Some young people believe that in old age they will lose their minds, turn into crazy old people, lose their memory and perhaps forget their given name. What frightens young people most of all is that these processes are irreversible. Fortunately, all the phenomena described cannot be called true. Human intelligence is a rather plastic material that is capable of increasing, developing and growing throughout life. But for this, a person must comply with one condition - to conduct constant training for his brain.

Human thinking and intelligence

The role of intelligence

Intelligence plays an important role in human life. Without it, a person will not be able to achieve his goals, adapt to the social environment and achieve success. Everyone knows that an intelligent person is able to cope with almost any difficulties in life. Is this true? Does he expect smart person success in any of his activities?

Example

Let's look at an example. A person recognized as a musical genius is unlikely to be good at mathematics or able to navigate unfamiliar terrain.

Some people believe that developed intelligence allows you to achieve financial success and become an influential businessman. This is not entirely true. Intelligence can be divided into 10 parts, each of which corresponds to a particular skill.

A person is rarely gifted with an equal amount of all types of intelligence; as a rule, one of them dominates, others are expressed to a lesser extent. For example, a musician has well-developed creative thinking, but poor spatial or physical thinking. To achieve a goal in any endeavor, it is recommended to develop the appropriate type of intelligence. No formula for success will help a person achieve a goal without certain thinking skills.

The concept of human intelligence includes an individual’s ability to process cognition, learning, comprehension, solving various problems, acquiring experience and the ability to apply acquired knowledge in practice.

Today, Piaget's theory is recognized as the leading theory explaining the formation of intelligence. He identified several stages in this process depending on age.

Stage 1 sensorimotor– when the child develops his first reflexes and skills. At the age of over 12 months, children begin to realize the reality of the world around them, and they develop their first concepts of their own. Characteristic is setting a goal and striving to achieve it. This behavior indicates that the first signs of intelligence are appearing.

Stage 2 is called “pre-operation”. A child under 7 years old already demonstrates symbolic intuitive thinking and can construct a solution to a certain problem without putting it into practice. Obvious concepts have been formed about the world around us.

3 is the stage of specific operations. Reaching the age of 7-12 years, the child begins to use his own knowledge about the world around him, and the ability to perform clear operations with certain objects develops.

Stage 4 – stage of formal operations. After the age of 12, children develop the ability to think abstractly and then formally, which is characteristic of mature intelligence. We develop our own image of the world around us and accumulate information.

Society undoubtedly has a significant influence on a person's intelligence through language, interpersonal relationships, etc.

In addition to Piaget's theory, the concept of information processing was proposed. Any information after entering the human brain is processed, stored, and transformed. As you grow older, your ability to switch attention and solve abstract problems improves.

At the beginning of the 20th century, various versions of tests were developed to assess intelligence. For children under 13 years of age, the Simon-Binet test was used, later improved into the Stanford-Binet scale.

The German psychologist Stern proposed a method for determining the level of intelligence using the ratio of the child’s intellectual age to his real age (IQ). One of the popular methods remains the method using progressive Raven matrices.

These techniques have not lost their relevance today. It must be said that, according to research, it is quite rare for people with high intelligence, as determined by tests, to be fully realized in life.

Structure of intelligence

Modern psychologists put forward different theories regarding the fact that mental abilities can be of different structures: some consider intelligence to be a complex of individual brain abilities, others hold the view that intelligence is based on a single general ability of the brain for mental activity.

An intermediate position is occupied by the theory of “fluid” and “crystallized intelligence”, based on the fact that when solving various problems one must either adapt to new conditions (fluid intelligence) or use skills and past experience (crystallized intelligence).

The first type of intelligence is genetically determined and declines after 40 years, the second is formed under the influence of the environment and does not depend on age.

Research proves that the intelligence of an individual is not only genetically programmed, but also depends on many factors - the intellectual climate in the family, the profession of parents, race, gender, vastness social interactions in childhood, health and nutrition, methods of raising a child. Since intelligence is closely related to memory, the development of the latter forms intelligence.

