15 HABITS OF SMART PEOPLE

what do you think smart people have in

common

a lot of people think of intelligence as

something you're simply born with

some people after all make being smart

look effortless intelligence though it

isn't a set trait it's a changeable

flexible ability to learn and stimulate

your brain that can improve over time

the thing smart people have in common is

they're dedicated to lifestyle habits

that support and protect their mental

health

number one

ask questions

the german philosopher hans george

gattimer once said knowledge can only be

with those who have questions

most people don't ask questions because

they feel like they'll look stupid but

they couldn't be farther from the truth

learning requires asking questions and

finding answers

as kids the depth of our curiosity has

no boundaries everything around us

piques our interest

why is the sky blue why do cats meow

and consequently if you don't understand

anything or are unsure about something

don't be afraid to ask about it even ask

yourself questions and research the

solutions on your own when you go home

instead of watching tv look online for

material that will help you to

understand topics you're interested in

but a little confused about don't

neglect this easy but time-consuming

practice it may just considerably

increase your intelligence

number two

read across genres

the brain is a very powerful tool and

reading is the mental exercise it needs

to be in tip-top shape we have instant

access to almost all the written books

created by humans thanks to smartphones

tablets e-readers and of course the

internet however we often waste time

viewing amusing videos of cats and dogs

on facebook while just mindlessly

scrolling a news feed it's undoubtedly a

way to unwind and feel more cheerful but

it's not realistic or healthy to use all

of your free time doing this however

reading often can not only help you stay

informed and teach your brain to

function well but it will also help you

to continuously learn new things the

best options are books instructional

periodicals and lengthy articles and

websites maintain your own reading

routine even if it just involves reading

a portion of a chapter each day your

intellect will grow over time

number three hang out with smart people

friends can teach you new skills and

keep your mind active our surroundings

shape our values beliefs and ways of

thinking and spending time with

intellectuals will constantly help to

feed your brain because with smart

people there's always something to

discuss and there's always something to

learn from them granted you might still

sometimes feel as though you don't know

enough but even that has its perks you

are adjusting to your surroundings and

your mind will compel you to put in the

effort to improve as a result of

acknowledging your shortcomings your

friends don't have to be smarter than

you the important thing is they always

have interesting things to discuss and

are pacesetters in whatever field they

work intellectuals already know how to

feed their brains so spending time with

them is very beneficial in order to

adopt not only knowledge but also a

learning style

number four

take time to think

are all easily distracted from one thing

to another not properly understanding

the true essence of the information

received the habit of taking pauses to

reflect on what you've learned is highly

beneficial and is in fact an important

part of the learning process when you

take time to think you get to consider

all the factors that might directly or

indirectly have a connection to whatever

you're doing you get to plan three to

five steps ahead and will seldom be

caught lacking the same goes for

conversations smart people listen more

and talk less and they manage to get a

lot done with fewer words

number five exercise frequently

don't overlook exercise and its effects

on our smartness the brain and body

constantly cooperate together with our

overall energy and physical health has a

direct impact on the quality of our

thoughts

as you grow cognitively keep in mind

that you should also grow physically

since the two are intertwined physical

exercise also instills discipline which

is advantageous for the efficient growth

of positive habits and new information

try as much as possible to make time for

at least one form of exercise you can

sign up for your local gym get some

running shoes for a few mile runs or

simply practice yoga or other home

workouts anything works just move your

body more

number six prioritize eating healthy

you must be familiar with this

prevailing notion that glucose is the

ideal fuel for the brain but a balanced

diet rich with needed vitamins and

minerals is the best fuel you can get to

power your thought engine the optimum

diet for enhancing brain performance

includes enough protein moderate amounts

of carbohydrates and enough healthy fats

therefore whole grains lean meats nuts

fish and dairy products should be on

your dinner table and it's also a good

idea to adopt the habit of eating just

enough to be satisfied and avoid junk

food as much as you can as it'll tire

you out and in the long run can cause

some health complications

number seven keeping a diary

it's been proven in group studies that a

few minutes spent reflecting on the

events and thoughts of the day in

writing increases brain power

nothing motivates and helps you become

smarter like personal experience and

your own achievements take a few minutes

each evening to write down your thoughts

events and insights of the day

with this you'll have the opportunity to

analyze the ideas that come to you

thoughts and questions that arise then

there is the added advantage that

writing frequently makes you smarter

overall by expanding your language and

communication skills since keeping a

diary is a language practice activity

learning new terms and expanding your

vocabulary will raise your iq

number eight do something new even if

you think it won't work

