What levels of intelligence are recognized in people. How to increase your intellectual level

The level of intelligence is usually understood as a quantitative assessment of the mental capabilities of an individual. Intelligence always reflects a person's ability to learn and develop. The broader picture of the world is formed in an individual, the higher the IQ level can be called. Traditionally, the level of intelligence is measured by the Eysenck test, which generates a fairly accurate result in quantitative terms. Any person can pass the study of the level of intelligence today.

Indicators in units of measurement

Traditionally it is considered high score research if a person's IQ is 200. There are very few such people in the whole world. As a rule, they are engaged in scientific activities or creativity. Middle level intelligence corresponds to 90-120 units. These indicators are observed in most people living on earth. Low intelligence starts at 70 and goes down. In general, low intelligence speaks, as a rule, of a mild or severe form of mental retardation.

What factors influence the level of intelligence?

Speaking about the indicators of the severity of intelligence, it would be useful to mention which components are at the heart of the development of mental abilities.

• Heredity. In traditional culture, it is commonly believed that genes influence. It is difficult to argue with this statement. It has been observed that in families with high rates mental abilities and children grow up more developed. Attention, memory, thinking, speech - all this is manifested in them in superlatives. In families where both parents are degraded individuals, the child will not receive any impetus for development. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that no one pays due attention to him.
• Environment. Undoubtedly, little man in many respects forms the atmosphere in which it is located and grows long time. The environment instills in him his aspirations and tasks. Personality is formed only in society. When a baby experiences from birth warm attitude, he learns to respect and appreciate his own "I". Subsequently, a holistic personality grows out of such a child, who knows what her purpose and main life task are.
• Race, age and gender. Numerous studies among different peoples show that they are not all developed in the same way. A higher level of intelligence was seen among Europeans, and a lower level among the peoples of Africa.

As for age, here experts unanimously agree that over time, a person's mental abilities fade away. This happens for the reason that an adult person puts little effort into self-education, but pays more attention to his own children. In children, by the way, it is observed fast growth mental abilities - development is gradual, but true.

There are many intellectually developed personalities among girls, but there were no particular fluctuations among the indicators of their intelligence. Boys differ from each other in the degree of development of intellect more: among them there are many both very smart and those who are significantly behind in development.

Many of us have heard the expression "IQ man". This term sounds when it comes to the abilities of the individual, his mental development. The concept of "IQ" is the intelligence quotient. It is an assessment of the level of ability compared to the average intelligence of a person of the same age as the subject. To determine the level, you must pass a special test for logic, flexibility of thinking, the ability to quickly count and identify patterns.

A bit of history

Wilhelm Stern was the first to formulate the concept of "intelligence coefficient IQ" in 1912. This is a very famous psychologist and philosopher. He proposed to use the result of dividing the actual age by the intellectual age as the main indicator of the level of development. After him, in 1916, this concept was used in the Stanford-Bene intelligence scale.

Gradually, people began to be more actively interested in their level of intelligence, so a huge number of all kinds of tests and scales were invented that made it possible to find out its coefficient. The creation of numerous tests led to the fact that many of them were unreliable, so it is quite difficult to compare the results of different tests.

How to determine the level of intelligence? Today, in many schools, children are tested to find out their level of intelligence. The development of the Internet has contributed to the fact that people, including adults, can easily get tested online.

How to know your IQ

To determine the value of IQ, special tests have been developed. There are two types of them:

• for children 10-12 years old;
• for children from 12 years old and adults.

The measurement technique is the same for all options, only the level of complexity of the questions changes. Each test has a certain number of questions and a limited time to complete them.

They are designed so that the results, which are described using a probability distribution, show an average IQ value of 100. The values ​​are grouped according to the following scheme:

• the ratio of 50% of all people is in the range of 90-110;
• the remaining 50% of people are divided equally between those with a score below 90 and those with a score above 110.

What IQ level corresponds to mild mental retardation? If his score is below 70.

The tasks in the tests are varied, the complexity of each next task increases. There are tasks for logical, spatial thinking, for knowledge of mathematics, attentiveness, the ability to find patterns. Naturally, the more correct answers a person gives, the higher will be the assessment of his level of intelligence.

The tests are designed for different age groups, so the indicators of a teacher and a student of 12 years old can be the same, because the development of each of them will correspond to his age.

Today on the Internet you can find a huge number of different tests that offer to find out your level of knowledge, intelligence. But most of them were developed by non-professionals, so they are unlikely to show a reliable result.

