4 hobbies that science says will make you smarter

While intelligence can be a lottery based on your genes as well as your upbringing, that doesn’t mean we can’t all become smarter.

I’m sure we all know of people from our childhoods who ended up running successful businesses when at school they didn’t seem that different from the rest of us.

Sure, education would have played a role, as well as a supportive home environment, but plenty of people have achieved financial success without either of those experiences.

One of the reasons why this has occurred, apart from ambition and determination, is likely to be that they had hobbies that science has shown can make us smarter.

As well as taking charge of their futures, they dedicated time each day to a hobby that they enjoyed, but which also increased their grey matter along the way.

Here are four hobbies that can do just that.

1. Play an instrument

Children who learn to play an instrument pick it up so easily because of the brain’s agility when they’re young.

It is much harder for adults to master musical instruction, however, that is why it is such a good hobby to increase our intelligence.

We have to learn new techniques, which are often foreign to us, that teach us patience, perseverance and concentration.

Plus, when we’re able to play a tune or two, we have the added bonus of increasing our memory capacity by listening to music.

2. Read… a lot

Warren Buffett famously spends the majority of each day reading and credits his investment success to this extraordinary habit.

Not only does reading increase our knowledge on a variety of subjects, including your expertise, but it is also an excellent way to reduce stress.

Taking time out each day to catch up on the latest news, or to read a fiction novel, is never a bad thing to do.

3. Exercise often

Many ambitious people often say they are “too busy” to exercise, however, it is vital that they do.

Regular exercise will not only ensure they have a healthy body and a healthy brain, but it also reduces tension and helps us to sleep better.

On top of that, research has shown that exercise can increase brain cells and therefore your overall brain capacity and performance.

That’s why the most successful people always prioritise exercise in their days – regardless of where they are.

4. Cook up a storm

It’s easy to fall into cooking the same meals every week because we don’t have to “think” at mealtimes.

However, regularly trying out new recipes is a way to supercharge our creativity as well as our ability to multi-task.

As well as teaching us to pay attention to details, cooking different meal recipes often can increase our capacity for quick decision-making as well as our commitment to quality.

As you can see, success is multifaceted and involves much more than intelligence.

Those people who reach the top of their industries as well as achieve financial independence have spent their lives learning.

The secret is that their education can sometimes look like fun in the kitchen preparing for a dinner party or an afternoon spent alone learning to play a new song on their guitar.

About Mark Creedon Mark Creedon is Director of Metropole's Business Accelerator Mastermind and business coach to some of Australia's leading entrepreneurs - each who call him their "unreasonable friend"
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