Eysenck defined the following structure of intelligence: how intense are the intellectual operations performed by an individual, how much does he strive to find a mistake and his persistence in this process. These elements form the basis of an IQ test.

Spearman believed that intelligence consists of a general factor (G), other group qualities - mechanical, verbal, computational and special abilities (S), which are determined by profession. And Gardner put forward the theory of the multiplicity of intelligence, according to which it can have various manifestations (verbal, musical, logical, spatial, mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal).

Types of intelligence

Human intelligence has many types, each of which can be trained and developed throughout life.

Types of intelligence are logical, physical, verbal, creative spatial, emotional, musical, social, spiritual. Each of them is responsible for different processes and is developed through appropriate activities. The higher the intelligence, the longer the ability to work and love for life lasts.

Intelligence levels

As is known, the level intellectual development an individual is assessed using special IQ tests on a scale that has maximum score at 160 points.

Approximately half of the world's population has average intelligence, that is, the IQ is between 90 and 110 points.

But with constant exercise it can be raised by about 10 points. About a quarter of earthlings have a high intellectual level, that is, an IQ greater than 110 points, and the remaining 25% have a low intellectual level with an IQ less than 90.

Of the people high level intelligence, about 14.5% score 110-120 points, 10% score 140 points, and only 0.5% of people have an intelligence above 140 points.

Since assessment tests are designed to different ages, adult with higher education and the child can show the same IQ. The level of intelligence and its activity, according to the findings of psychologists, remains unchanged throughout life.

The intellectual development of children up to the age of 5 years is identical, then spatial intelligence begins to predominate in boys, and verbal abilities in girls.

For example, there are many more famous male mathematicians than female mathematicians. Intelligence levels also vary across races. For representatives of the African-American race it averages 85, for Europeans 103, for Jews 113.

Thinking and intelligence

The concepts of thinking and intelligence are very close. To put it simply, the concept of intelligence means “mind,” that is, the property and abilities of a person, but the process of thinking is “comprehension.”

So, these determinants correspond to different aspects of a single phenomenon. Having intelligence, you have thinking potential, and intelligence is realized in the process of thinking. It is not for nothing that the human species is called “Homo sapiens” - reasonable man. And the loss of reason leads to the loss of the essence of man.

Development of intelligence

Since ancient times, people have come up with ways to develop intelligence. These are various games: puzzles, chess, puzzles, backgammon. In the 20th century they became computer mind games which train memory and increase concentration.

Mathematics and exact sciences significantly contribute to the development of intelligence, helping to improve logical and abstract thinking, deductive and analytical abilities. Exact science classes accustom the brain to order and have a positive effect on the structuring of thinking. Enrichment with new knowledge and increased erudition also stimulate the development of human intelligence.

How can you develop intelligence? There are several options. For example, according to Japanese system It is necessary to solve simple mathematical problems for a while, read aloud. It is also very useful to participate in trainings, education, and various group games.

IN modern world development is very important emotional intelligence– a person’s ability to understand and comprehend his emotions and the ability to generate them in such a way as to increase the intensity of thinking and intellectual growth.

These data are developed to improve the regulation of one’s own emotional state, as well as the ability to influence the environment, which regulates the emotions of other people. This, in turn, serves as the key to success in human activity.

Psychologists have named 13 scientifically proven signs of high intelligence. They are published by Business Insider.

Secrets of IQ: About intelligence quotient and related nonsense

1. The ability not to be distracted by outside things. A sign of high intelligence is the ability to focus attention long time on one thing... This was confirmed by a small study conducted in 2013. In experiments, it turned out that people with high IQ (intelligence quotient) have a harder time noticing how the background slowly changes in a large image - because they concentrate on smaller details.

2. They go to bed late and get up late. Owls are smarter than larks. This controversial statement is confirmed by two scientific works 1999 and 2009, in which a total of thousands of people participated. People who go to bed late and wake up late, both on weekends and weekdays, have higher intelligence.