To find out your level of intelligence, you need to use professional tests, such as:

• Kettler;
• Amthauer;
• Eysenck;
• Raven;
• Veksler.

Main Influencing Factors

The human mind is quite difficult to define and measure. The mind is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities that accumulate throughout a person's life. Our intelligence is based on several important factors, which affect its coefficient:

• genetics;
• features of nutrition of the child in the first years of life;
• upbringing and mental stimulation of the mental activity of the child by parents;
• order of birth of children in the family;
• Environment.

All this affects the mental development of the child to one degree or another.

Genetics

Scientists have long begun to investigate the question of how much intelligence IQ depends on genes. For more than a century, studies have been conducted on the influence of genes on mental abilities, which have shown that the percentage of dependence is in the range of 40-80%.

The level of intelligence in a person depends on the structure of the brain and its functionality. These two factors are key. Differences in the parieto-frontal parts of the brain of different people indicates a different level of their IQ. The higher the indicator of the functionality of the frontal areas of the brain, the better it can work: to perceive and remember information, to solve various problems.

Genetic factors represent the potential that is passed from parents to the child. They are little studied, but have an important function for the development of mental abilities.

Chromosomal abnormalities that are inherited also affect the level of intelligence. For example, Down's disease, which is characterized by poor mental development of the child. Quite often occurs in children whose parents belong to the older age group.

Illnesses during pregnancy also affect the baby's mind. For example, rubella, which a future mother suffers from, can lead to negative consequences for the baby: loss of hearing, vision, low intelligence.

Influence of food

The level of intelligence depends on what exactly we eat in the first years of life, and what the expectant mother ate during pregnancy and lactation. Proper and nutritious nutrition has a positive effect on the development of the brain. The more useful substances, vitamins and microelements will be consumed by the child through the mother and the next few years after birth, the larger will be the size of the brain sail. It is responsible for learning and memory.

consumption has a positive effect a large number fatty acids. Scientists conducted studies that proved that if a woman consumes a lot of fatty acids during pregnancy, then children will be significantly ahead of others in their development.

Upbringing

Education is one of the key factors in the development of mental abilities. Even if a person is naturally genetically predisposed to a high level of IQ, due to the lack of proper upbringing, quality education, the coefficient will not be higher than average.

Education includes many factors:

• family lifestyle;
• home conditions;
• the level of education;
• parental attitude.

To study the impact of upbringing, academics separated twins and placed them in different living environments. After all, if intelligence is biological concept, then in theory it should be the same for twins, regardless of living conditions. This is not true. Studies have shown that children who live in orphanages have a lower level of intelligence. Also, the indicator depends on how parents treat the child: whether they take them to additional circles, make them study music, draw, instill a love for logic games.

Family birth order

This issue has been studied for a long time, but scientists have not been able to come to a unanimous conclusion regarding the influence of the birth order of a child and the number of children in a family on their mental abilities. Many studies have shown that firstborns are mentally more developed than other children. In history, most astronauts, presidents, scientists and famous political figures were beaten by their firstborns.

Many are wondering why this is happening. Birth order is not a sentence. The most important thing is that a family with one child can give him more time, attention and resources for learning. Tests have shown that firstborns outperform other children by only 3 points.

Environment

Whether we will be able to use all the possibilities of our brain depends only on us: on our lifestyle, the availability of bad habits. Various diets and toxins affect the development of intelligence throughout life.

If the expectant mother smokes, drinks, uses drugs, then the child is unlikely to be full-fledged. A person's mental activity can deteriorate if he drinks or poisons his own body.

Scientists have found that the level of intelligence in people from different countries is significantly different. Some tests have shown the dependence of the average IQ on the country's GDP, crime, birth rate, religion.

Some interesting facts about IQ:

• the higher the coefficient, the more sociable the person;
• breastfeeding increases the score by 3-8 points;
• during the summer holidays, the indicator decreases;
• a score above 115 guarantees that a person will be able to cope with any job;
• people with a score below 90 are more likely to become antisocial, end up in prison or live in poverty;
• the lower the IQ, the more difficult it is for a person to cope with stress;
• the higher the score, the more confident the person is.

Meaning of IQ scores

Most high level intelligence of the mathematician Terence Tao from Australia. He has a coefficient of over 200 points. This is very rare, because for most people the indicator barely reaches 100. Almost all laureates Nobel Prize are owners of high IQ - above 150 points. It is these people who help develop technologies, actively participate in research, make various discoveries, study space and physical phenomena.

