Increasing IQ ?

Is there a way to increase IQ ? If there is how ?

Originally posted by siddharthsma
Is there a way to increase IQ ? If there is how ?

I guess some meditation techniques could help. Do some research on that.

Intelligence is its own momentum. If you want to increase your intelligence, then use your mind more. Spend time researching, imagining things, etc....

Example: I decided to try an experiment in actively imagining a cat following me to work every day, and at other times crystal balls flying around me. After I started doing these experiments, I noticed increased color perception, sharper vision out to distance, and then had an experience of seeing through my closed eyelids.

In the Harry Potter movies, astral projection is associated with the buildup of momentum as one passes through the wall onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. All of the mental faculties are momentums which can increase or decrease as they are either fed or starved.

Proponents of IQ as a method of quantifying intelligence typically assert that IQ is relatively constant during an individual's lifetime. However, this is a generalization; individuals can experience increases or decreases in their IQ level.

In my opinion, IQ is only a mildly accurate indicator of the subject's intelligence, and should not be relied upon. If you desire to increase your intelligence, which is an admirable ambition, you should attempt to learn and read and absorb as much knowledge as you are able to. Do not rely upon such tools as the IQ test to measure your intelligence level. Learn, and keep learning. Never stop learning. Read everything you can. Question everything. Examine everything. That is how you will increase your intelligence.

If you wish simply to improve your score on IQ tests, take more of them. All IQ tests I have encountered ask essentially the same sort of questions. Once you manage to understand the basic format of such tests, you should quickly learn how to score better on them.

How to increase IQ?

Question everything. And when you have an answer for everything, question everything again, but from the viewpoint of your determined 'devils advocate.'

Originally posted by The_Recondite_Philomath
Proponents of IQ as a method of quantifying intelligence typically assert that IQ is relatively constant during an individual's lifetime. However, this is a generalization; individuals can experience increases or decreases in their IQ level.

This is true to an extent. IQ is a very stable trait throughout one's lifetime. I have posted on this before and provided references for emprical data. Please PM if you need them.

Variation in an individual's IQ over the lifespan also happens to some extent. What accounts for this? That is THE question.

If we knew how to raise IQ in a systematic way, I think it would be integrated into modern educational systems. The problem is that nobody knows what is accounting for the variance in IQ scores over the lifespan.

In my opinion, IQ is only a mildly accurate indicator of the subject's intelligence, and should not be relied upon. If you desire to increase your intelligence, which is an admirable ambition, you should attempt to learn and read and absorb as much knowledge as you are able to. Do not rely upon such tools as the IQ test to measure your intelligence level. Learn, and keep learning. Never stop learning. Read everything you can. Question everything. Examine everything. That is how you will increase your intelligence.

What you are suggesting is an attitude. Will this result in an increase on an IQ test? Possibly. Many IQ tests use measures of both fluid and crystallized intelligence. While these constructs may be under some debate, there is enough data behind them to use them as real constructs in this context. Tests that load on fluid intelligence tend to focus more on novel, speeded problem solving. Tests involving pattern recognition, such as Raven's Progressive Matrices, are good measures of fluid intelligence. Tests that load on crystallized intelligence tend to involve factual information (When/where/what questions). Different IQ tests will calculated IQ based on different weights of these types of intelligence.

Fluid intelligence is more likely to remain stable throughout one's lifetime. Fluid intelligence (also highly correlated with 'g') has greater correlations with biological measures as well (body symmetry, brain glucose efficiency, neural and peripheral conduction speed) than crystallized intelligence does.

My advice on raising IQ? 1) Realize that IQ is a score on a test. 2) Find out which tests load IQ more on crystallized intelligence. 3) Use strategies to memorize as much factual information as possible. 4) Take an IQ test.

Does this mean you are increasing your intelligence? Who knows. It depends on what definition of intelligence you are using. It probably won't make any difference in your life if you try to increase IQ this way.

IQ isn't supposed to be a measure of "how much" you know, although many people seem to think that's what it is. The actual definition of IQ depends on what test you are taking. There isn't one "IQ".

phaedrus

Read (Read the "Classics" not tripe)
Listen (Hear and concider what people say - even a broken watch is eight twice a day)
Don't talk a lot. (That way even if you are not the smartest one in the room everyone will think you are).

The concept being "The wize man talks because he has something to say, the fool talks because he must say something"

Realize that you don't know everything.

Play with logic puzzels and understand that there can be more than one right answer to the quwstion.

"The more I know, the dumber I feel because each new thing learned opend a labyrinth of other related knowlege."

Become currious about the way things work - even if it only a superficial understanding. Related items behave in simmilar manners - You turn this and it turns that which turns something else.

What does a man do standing up, a Woman does sitting down, and a dog with one leg raised?

Answer - Shake hands.

Sorry about all the "Cliche's" but they fit so well...

[edit on 5/14/2005 by dancer]

My IQ went up more then 10 points when I was using ADD medication (Aderall).

I don't know if this would work for everyone though...

Eat a candy bar. Seriously!

Sugar-rich foods have a temporary positive effect on brain function.

Anytime you're doing something that requires a lot of mental effort, say a standardized test or something, gobble down a candy bar about 20 minutes or so before you start.

Sadly, the effect is only temporary.

A successful method of raising IQ scores for people who are reasonable at IQ tests is to practise on more IQ tests.

It's just a score derived from where you fit in a distribution curve. "IQ" is not a lifelong attribute, it's a snapshot picture.

My IQ went up more then 10 points when I was using ADD medication (Aderall).

Really?

It seemed to me that such medication had the opposite effect on my mental skills. Direct comparisons between two days have been made on mental activities, and it did show a decrease. Though no such comparisons have been made on the test itself.