3. Easy adaptation. Intelligence is inextricably linked with the ability to change one's behavior in order to act most effectively in a given situation, or to change the situation.

4. Know that you don’t know much. Smart people are not afraid to admit that they don’t know something - since they can easily learn it or learn it. Research shows that the lower a person's intelligence, the more he tends to overestimate it, and vice versa. An experiment was conducted in which a large number of students took the same test. Those who did it the worst thought that they wrote it one and a half times better than they actually did, and those who were in the lead when calculating the results, on the contrary, believed that they failed.

5. Curiosity. Albert Einstein himself said that he was not very gifted, but very curious. Scientists say that curiosity is a sign of high intelligence. “Ordinary” people take “ordinary” things for granted, while intellectuals can admire exactly the same things. In 2016, an article was published based on the results of a study in which thousands of people participated. Those whose IQ was higher at age 11 were more curious at age 50.

6. Openness to new ideas and opportunities. People who consider all alternatives, weigh them and think about them, rather than fail to evaluate them, are, on average, smarter. Openness to new ideas and the ability to determine, based on facts, which one might be in the best possible way used - a sign of high intelligence.

7. Feeling comfortable being alone. People with high intelligence often have strong personalities, and recent research suggests that smart people enjoy socializing less.

8. Good self-control. The smartest people are those who are good at planning, assessing alternative strategies and their possible consequences, setting specific

goals. In 2009, experiments showed that people with higher intelligence are more likely to choose from two options the one that will bring greater profit, although it will take longer - and this requires self-control. Such people are not prone to impulsive decisions.

9. Great sense of humor. High intelligence is often associated with a sense of humor. Studies have shown that participants who drew funnier comics had higher IQs, and that professional comedians also perform better on intelligence tests than the average person.

10. The ability to put yourself in another person’s place. Empathy is part of emotional intelligence, and some psychologists believe that people who can understand how another person is feeling are more intelligent.

11. The ability to see connections and associations that others do not see. This is also characteristic of highly intelligent people. For example, they can immediately tell what watermelon and sashimi have in common (both are consumed raw and cold). The ability to see parallels and general schemes is inextricably linked with intelligence, and this also includes creativity as the ability to present the old with the sauce of the new.

12. Frequently postponing things “for later.” People with higher intelligence are more likely to exercise routine affairs, postponing more important ones for later. At this moment they are simply thinking about this important thing. This action can also manifest itself in the work itself on something important: it is the key to innovation.

13. Thoughts about the meaning of life. Thinking about global topics, such as the meaning of life or the existence of the universe, can also be an indicator of intelligence. Such people often wonder why or why something happened, and these existential thoughts often increase their anxiety levels. On the other hand, people with high intelligence are always prepared for the possibility that something will not go as expected.

Earlier, Pravda.Ru reported that American psychologists at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted a study on the subject. Data analysis suggests that dreamy people have higher intellectual and creative abilities.

Have you ever wondered what this “concept of intelligence” is, or do you think that it is inherent only to rare talented people, or generally only to geniuses? And how can you measure and understand what kind of intelligence each individual person has? I will say right away that there are still no clear answers to this question. A single generally accepted definition of intelligence in scientific world no either. Why? This is because intelligence is such a multifaceted and complex concept that it is very difficult to describe it, to put it into some kind of framework of a certain phrase. However, I will try to convey the essence of this concept for you.

The concept of intelligence. What is intelligence?

In its most general form, intelligence is the ability to acquire, process, reproduce, and use knowledge in a meaningful way. You and I are exposed to a huge number of streams of information, both in terms of the method of perception (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory) and in information content.

Every day we see thousands of images: objects, people, settings, nature, objects; we communicate and perceive the feelings and thoughts of another person, we think about our own affairs. Countless streams of information come to us. And we somehow process it, weed out the unnecessary, highlight the main thing, analyze, draw conclusions, remember and do much, much more.