Among prominent people worth noting are Kim Peek, who can read a page of a book in just a few seconds, Daniel Tammet, who is able to memorize an incredible amount of numbers, and Kim Ung-Yong. He entered and successfully began his studies at the university at the age of 3.

Let's analyze all possible indicators of intelligence of IQ tests:

1. Above 140. These are people with an incredible mind, rare creative abilities. They can easily succeed in scientific activity. Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking can boast of such an indicator. High IQ people commit greatest discoveries are the geniuses of their era. It is they who explore space, create new technologies, look for cures for diseases, study human nature and the world around us. The percentage of such individuals is only 0.2 of the world's population.
2. Index 131-140. This level boasts 3% of the world's population. They include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nicole Kidman. Successful people who achieve the intended goal, have a high level of intelligence. They can become successful politicians, managers, heads of companies, specialists in science.
3. Index 121-130. High level intelligence. People with this indicator are easily given training at a university. They make up 6% of the population. They are successful, often become leaders, are actively engaged in creativity.
4. Index 111-120. Above average intelligence. It occurs in 12% of the population. They love to learn, they do not have any problems with the sciences. If a person loves and wants to work, then he can easily get a well-paid job.
5. Index 101-110. Most people on the planet with this level of intelligence. This is the average IQ, which indicates the usefulness of a person. Many of its holders hardly graduate from high school, but with sufficient effort they can study and get a good job.
6. Index 91-100. The result for a quarter of the world's population. If the test showed such a result, do not despair and be upset. Such people study well, can work in any field that does not require significant mental effort.
7. Index 81-90. The ratio is below average. It occurs in 10% of people. They do pretty well in school, but rarely get higher education. More often they work where they do not need to make mental efforts, they like to work more physically.
8. Index 71-80. Approximately 10% of the population with this level of intelligence. It occurs in people who suffer from mild mental retardation. They often study in specialized schools, but they can also study in normal secondary educational institutions. Only their successes rarely rise above average.
9. Index 51-70. It occurs in 7% of the population who have a mild form of mental retardation. Rarely are full-fledged members of society, but they can live independently and take care of themselves without outside help.
10. Indicator 21-50. A very low level of intelligence, which occurs in 2% of people. Individuals suffer from dementia, are far behind in development from their peers. They cannot learn normally, have guardians who help take care of themselves.
11. Below 20. Such people are no more than 0.2% of the population. This is an indicator of a severe form of mental retardation. Such people cannot live on their own, go to work, earn their own food, clothing and accommodation, therefore they are constantly under guardianship. They cannot learn, often suffer from psychological disorders.

The result should not be taken as a single truthful instance. After all, the indicator depends on many factors: environment, heredity, lifestyle, place of residence, religion.

Can intelligence be developed? Neuroscientists have long answered this question in the affirmative. Your brain is plastic and able to physically change depending on what you are doing. And even the smartest person has something to strive for. So don't waste your time! We have collected tips and exercises from our books to help you become even smarter.

1. Solve logic puzzles

Fun workout tasks logical thinking you will find in the book of the popular blogger Dmitry Chernyshev "What to do in the evening with your family in the country without the Internet". Here are a few of them:

Answer:

It's a variety credit card. Notches about the borrowed goods were simultaneously made on both sticks. One was kept by the buyer, the other by the seller. This ruled out fraud. When the debt was repaid, the sticks were destroyed.

Answer:

This is Morrison's hideout to protect people during the bombing. Not everyone had cellars in which to hide. For poor households, the device was free. 500,000 of these shelters were built by the end of 1941 and another 100,000 in 1943, when the Germans began using V-1 rockets. The shelter paid off. According to statistics, in 44 houses equipped with such shelters, which were heavily bombed, only three out of 136 residents died. Another 13 people were seriously injured and 16 were lightly injured.

Answer:

Look again at the condition of the problem: there was no task to "continue the sequence." If 1 = 5, then 5 = 1.

2. Train your memory

Until now, you've been trying to guess the number by choosing the average. This is the ideal strategy for a game in which the number was chosen at random. But in our case, the number was not chosen randomly. We have deliberately chosen a number that will be difficult for you to find. The main lesson of game theory is that you need to put yourself in the place of another player. We put ourselves in your place and assumed that you would say the number 50 first, then 25, then 37 and 42.

What will be your final guess? Is it number 49? Congratulations! Yourself, not you. You are trapped again! We thought of the number 48. In fact, all this reasoning about the average number from the interval was aimed precisely at misleading you. We wanted you to choose the number 49.

The point of our game with you is not to show you how cunning we are, but to clearly illustrate what exactly makes any situation a game: you must take into account the goals and strategies of other players.

