, build logical chains, learn to select logical justifications for your thoughts. It is very important to be able to see the whole picture.
Studying psychology and sociology will help you in understanding people. Don't be afraid to start with something small. You shouldn’t attack all psychology at once. Start by studying yourself. Find out more about your character, go through several psychological tests, For example, Cattell test. And gradually delve deeper into those areas of science that interest you most.
In addition, and help a lot in understanding what is happening. Collect images of people using literature and cinema. Study the situations that happen to the main characters. Question their choices and imagine what you would do.
Exact sciences help put everything in its place. Mathematics, physics, chemistry will be useful to you in life, have no doubt. One of my friends practically saved the whole company when we went camping. One of the comrades was delayed, and he had all the accessories for the fire. We began to freeze, but there was neither a lighter nor matches at hand. Then the young man took out the batteries from the camera and asked for chewing gum. Thanks to these same batteries and foil, we were able to warm ourselves by the fire. Don't neglect this knowledge.
I hope my article brought you many new ideas and thoughts that will help you achieve what you want. Share the link to the article with your friends if you want them to think about their lives too.