Agree, this does not always work out well; we do not always achieve the necessary and desired solutions. We don’t always come up with important and valuable conclusions for ourselves; not all of us can quickly and clearly perform these mental operations. In addition, we use all the information we receive in different ways. Some people successfully apply it in practice and get beneficial results, while others cannot extract anything practical from the abundance of their knowledge. All these differences constitute the essence of our most common abilities - intellectual ones.

The concept of intelligence is inextricably linked with interaction, development and decision making. Intelligence manifests itself where something interacts with something or someone (people with people, people with technology, people with numbers or computers), where development is underway or transformation (a person builds a house, trains some of his skills) and most importantly, where a person makes decisions .

How are decision making and the concept of intelligence related?

Decision making and intelligence are inseparable. Wherever decisions need to be made, intelligence is present. And where there is no decision-making, there is no intelligence.

If you automatically drive a car along a familiar road, then intelligence is practically not involved. But where the road is difficult, new, where you need to skillfully maneuver, you constantly make decisions on how to move, assess the situation, choose the best way. These are manifestations of intelligence.

Do we decide math problem whether we are arranging a home space, choosing a school for a child, or leading a group of people - we always make small and large decisions in these actions.

Intelligence itself is realized and embodied in many other abilities:

• Education
• Cognition
• Logical thinking
• Systematization of knowledge
• Analysis and synthesis
• Application of knowledge
• Finding connections and associations
• Thinking
• Planning
• Problem Solving
• Understanding

As you can see, it is difficult to unambiguously answer the question “What is intelligence”; the concept of intelligence does not entirely accurately describe its diverse essence. And another significant difficulty is related to the fact that until now intelligence has been perceived for the most part as mathematical and logical abilities. But this is far from the truth.

Intelligence is much broader than the ability to think logically. Psychologist Howard Gardner described and continues to develop the theory of multiple intelligences several years ago, emphasizing that we have at least 9 of them. different types. This includes musical, linguistic, spatial and other types, which we will talk about later.

Features of multiple intelligences

As it turns out, most of us have a well-developed intellect, but only one or two of these ten. The good news is that everyone can call themselves an intellectual, albeit of one kind. And the second good news is that each of these intelligences can be developed by raising your overall level.

Is it possible to develop intelligence? Neuroscientists have long answered this question in the affirmative. Your brain is plastic and can physically change depending on what you do. And even the smartest person has something to strive for. So don't waste your time! We've collected tips and exercises from our books to help you become even smarter.

1. Solve logic puzzles

You will find fascinating tasks for training logical thinking in the book by popular blogger Dmitry Chernyshev “What to do in the evening with your family at the dacha without the Internet.” Here are a few of them:

Answer:

This is a type of credit card. Notches about the borrowed goods were made simultaneously on both sticks. One was kept by the buyer, the other by the seller. This excluded fraud. When the debt was repaid, the sticks were destroyed.

Answer:

This is Morrison's shelter to protect people during bombing. Not everyone had basements in which to hide. For poor households, the device was free. 500,000 of these shelters were built by the end of 1941 and another 100,000 in 1943, when the Germans began using V-1 rockets. The shelter justified itself. According to statistics, in 44 houses equipped with such shelters that were heavily bombed, only three out of 136 residents died. Another 13 people were seriously injured and 16 were slightly injured.

Answer:

Look again at the condition of the task: there was no task to “continue the sequence.” If 1 = 5, then 5 = 1.

2. Train your memory

Until now, you have been trying to guess the number by choosing the average. This is an ideal strategy for a game in which the number was chosen at random. But in our case, the number was not chosen in random order. We deliberately chose a number that will be difficult for you to find. The main lesson of game theory is that you need to put yourself in the shoes of the other player. We put ourselves in your shoes and assumed that you would first name the number 50, then 25, then 37 and 42.

What would be your final guess? Is this number 49? Congratulations! Yourself, not you. You've fallen into the trap again! We guessed the number 48. In fact, all these discussions about the average number from the interval were aimed precisely at misleading you. We wanted you to choose the number 49.