5. Do math

Lomonosov believed that mathematics puts the mind in order. And indeed it is. One way to develop intelligence is to make friends with the world of numbers, graphs and formulas. If you want to try this method, the book Beauty Squared will help you, where the most complex concepts are described simply and in a fun way. A small excerpt from there:

“In 1611, the astronomer Johannes Kepler decided to find himself a wife. The process did not start well: he rejected the first three candidates. Kepler would have married a fourth if he had not seen a fifth, who seemed "modest, thrifty, and capable of loving adopted children." But the scientist behaved so indecisively that he met with several more women who did not interest him. Then he nevertheless married the fifth candidate.

By mathematical theory"optimal stop" to make a choice must be considered and rejected 36.8 percent options. And then stop at the first one, which will be better than all those rejected.

Kepler had 11 dates. But he could meet four women and then propose to the first of the remaining candidates, whom he liked more than those he had already seen. In other words, he would immediately pick the fifth woman and save himself six bad dates. The theory of “optimal stopping” is also applicable in other areas: medicine, energy, zoology, economics, etc.”

6. Learn to play a musical instrument

Psychologist and author of We Are Music, Victoria Williamson, says the Mozart effect is just a myth. Listening to classical music will not increase your IQ. But if you make music yourself, you will help your brain work better. This is confirmed by the following experiment:

“A number of extensive analyzes of the relationship between music lessons and IQ in children have been conducted by Glenn Schellenberg. In 2004, he randomly assigned 144 six-year-olds from Toronto to four groups: the first had keyboard lessons, the second had singing lessons, the third had acting lessons, and the fourth was a control group with no extra classes. To be fair, after the study, the children in the control group were offered the same activities as the rest.

The training lasted 36 weeks in a dedicated school. All children were tested for IQ during the summer holidays before these classes began, as well as at the end of the study. Criteria of comparable age and socioeconomic status were used.

After one year, the vast majority of the children performed better on the IQ test, which is logical since they are a year older. However, in the two groups where they studied music, the increase in the coefficient mental development turned out to be more than in the acting and control group.

7. Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Meditation not only helps to reduce stress levels, but also helps to develop memory, Creative skills, reaction, attention and self-control. For more on this method, see Mindfulness. Advice from her:

“Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster time passes? The reason is that with age we acquire habits, certain patterns of behavior and live on the "automatic": the autopilot guides us when we eat breakfast, brush our teeth, go to work, sit on the same chair every time ... As a result, life passes by, and we feel miserable.

Do a simple experiment. Buy chocolate. Break off a small piece of it. Examine it as if seeing it for the first time. Pay attention to all the kinks, texture, smell, color. Put this piece in your mouth, but don't swallow it right away, let it melt slowly on your tongue. Try the whole bunch of flavors. Then slowly swallow the chocolate, try to feel how it flows down the esophagus, note the movements of the palate and tongue.

Agree, the sensations are not at all the same as if you just ate a bar without thinking. Try this exercise with other foods, and then with your usual activities: be mindful at work, while walking, getting ready for bed, and so on.

8. Learn to think outside the box

Creativity will help find a solution even in a situation that seems hopeless to most. book author"Rice Storm"I am sure that anyone can train creativity. To get started, try applying the Leonardo da Vinci method:

“Leonardo da Vinci’s way of generating ideas was this: he closed his eyes, completely relaxed and dotted a sheet of paper with arbitrary lines and scribbles. Then he opened his eyes and looked for images and nuances, objects and phenomena in the painted. Many of his inventions were born from such sketches.

Here is a plan of action on how you can use the Leonardo da Vinci method in your work:

Write the problem down on a piece of paper and reflect on it for a few minutes.

Relax. Give your intuition the opportunity to create images that reflect the current situation. You don't need to know what the drawing will look like before you draw it.

Give shape to your challenge by delineating its boundaries. They can be of any size and take shape as you wish.

Practice drawing unconsciously. Let the lines and scribbles dictate how you draw and position them.

If the result does not satisfy you, take another sheet of paper and make another drawing, and then another - as many as you need.

Explore your drawing. Write down the first word that comes to mind for each image, squiggle, line, or structure.

Tie all the words together by writing a short note. Now see how the writing relates to your task. Have new ideas emerged?

Be attentive to the questions that arise in your mind. For example: “What is this?”, “Where did it come from?” If you feel the need to find answers to specific questions, then you are on the right path leading to a solution to the problem.

