5 Everyday Habits That Kill Your Intelligence

You have already worked a lot to increase your intelligence and this is something you don’t want to lose. Many things you probably do every day have a negative influence on your brain and kill your intelligence. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid them.

1. Multitasking

Reading this article while watching TV and answering your text messages may make you think you are simply doing more things in a shorter amount of time, but it actually is not a good idea. Multimedia multitasking lowers gray matter density, affecting your cognitive and emotional control. People who constantly use gadgets can not concentrate and recall information as well as those who don’t. So, in fact,multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time.

2. Poor Nutrition

You should be concerned about consuming saturated fats and sugar not only for the sake of your health but also because such kind of foods reduce your cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to adapt to changing situations, and can affect your memory and ability to learn. Your brain (as well as your stomach) will also thank you for not taking the easy way by eating pre-cooked and processed foods, since they can lead to excessive cravings and contain ingredients that have the ability to affect your behaviors and cognitive functioning. And don’t think caffeine is truly the best way to start your day since it easily causes headaches and makes you less calm. Eating healthy homemade food is what is going to give you the energy you need.

3. Googling vs Being an Expert

Searching the Internet makes people believe they know more than they really do as they can find almost any answer online. However, that doesn’t mean that your brain is doing the work. Knowing you can easily access information, you don’t remember it that well, which also affects your critical thinking. Even if you are an expert in your field and use your own brain, psychologists have found that people who think they know much about a topic are more likely to claim that made-up facts are true. In fact, we are more likely to believe the statements that prove us right and thus tend not to question them.

4. Being Asocial

Our brains are made for socialization and we need to be in contact with other people to think and function properly. Studies show that people who socialize much perform better on cognitive tests than those who don’t. Being with friends also gives you a chance to take a break and avoid too much stress, which can help enhance your memory and mental acuity. Not enough social life increases the likelihood of developing psychological disorders, which can potentially damage your brain, so you should think twice before sacrificing time you could spend with your friends to concentrate on your work.

5. Lack of Sleep

You love sleep because your brain loves it too. Poor sleep damages your thinking skills, which makes studying all night long before an exam a really bad idea. Being sleepy negatively affects your short-term and long-term memory, attention and planning skills, as well as the ability to understand other people’s facial emotions. Needless to say that this all makes it harder for your brain to work effectively. Even if you are tired not because of the lack of sleep but because of the physical and mental exhaustion, you should probably take a break. Sleepiness can even lead to mental disorders like depression and anxiety, so even if you have a lot of things to do, you better take some time to rest and recharge your batteries.