The point of our game is not to show you how cunning we are, but to clearly illustrate what exactly makes any situation a game: you must take into account the goals and strategies of other players.

5. Do math

Lomonosov believed that mathematics puts the mind in order. And this is true. One of the ways to develop intelligence is to make friends with the world of numbers, graphs and formulas. If you want to try this method, the book "Beauty Squared" will help you, where the most complex concepts are described in a simple and fun way. A short excerpt from there:

“In 1611, the astronomer Johannes Kepler decided to find himself a wife. The process did not start very well: he rejected the first three candidates. Kepler would have taken a fourth wife if he had not seen the fifth, who seemed “modest, thrifty and capable of loving adopted children.” But the scientist behaved so indecisively that he met with several more women who did not interest him. Then he finally married the fifth candidate.

According to the mathematical theory of “optimal stopping,” in order to make a choice, it is necessary to consider and reject 36.8 percent of possible options. And then stop at the first one, which turns out to be better than all the rejected ones.

Kepler had 11 dates. But he could meet with four women, and then propose to the first of the remaining candidates who he liked more than those whom he had already seen. In other words, he would immediately choose the fifth woman and save himself from six unsuccessful meetings. The theory of “optimal stopping” is also applicable in other areas: medicine, energy, zoology, economics, etc.”

6. Learn to play a musical instrument

Psychologist, author of the book “We Are the Music” Victoria Williamson says that the Mozart effect is just a myth. Listening classical works, you will not achieve an increase in IQ. But if you take up music yourself, you will help your brain work better. This is confirmed by the following experiment:

“Glenn Schellenberg has conducted a number of detailed analyzes of the relationship between music lessons and IQ in children. In 2004, he randomly assigned 144 six-year-old children from Toronto to four groups: the first group received keyboard lessons, the second group received singing lessons, the third group received acting classes, and the fourth group was a control group that received no additional activities. For the sake of fairness, after the study, children from control group They offered the same classes as the others.

The training lasted 36 weeks in a designated school. All children passed IQ tests during summer holidays, before these sessions began, and also at the end of the study. Comparable age and socioeconomic status criteria were used.

After a year, the vast majority of children performed better on the IQ test, which makes sense since they were a year older. However, in the two groups where they studied music, the increase in the coefficient mental development turned out to be more than in the acting group and the control group.”

7. Practice mindfulness meditation

Meditation not only helps reduce stress levels, but also helps develop memory, creativity, reaction, attention and self-control. More about this method in the book “Mindfulness”. Advice from it:

“Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster time passes? The reason is that with age we acquire habits, certain patterns of behavior and live on “automatic”: the autopilot guides us when we have breakfast, brush our teeth, go to work, sit down in the same chair every time... As a result, life passes past, and we feel unhappy.

Try a simple experiment. Buy some chocolate. Break off a small piece from it. Look at it as if you were seeing it for the first time. Pay attention to all the breaks, texture, smell, color. Put this piece in your mouth, but don't swallow it right away, let it slowly melt on your tongue. Try the whole bouquet of flavors. Then slowly swallow the chocolate, try to feel how it flows down the esophagus, notice the movements of the palate and tongue.

Agree, the sensations are not at all the same as if you simply ate a candy bar without thinking. Try this exercise with different foods, and then with your usual activities: be mindful at work, while walking, getting ready for bed, and so on.”

8. Learn to think outside the box

A creative approach will help you find a solution even in a situation that seems hopeless to most. Author of the book"Rice Storm"I am sure that anyone can train creativity. First, try using Leonardo da Vinci's method:

“Leonardo da Vinci’s way of developing ideas was to close his eyes, completely relax, and scribble random lines and scribbles on a piece of paper. Then he opened his eyes and looked for images and nuances, objects and phenomena in the drawing. Many of his inventions were born from such sketches.

Here is an action plan on how you can use Leonardo da Vinci's method in your work:

Write the problem down on a piece of paper and think about it for a few minutes.

