How can you grow your intelligence

Health & Science

You Can Grow Your Brain

Many people think of the brain as a mystery. They don’t often think about what intelligence is or how it works. When they do think about what intelligence is, they may think that a person is born either smart, average, or dumb—either a “math person” or not—and stays that way for life.

But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle, and it changes and gets stronger when used. Scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when people learn.

Everyone knows lifting weights helps muscles. A person who can’t lift 20 pounds when he or she starts exercising can become strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time. Muscles become larger and stronger with exercise, and if one stops exercising, the muscles shrink.

But most people don’t know that when they practice and learn new things, parts of their brain change and get larger, a lot like the muscles do. This is true even for adults, so it’s not true that some people are stuck being “not smart” or “not math people.” They can improve your abilities, as long as they practice and use good strategies.

Inside the outside layer of the brain, called the cortex, are billions of tiny nerve cells, called neurons. The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network. Communication between these brain cells is what allows people to think and solve problems.

When humans learn new things, these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and strengthen. The more they challenge their minds to learn, the more their brain cells grow. Then, things that they once found hard or even impossible to do, like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra, become easier. The result is a stronger, smarter brain.

Scientists started thinking the human brain could develop and change when they studied adult animals’ brains. They found that animals that lived in a challenging environment, with other animals and toys to play with, were different from animals that lived alone in bare cages.

While the animals that lived alone just ate and slept all the time, the ones that lived with different toys and other animals were active. They spent time figuring out how to use the toys and how to get along with other animals.

These animals had more connections between the nerve cells in their brains. The connections were bigger and stronger, too. Their brains were about 10 percent heavier than the brains of the animals that lived alone without toys, and they also were “smarter” since they solved problems and learned.

Scientists have recently shown that adults can grow the parts of their brains that control their abilities, such as the ability to do math or even to juggle. In one study, scientists found a group of adults who were not jugglers. They taught half how to practice juggling in the right way, and the group practiced for a long time and improved. The other half didn’t.

Next, the scientists used a brain scanner to compare the brains of the two groups. They found that the people who learned how to juggle actually grew the parts of their brains

that control juggling skills, the visual and motor areas. Their brains had changed, so they actually had more ability. This was surprising because these people said before the study that they couldn’t juggle, just like some people say they’re “not good at math.” But when they learned good strategies for practicing and kept trying, they learned how.

Learning causes permanent changes in the brain. The jugglers’ brain cells grew larger, made new connections between them, which made their brains stronger and smarter.

Scientists also have found that learning to juggle is much like lifting weights or improving at math. When people learn to practice new ways of doing algebra or statistics, their brains grow, even if they haven’t done well in math in the past.

Strengthening the “math” part of brains usually happens when people try hard on challenging math problems. But it’s not just about effort. They also need to learn skills that let them use their brains in a smarter way.

If they use a bad strategy, they may not learn, even if they try hard. A few people study for math by doing the same set of easy problems and skipping the hard ones, or just re- reading the textbook, because it feels easier. Yet when it comes time to do the test, they don’t do well because they didn’t work on problems that taught them new things. When this happens, they may even say, “I’m just not smart at math.”

But the truth is that everyone can become smarter at math if they practice in the right way. If a weight lifter watched other people exercise all day long, he or she wouldn’t become stronger. If people tried to learn how to juggle by just reading a book about it, they wouldn’t learn.. They actually have to practice the right way, which may be more challenging, to improve at something. In fact, scientists have found that the brain grows more when people learn something new and less when they practice things they already know.

This means that it’s not just how much time and effort students put in to studying math, but whether, when they study, they learn something challenging. To do that, they usually need to use the right strategies from others, like teachers or students who do well. Luckily, strategies are easy to learn if students seek help.

People aren’t “smart” or “dumb” at math. At first, no one can read or solve equations. But with practice, they can learn to do it. The more people learn, the easier it is to learn new things because their brain “muscles” have strengthened.

This is true even for adults who have struggled for a long time to learn something. Dr. Wittenberg, a scientist from Wake Forest University, said, “We used to think adults can’t form new brain connections, but now we know that isn’t true. The adult brain is like a muscle, and we need to exercise it.”

People who don’t know this can miss out on the chance to grow a stronger brain. They may think they can’t do it, or that it’s too hard. It does take work to learn, just like becoming stronger physically or becoming a better juggler does. But when they improve, they realize the work is worth it.

References: A similar version of this article was written by Lisa Blackwell:www.brainology.us/websitemedia/youcangrowyourintelligence.pdf

Blackwell, L. A., Trzesniewski, K. H., & Dweck, C. S. (2007). “Theories of intelligence and achievement across the junior high school transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention.” Child Development 78: 246-263.

Driemeyer, J., Boyke, J., Gaser, C., Buchel, C., May, A. (2008). “Changes in Gray Matter Induced by Learning—Revisited.” PLoS One 3: e2669. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002669.

Nordqvist, C. (2004, Feb 1). “Juggling makes your brain bigger – New Study.” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/5615.php.