9. Learn foreign languages

According to researchers, this promotes brain development and helps maintain mental clarity even in adulthood. In the manual of the polyglot Susanna Zarayskaya you will find 90 actionable advice how to learn new foreign languages easy and fun. Here are three recommendations from the book:

• Listen to songs in the language you are learning while you are driving, cleaning your home, cooking, tending flowers, or doing other things. You will be imbued with the rhythms of the language even with passive listening. The main thing is to do it regularly.

• The non-profit organization Planet Read is using Bollywood music videos in its Indian literacy program with subtitles in the same language. The subtitle format is the same as in karaoke, that is, the word that sounds in this moment. Easy access to such videos doubles the number of first-graders who have mastered reading. And all due to the fact that viewers naturally synchronize audio and video. The method by which illiteracy is fought in India will allow you to compare what you hear with what you see.

• Who said drama is incompatible with the table irregular verbs? Soap operas can become very fun guide to learn a new language. Simple storylines, and the acting is so expressive that even if you don't know all the words, you will still be aware of what is happening just by following the emotions of the characters.

10. Make up stories

This is another way to become more creative and develop flexibility of thinking. Don't know where to start? In the notebook "642 ideas to write about" you will find many tips. Your task is to continue the stories and turn them into complete stories. Here are some assignments from the book:

• You meet a girl who can close her eyes and see the entire universe. Tell me about her.

• Try to fit the whole life of a person in one sentence.

• Take an article from a fresh newspaper. Write down ten words or phrases that caught your eye. Using these words, write a poem that begins: "What if..."

• Your cat dreams of world domination. She figured out how to switch bodies with you.

• Write a story that starts like this: “The odd thing started when Fred bought a house for his miniature pigs…”

• Explain to a gold miner in 1849 how e-mail works.

• An unknown force threw you inside the computer. You need to get out.

• Choose any subject desk(pen, pencil, eraser, etc.) and write him a thank you note.

11. Get enough sleep!

The ability to learn depends on the quality of your sleep. A curious fact from the book "The Brain in a Dream":

“Scientists have found that different stages of sleep are designed to various types learning. For example, non-REM sleep is important for mastering actual memory tasks, such as memorizing dates for a history exam. But dream-rich REM sleep is necessary for mastering what is associated with procedural memory - with how something is done, including with the development of new behavioral strategies.

Psychology professor Carlisle Smith says: “For a month we sawed out blocks from which we built a maze for mice, and then recorded their brain activity around the clock for ten days. Those mice that showed greater intelligence in running through the maze also demonstrated greater brain activity in the phase REM sleep. I myself never doubted that sleep and learning are related, but now enough data has accumulated that others are interested in this issue. ”

12. Don't neglect exercise

Sport has a positive effect on our intellectual abilities. Here is what evolutionary biologist John Medina has to say in his book The Rules of the Brain:

“All sorts of tests have shown: physical exercise throughout life contribute to a striking improvement in cognitive processes, in contrast to a sedentary lifestyle. The exercisers outperformed the lazy and couch potato in terms of long-term memory, logic, attention, problem-solving ability, and even so-called fluid intelligence.”

More books on the development of intelligence- .

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What is intelligence, and how its presence affects the successful realization of personality - an interesting topic for psychologists and people seeking to develop personal knowledge. How to become an intellectual and does the human brain have a framework that gives clear signals about sufficient level knowledge and experience gained, a question with a philosophical or logical conclusion - each person decides for himself.

What is human intelligence?

The word intellect comes from the Latin term Intellectus, which means knowledge, understanding. Intelligence is the ability of a person to mentally easily perceive and in large volumes, the tendency to quickly decide challenging tasks, life situations, with the help of active brain activity - through inferences, logical conclusions. An assessment of the level of knowledge of a person is called the IQ, it is calculated using special methods and tests.

The mental coefficient is much higher than the real age of a person, the average indicators of peer knowledge serve as the basis for the conclusions of the level of intelligence - mental age. The average IQ is 100 points, indicators with values ​​​​of 90 or 110 - allowable rate. People whose IQ is above 110 are highly intelligent individuals, and IQ scores of 70 are intellectual impairment, in the negative direction. At the age of 5 years, the level of intelligence does not differ; it is generally accepted that the main factor that forms intellectual inclinations is inherited.

Intelligence in psychology

In psychology, thinking and intelligence are similar processes of mental activity. Thinking - the tendency to analyze, build logical conclusions on acquired knowledge. Intelligence is the ability to realize the acquired knowledge, the result of thinking, leading to rational actions. A person can read several encyclopedias, and possess a large amount of information, but not apply them in practice, the presence of intelligence is evidence of the realized actions of the individual, based on knowledge, characterizing success in society.

