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Use These 5 Brain-Boosting Techniques to Increase Your Intelligence

Most of the conventional wisdom about intelligence is wrong. In reality, intelligence means much more than meets the eye.

Society creates narratives about what’s good and bad, who’s smart and who isn’t, what success and failure mean, etc.

We’ve been led to believe a few false notions:

• Fixed mindset — Carol Dweck in her book Mindset, talks about the difference between fixed and growth mindsets. We’re raised to believe in the power of fixed abilities when in reality intelligence is malleable.
• Testing works — We grow up in a society where good grades are supposed to be a metric for future success. We stress kids — who should be learning for the sake of learning — with standardized testing because it’s supposedly useful.
• Titles matter — Certain careers are labeled the “smart” careers. Non-white collar work is seen as a “trade” and is associated with lower intelligence.

Here’s the truth to all of the statements above:

• Growth Mindset — Scientists have proven our brains have something called “neuroplasticity” meaning our brains can form new connections through learning. A simplified example of this: if you practice the guitar, the area of your brain that…