Habits That Make You Less Intelligent

The daily habits we indulge in gradually shape our minds and consciousness. These habits can slowly erode our intelligence or sharpen it. While some behaviors make you more productive, many seem harmless but gradually hold you back. Other habits like skipping breakfast seem to be debatable because many see it as a way to control weight and become healthier, while psychologists see it as a habit that gradually damages your health and smartness. The following are some of the everyday behaviors that may erode your intelligence, according to psychologists.

1. Overloading on Information

Many people don’t know when to distinguish between adequate information and overloading. Do you ever find yourself reading one article after the other, documentary after documentary, or social media videos in an attempt to learn about a topic or situation?

It’s great to stay informed as a human being, psychologist believe that information overloading may hinder your intelligence. The human brain for instance has a limit on how much information it can process at a given time, hence, bombarding it with too much information will leave no space for it to process everything. For this reason, learn when to pause and allow your brain to process sufficient information before taking steps further.

2. Multi-tasking

Most people take pride in multi-tasking and getting more things done in less time. We often think we are super-productive when we handle too many things at the same time. The shocking thing about this is that the brain is not designed to handle multiple tasks at the same time, rather, it switches focus from one task to another. Jogging many tasks at the same time can cause cognitive fatigue and that can reduce your efficiency and cause a significant drop in your IQ levels.

Multi-tasking may also lead to stress and anxiety especially when you are afraid of failing in different tasks at the same time. Next time you want to multi-task, you should rather focus on one or two things at a time, to reduce the load on your brain and improve your chances of success.

3. Ignoring Mind-challenging Activities

The simple truth is; that your brain needs to be challenged constantly to stay sharp, the same way your muscles need to be exercised to retain strength and agility.

Engaging in mind-challenges activities like reading, learning a new skill, or resolving puzzles and games can stimulate the brain and improve your cognitive capabilities.

According to scientists, engaging in mind-stimulating activities will stimulate the creation of new, neural pathways and improve your problem-solving skills. It shouldn’t be about taking up a big challenge, it should be about consistently engaging your mind and keeping it active.

4. Wasting Too Much Time on Social Media

Sometimes, we log onto our Facebook or Instagram for a quick catchup with the world and before you know it, you end up spending a few hours there.

While social media can help you stay connected, psychologists believe that spending lots of time on its content can make you less intelligent.

The explanation for this is that when we spend more time checking out information about other people’s lives, we are denying our brains the chance to be creative and think deeply about wholesome thoughts and ideas that suit our progress.

The constant streams of social media updates can make it more difficult to focus, and find the balance that will give the mind the space to thrive.

5. Sedentary Lifestyle

Lack of physical activities does not only affect your health negatively, it can also lower your intelligence level.

Binge-watching the TV and lying down on the couch for hours may be a relaxation habit that can quickly turn into a bad one.

Scientists and psychologists have linked our brain health to our physical health and one of the benefits of physical activities is that it boosts blood flow to the brain and helps the cell retain more information. Physical activities also strengthen neuro-plasticity which is the brain’s ability to form and re-organize synaptic connections in response to learning.

So, sitting for too long will not do your body any good, it can make you less intelligent.

6. Insomnia

Not getting enough sleep, also known as Insomnia has been proven to cause cognitive decline. We all know how life can get very hectic, especially with the demands of job, family, and friends.

Trying to squeeze some time in between your hectic schedules to have good quality sleep is a great thing even if you find it difficult to get that full night's sleep. Sleeping allows your brain to recharge and consolidate what you have learned during the day.

Bottom Line

Intelligence is far beyond what we learn and the information we retain, it is about taking care of our minds. Our daily habits will eventually have a lasting impact on our minds hence we need to be wary of every pitfall that causes cognitive decline. Making conscious efforts daily to boost our intelligence is important. Getting enough sleep, limiting social media exposure, and indulging in brain-stimulating activities can help improve our intelligence level rapidly.