What is artificial intelligence?

Many are interested in the question of what is synthetic intelligence. artificial intelligence called a human-created system that analyzes information and reproduces thinking processes that are similar in effect to impulses that occur in the human brain. The branch of science for the creation and study of such intelligence is called computer science. Habitual modern systems automatic control (computer, robot, car navigator) are perceived ordinary person as the concept of intelligence with artificial thinking, aimed at performing certain functions.

What is the difference between an intellectual and an intellectual?

Often, the concepts of intelligentsia and intellectuals are mixed into one type. psychological behavior. characteristic feature a personality that distinguishes an intelligent person is a high level of upbringing and cultural behavior, not only in society, but also in any situation that does not attract attention. Intelligentsia have a high level of education and earn money by mental labor, are responsive to others, the intelligentsia is a part of society professionally engaged in educational and scientific work.

Intellectuals are characterized by a high level of encyclopedic knowledge in various fields. The behavior of an intellectual in a society can differ significantly from that of an intelligent and cause negative emotions, but the most valuable contributions to the development of various scientific fields are made by people with high IQ, important public discoveries are also made by intellectuals.

What is an intellectual disability?

Human intelligence may decrease, its level depends on congenital or acquired defects in the structure of the brain. Congenital mental retardation is called - dementia, acquired - senile dementia, oligophrenia. A decrease in intelligence can be the result of a complex depression, it can develop after functional loss of organs (hearing, vision lost) when a person does not receive information from external sources.

Types of intelligence

The innate abilities of a person can become the basis on which a person can successfully develop his abilities - choose his favorite profession, successfully realize himself in life plans. What is intelligence - in an average individual, several talents develop harmoniously, but the leader is one, the natural inclinations of a person are conventionally divided into the main types of intelligence:

• natural;
• musical;
• mathematical;
• linguistic;
• spatial;
• personal;
• kinesthetic;
• existential;
• interpersonal.

Signs of high intelligence

High intelligence is often hidden behind modest behavior, which has been proven in the course of scientific experiments. It has not yet been possible to develop a method that accurately characterizes a highly intelligent person. A list of characteristics characteristic of individuals whose IQ level is above the average has been compiled. The method for determining intelligent people by these indicators is conditional:

• the presence of a pet - a cat;
• love for disorder;
• playing musical instruments;
• alcohol or drug addiction;
• philosophical views and liberal attitude to life;
• the eldest child of the family, as a rule, has an IQ level higher than the younger children;
• breastfeeding in infancy;
• high level of anxiety;
• left-handedness;
• high growth;
• slender physique;
• early reading ability in childhood;
• having a sense of humor.

How to increase intelligence?

The development of intelligence is a systematic habit, one might say a lifestyle. Increasing intelligence, a person trains memory every day, comprehends new knowledge and applies it in practice. How - to give up the habit of watching TV, it entails an invisible clogging of memory with useless information. Eat low-calorie food - food that is heavy for the stomach takes energy from the brain, requiring expenses in the digestive tract. Excellent increase in IQ level:

• logic puzzles;
• intellectual and board games with a strong opponent - chess, poker, backgammon;
• computer games that require concentration;
• a healthy 8-hour sleep;
• physical activity;
• learning foreign languages;
• studies in the exact sciences.

Games that develop intelligence

Regular brain training with the acquisition of new knowledge can take place in a passive way - reading books, studying scientific facts, a way of remembering. Experts in the field of intellectual studies have developed games that develop thinking and intelligence. AT modern world, most of these techniques have been turned into computer games, disputes about the benefits or futility of such memory training are ongoing. It has been proven that the systematic calculation of costs Money trains memory in the mind even in adulthood. Habitual activities that increase intelligence:

• solve crosswords;
• memorize phone numbers;
• train an unusual hand (for a right-handed person - the left hand) for everyday activities;
• read books upside down;
• quickly list aloud the same type of objects, words with the same root.

Books that develop intelligence

Reading works of art increases the level of intellectual knowledge, and the study of scientific literature contributes to elevated level concentration of attention - the ability to memorize and analyze unknown details develops. Modern books for the development of intelligence have visual trainings and puzzles that significantly develop intellectual abilities. Books to increase intelligence:

The article is intended, firstly, for those psychologists who, in their work, have to deal with the concept of "a person's intelligence level" (for example, when conducting professional selection), and secondly, for all those people who like to make hasty conclusions about the intellectual level in the process of communication their interlocutors.

