8 ways to boost your IQ

Описание: In this video, I talk about simple everyday things you can do to boost your IQ, all of which is backed up by research.

IQ has a strong genetic component:
Bouchard Jr, T. J., Lykken, D. T., McGue, M., Segal, N. L., & Tellegen, A. (1990). Sources of human psychological differences: The Minnesota study of twins reared apart. Science, 250(4978), 223-228.

The Flynn Effect (chart):
https://humanprogress.org/trends/iq-s...

Training your working memory:
Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(19), 6829-6833.

Dual-N-Back:
https://brainscale.net/app/dual-n-bac...

Reading helps boost intelligence:
Ritchie, SJ, Bates, TC and Plomin, R. Does Learning to Read Improve Intelligence? A Longitudinal Multivariate Analysis in Identical Twins From Age 7 to 16. Child Development, 2014

Benefits of exercise on cognitive intelligence:
Singh, B., Bennett, H., Miatke, A., Dumuid, D., Curtis, R., Ferguson, T., ... & Maher, C. (2025). Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 59(12), 866-876.

How long to exercise for?
Zhang, M., Jia, J., Yang, Y., Zhang, L., & Wang, X. (2023). Effects of exercise interventions on cognitive functions in healthy populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 92, 102116.

Less than 4 hours sleep or more than 10 hours sleep is bad:
Ma, Y., Liang, L., Zheng, F., Shi, L., Zhong, B., & Xie, W. (2020). Association between sleep duration and cognitive decline. JAMA network open, 3(9), e2013573-e2013573.

Sleep for 7-8 hours per night:
Chaput, J. P., Dutil, C., Featherstone, R., Ross, R., Giangregorio, L., Saunders, T. J., ... & Carrier, J. (2020). Sleep duration and health in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S218-S231.

Diet recommendations for cognitive health:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/health...
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-r...

Stress and cognitive decline:
Christensen, D. S., Garde, E., Siebner, H. R., & Mortensen, E. L. (2023). Midlife perceived stress is associated with cognitive decline across three decades. BMC geriatrics, 23(1), 121.

Cognitive booster RCT:
Ball, K., Berch, D. B., Helmers, K. F., Jobe, J. B., Leveck, M. D., Marsiske, M., ... & ACTIVE Study Group. (2002). Effects of cognitive training interventions with older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Jama, 288(18), 2271-2281.

Musical practice:
Loui, P., Raine, L. B., Chaddock-Heyman, L., Kramer, A. F., & Hillman, C. H. (2019). Musical instrument practice predicts white matter microstructure and cognitive abilities in childhood. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 1198.

Language learning:
Wei, X., Gunter, T. C., Adamson, H., Schwendemann, M., Friederici, A. D., Goucha, T., & Anwander, A. (2024). White matter plasticity during second language learning within and across hemispheres. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(2), e2306286121.