Relax. Give your intuition the opportunity to create images that reflect the current situation. You don't need to know what the drawing will look like before you draw it.

Give shape to your task by defining its boundaries. They can be of any size and take the shape you want.

Practice drawing unconsciously. Let the lines and scribbles dictate how you draw and arrange them.

If the result does not satisfy you, take another sheet of paper and make another drawing, and then another - as many as needed.

Explore your drawing. Write down the first word that comes to mind regarding each image, each squiggle, line, or structure.

Link all the words together by writing a short note. Now see how what you wrote relates to your task. Have new ideas emerged?

Be attentive to the questions that arise in your mind. For example: “What is this?”, “Where did this come from?” If you feel the need to find answers to specific questions, then you are on the right path leading to solving the problem.”

9. Learn foreign languages

According to researchers, it promotes brain development and helps maintain mental clarity even into adulthood. In the guide of the polyglot Susanna Zaraiskaya you will find 90 effective tips on how to learn new foreign languages easy and fun. Here are three recommendations from the book:

• Listen to songs in the language you're learning while you drive, clean your home, cook, take care of flowers, or do other things. You will become immersed in the rhythms of the language even when listening passively. The main thing is to do this regularly.

• The nonprofit Planet Read uses Bollywood music videos in its literacy program in India, subtitled in the same language. The subtitle format is the same as in karaoke, that is, the word currently being heard is highlighted. Easy access to such videos doubles the number of first-graders who master reading. And all due to the fact that viewers naturally synchronize audio and video. The way India fights illiteracy will allow you to compare what you hear with what you see.

• Who said drama is incompatible with the table? irregular verbs? Soap operas can be a really fun way to learn a new language. Simple storylines, and the acting is so expressive that even if you don't know all the words, you'll still be aware of what's going on just by following the characters' emotions.

10. Make up stories

This is another way to become more creative and develop flexible thinking. Don't know where to start? In the notebook “642 ideas of what to write about” you will find many tips. Your job is to continue the stories and turn them into complete stories. Here are some tasks from the book:

• You meet a girl who can close her eyes and see the entire Universe. Tell me about her.

• Try to fit the whole life of a person into one sentence.

• Take an article from a recent newspaper. Write down ten words or phrases that caught your eye. Using these words, write a poem that begins: “What if...”

• Your cat dreams of world domination. She figured out how to switch bodies with you.

• Write a story that begins like this: “The weird thing started when Fred bought a house for his miniature pigs...”

• Explain to a gold miner from 1849 how email works.

• An unknown force threw you inside the computer. You need to get out.

• Choose any object on your desk (pen, pencil, eraser, etc.) and write a note of gratitude to it.

11. Get enough sleep!

Your ability to learn depends on the quality of your sleep. Interesting fact from the book “The Brain in Sleep”:

“Scientists have discovered that different stages of sleep are designed for different types of learning. For example, slow-wave sleep is important for mastering tasks involving factual memory, such as memorizing dates for a history exam. But dream-rich REM sleep is necessary for mastering what is associated with procedural memory - how something is done, including the development of new behavioral strategies.

Psychology professor Carlisle Smith says: “We spent a month cutting out blocks from which we built a maze for mice, and then for ten days we recorded their brain activity around the clock. Those mice that showed greater intelligence in running a maze also demonstrated greater brain activity in the REM sleep phase. I myself have never doubted that sleep and learning are connected, but now enough data has accumulated for others to become interested in this issue.”

12. Don't neglect physical education

Sport has a positive effect on our intellectual abilities. Here's what evolutionary biologist John Medina says about this in his book Brain Rules:

“All sorts of tests have shown that physical activity throughout life leads to amazing improvements in cognitive processes, in contrast to a sedentary lifestyle. Adherents of physical education outperformed lazy people and couch potatoes in terms of long-term memory, logic, attention, problem-solving ability, and even the so-called fluid intelligence.”

More books about the development of intelligence- .

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