Many people like to judge other people's intelligence. And some are supposed to do this on the duty of their profession (the same psychologists, for example). Just how to do it? How to understand how much a person is, so to speak, "intellectual"?

Two higher education him? Amazing! Oh, very smart, I guess. And he will go, for example, to the forest for mushrooms, God forbid he gets lost - and that's it, he will remain there. And education won't help. And some village pensioner, Uncle Fedya, with a four-grade parochial education, will feel at home in the same forest. And who in this case will be smarter? From such a worldly point of view?

Or another example. Will a doctorate (yes, in the same psychology, for example) help fix a car that has broken down on the way? And some Vanya from the neighboring village (who won’t write the word “psychology” with less than three mistakes) will immediately come up and sort out the breakdown, because since childhood he has been fiddling with all kinds of equipment. So intelligence is not such a simple concept as it seems at first glance...

And somehow I heard about some scientist (I don’t remember his last name), who at the age of 26 became the youngest candidate of science in his time. I figured out what's what. So, it turns out like this. This child prodigy graduated from school and went to college. This is fine. At about 22, he graduated from the institute, then 4 years of graduate school - and this is the result, at 26 years old he is a candidate of science. Of course, he did not go to the army: what the heck, let the fools serve. Work - also did not really work anywhere. That is, at the age of 26 he saw nothing in his life apart from his institute. Can such a person be called SMART? This is another big question.

But that was it, the introduction. Now let's approach this issue more seriously and with more scientific point vision.

What is intelligence?

In one word, you can't say. More precisely - you will say, of course, but it will be too vague. Mind. Intelligence. Reason. That's what intelligence is. Only hardly from these words something became clearer. Of course, you can get into the psychological dictionary - but everything is presented there too generally. But if from a practical point of view? If we need to determine, evaluate the level of human intelligence? What are the criteria for doing this?

I present my own conclusions on this matter. First, I will list all these criteria, then I will explain in more detail.

So, the concept of "intelligence" includes:

flexibility of thinking;

experience (both in a particular case and life experience generally);

the level of education;

level general erudition and knowledge;

attentiveness;

human memory;

development of some personal qualities;

the presence of a lively mind, interest in life, curiosity.

If you disagree with me on something, wait, I'm not done yet. Now I will explain everything in more detail.

Under the number 1 we have the flexibility of thinking. Probably, this is the main criterion by which one can evaluate the intelligence of a person. Psychologists, studying productive and creative thinking, single out flexibility as one of its factors, and put forward such an indicator as the expedient variation of methods of action, the ability to rethink the functions of an object, use it in a new capacity as the main criterion for the flexibility of thinking. Now I will explain human language. In a typical mental flexibility test, the subject is asked to list all possible uses for a common item. For example, a regular fountain pen. It is clear that she can write or draw something. And besides, you can loosen the earth with it in flower pot. AT adolescence we made mouthpieces from pens. And when great desire You can also use it as a melee weapon. And when you are going somewhere on a hike, you can wind the thread on the old handle in reserve. Maybe not the most convenient solution, but is it possible? Can! Speaking more scientific language, the flexibility of thinking manifests itself in a problem situation and makes a person identify previously unanalyzed features of an object, and then, rethinking them, solve the problem that has arisen. Those. misuse the item.

And, of course, the flexibility of thinking does not extend only to the identification of new functions of objects. Flexibility of thinking is both observation and the ability to calculate the situation several steps ahead, to discern their hidden causes behind visible phenomena, to establish patterns, etc.

In addition, the flexibility of thinking does not stand alone, by itself. It is connected with all the other components that were listed above. Indeed, in order to find other aspects of its use in an object, one must first have at least some life experience and knowledge. Mindfulness allows you to identify some little things and use them. A good memory complements experience and knowledge: what's the point of studying some sciences, if then you can't remember anything at the right time? As for personal qualities, then, for example, cunning - this is the same flexibility of thinking.

How can you determine the level of flexibility of thinking? One of the options has just been described: show the subject some object and ask him to name several situations in which this object can be used not according to him. intended purpose. We are especially interested in non-standard ways of using it. Another option is non-standard tasks. You know, there are such things, they look like mathematical ones, but they are not solved by the usual methods. Only here you need not to overdo it and not to do hasty conclusions about a human. If you are holding some kind of events, for example, professional selection, then observing the subject, or rather, his behavior in difficult situations for him, will give a lot.

But let's leave the flexibility of thinking, because we need to consider other components of the intellect.