practice makes perfect smart people are

not unnecessarily scared of failure they

understand the universal truth that

without practice nothing can be truly

learned and so they're up for the

challenge it's impossible to learn a new

equation if you don't attempt questions

on it and so is learning to play the

guitar if you don't try those chords

yourself

sometimes outstanding and even

spectacular successes are the results of

something that frightened us

tremendously

number nine apply and share new

knowledge

if you don't intend to use what you

learn there's no use in studying it

smart people always make use of their

acquired knowledge not because it'll

help them to succeed but rather because

sharing their intellectual resources

makes them more valuable have you read a

book discuss it with people who've also

read it the best technique to reinforce

and comprehend the subject matter is to

share new information and concepts

you will learn more during such a

discussion about the work itself as well

as the lessons other people have

discovered it doesn't matter who you

share your thoughts with family friends

co-workers members of a social network

group or topical forum because the act

of sharing knowledge itself that's what

enriches your understanding and helps

you to draw out more informed

conclusions

number 10 be selective of what you put

your effort into

smart people tend to have few friends

but they make up for the lack of numbers

with deep and genuine friendships those

with whom you spend time including your

loved ones reflect your personal

identity and needs guiding you toward

understanding yourself and the world

around you beyond friendships when

you're careful of what you give your

attention to you'll be able to work

optimally without unnecessary

distractions

smart people find it easy to get their

priorities in order think of a mental

checklist it's far easier to follow the

next agenda on your list than to juggle

every plan you have at once

number 11

take short breaks at work

in the era of total digitalization our

brains literally burn out from the

bombardment of information being in

touch with what's happening isn't always

a good thing that's why even a short

vacation is sometimes needed to stay

creative and stave off cognitive burnout

after working for several hours weeks or

months and due to the absence of pauses

and moments of mental calmness we begin

to think superficially and automatically

the same goes for reading you will

assimilate better when you take breaks

after a few hours of reading in this

free time you can enjoy a short walk

meditate exercise or do some chores

around the house just give yourself a

mental time out

number 12 learn how to be organized

in their devices and instant messages

both at home and at work people that

have a habit of making things orderly

tend to be smart disorganized objects

frequent message alerts and clutter on a

desktop and in work folders all divert

the mind from tasks and lower

productivity your mind will function

more effectively the less disorder there

is in an area where you live and work

develop the habit of putting things away

right away make multiple themed folders

on your desktop and avoid saving

individual papers there

number 13

study other people's behavior patterns

smart people tend to be understanding in

their own way and consider things like

their colleagues motivation their

perspective of the project and the level

of help they require try to understand

the situations of people around you

it'll take strong intellectual effort

but in the long run you'll have better

social skills and be able to make the

right decisions especially when other

people are involved

number 14 be actively observant

though you can see everything around you

do you really pay attention to it

many of us watch the world uncritically

focusing primarily on the things that

immediately affect us but instead spend

a few minutes every day examining your

surroundings critically examine the

normal everyday interactions that take

place in your environment on a global

interpersonal and societal level this

should be normal for everyone but given

the circumstances of our times this is a

useful practice that's a little bit

unpopular

when you turn your attention outside of

yourself and actively pay attention to

details you'll be surprised by what you

discover about your surroundings give it

a go

number 15

sleep whenever you need to

according to studies giving our bodies

more downtime helps our brains function

better in terms of memory attention and

focus it was also found that those who

normally stay up late and get up early

had worse attention levels than their

peers that slept for longer the brain

processes information from the previous

day as you sleep having enough rest

strengthens memory and removes amyloid

and tau proteins linked to plaque

formation in alzheimer's disease

although there is no set length of time

that everyone should sleep different

individuals need varying amounts of

sleep your main priority should be to

rest whenever your body needs it

habits require minimal consciousness to

be carried out so you need to make these

things habits well some of these actions

might seem kind of strange at first

consistent practice will make them a

part of you and it'll be seamless and

with that alexa we're wrapping it up

today but we've got a bonus for you

don't go anywhere

number 16 playing games that task the

mind

a particularly beneficial way to spend

your time is by playing games that force

you to think creatively utilize your

imagination and solve constantly

evolving problems they hone your mental

faculties while bringing you delight and

happiness research from 2019 found that

those who played one or more games that

tasked the thought process frequently

performed better cognitively than those

who didn't mental games like crosswords

or sudoku don't have an age limit and

can be enjoyed by both adults and

children