Under the 2nd and 3rd points we have the experience and level of education. In essence, both presuppose the possession of a certain amount of various USEFUL (unlike the next paragraph) information. And if it's not just an experience, but YOUR OWN experience- it's also some practical skills. Most the best way It is a combination of education and experience. Education is the theoretical foundation, experience is the use of theoretical knowledge in practice. When, after graduating from a university, you get a job in your specialty, it seems that all this institute knowledge is useless, practice is so far removed from theory. But this is only at first glance. Later, when there is an acute shortage practical knowledge, you often turn to the same textbooks again and a lot useful information you find there. But that's just the way it is...

4th point - the level of general erudition and knowledge. Those. it is knowledge about everything and nothing. Such knowledge helps to solve crossword puzzles, for example. But still, sometimes in life they can come in handy and with greater benefit. Basically (as it seems to me personally), with their help, analogies succeed. For example, you know history well. Historical knowledge by itself is useless in Everyday life, but they can help you better understand, say, the current political situation.

5th and 6th points - mindfulness and memory. Here, in my opinion, everything is clear, a little earlier I already spoke about this. Let's take a closer look at points 7 and 8. What else personal qualities, in addition to the mentioned tricks, can be attributed to intelligence? For example, self-confidence and courage. How, you ask? Imagine a student on an exam who generally knows the material, but got scared, worried and forgot everything or mixed up everything. The conclusion of the teachers: stupid and brainless, he cannot connect two words. This is not true! - you say. And I will answer you. Why, in fact, is not it? The deed is not done, the goal (to pass the exam) is not fulfilled, the actual result of the activity zero(more precisely, two). If you evaluate the activities of this student in terms of the final result - yes, stupid and brainless. And all because there was not enough self-confidence, courage, determination, even somewhere (in moderation) and arrogance. It is interesting that these qualities are manifested not only in the role constituents intelligence, but also in many ways are his derivative. In other words, the same courage in our example with a student is not only one of the REASONS for high intelligence, but also its CONSEQUENCE. Indeed, a SMART person knows that, in principle, there is nothing to be afraid of all these professors, especially if you know at least a little of the material. Well, they are not so scary to shake and stutter in front of them. Those. an intelligent person, by an effort of will, can suppress his fear and his excitement, tune in to the desired activity and cast aside other thoughts. He had heard somewhere that a few deep breaths helped calm the excitement. Applied - helped. This is called the basics of self-regulation. Why does he know all this? Why was he able to learn this, while others were not? Yes, because he curious by nature, possessor of an inquisitive mind. He will never pass by some more or less useful information, everything is interesting to him. While someone else has no interests in life, except to eat, sleep, drink beer, watch TV, well, and something else, we will not specify the details. Well, where does the intellect come from? This is what concerns curiosity, a lively mind, interest in life and similar qualities.

Of course, all this is written here briefly and superficially. If desired, it was possible to ascribe many more things and give many examples.

Why did I even write this article?

Firstly, maybe I will at least make the task a little easier for those who should somehow evaluate this intelligence. Secondly, I will complicate the task for amateurs to evaluate intelligence in everyday life, according to the first few words of the interlocutor. It's not that simple! And here's a live example.

During my labor activity(to clarify - official activity) I have had occasion to communicate with the most different people and from all over Russia. And I noticed that half of them pronounce the words - “call”, “call”, instead of “call”, “call”. Many would have already concluded about these people that they have a low level of intelligence, or at least below average.

But why exactly? After all, such a “wrong” pronunciation is simply more convenient and familiar for many! But that's not even the point. WHERE DO YOU GET WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG? From a dictionary? Who compiled the dictionary? Yes, the same person as you, like me, like them! By the way, in different dictionaries there are different variants pronunciation of this word. And if you say “you call”, then say “you are friends”, “cook”, “gift”. I didn’t invent these words, they were also taken from dictionaries and they were also imposed in different time as the norms of the Russian language.

Well, personally, I (if anyone is interested) pronounce the word “call” this way and that, otherwise you will think that I am defending my point of view here. It's not about that. Just IS IT POSSIBLE TO ASSESS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE BY SUCH CRITERIA? But they do appreciate it! And most importantly, who evaluates? People who were told that “this is right, and this is wrong,” and now they repeat it like parrots, without even trying to comprehend. And such a "parrot", you know, is far from a sign of high intelligence. So, before judging others - evaluate your own intelligence for a start!

If anyone finds the end of the article too harsh - I beg your pardon: I did not set myself the goal of offending anyone, I just wanted to make you think a little.