you don’t necessarily have to crack open
a book to improve your intellect welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
things you didn’t know could make you
smarter
before we begin we publish new content
every day so be sure to subscribe to our
Channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at the most
strange and surprising things that can
actually boost your memory and improve
your cognitive workings number 10
dancing who knew that boogying down
could also increase your IQ in addition
to the physical benefits of dancing like
giving your brain a boost of oxygen and
making you feel happier studies have
shown that dancing stimulates the brain
and increases mental capacity even
better more complicated routines like
the tango which require higher brain
function and memorization can actually
help prevent dementia so get down and
reap the benefits number 9 video games
as much fun as they are video games can
get a seriously bad rap many claim to
contribute to violence and users
antisocial behavior or are a giant waste
of time we’re not here to debate those
points but the good news is that they
can actually improve the brains function
and we’re not just talking about games
that are expressly created to be
educational
an American Psychological Association
study actually looked specifically at
shooter games and found that they
potentially improved memory
problem-solving and even social skills
so why not raise that GPA with a little
GTA number 8 exercise and sports we know
how beneficial physical activity is for
the health of your body and even for
mental health but did you know that
exercise can also make you smarter there
are so many ways in which exercise
improves the function of your body and
that extends to your brain as well
working up a sweat every day can help
with memory productivity energy levels
focus and keeps you in a better mood
while you’re at it and even if you don’t
feel the cognitive improvements at least
you’ll have a good workout similarly but
perhaps unsurprisingly eating clean can
also make you smarter
number seven listening to music playing
an instrument has long been touted as a
way to make you smarter but studies have
shown that simply listening to music can
have similarly effective results
research has been done on how students
who listened to Mozart while studying
performing
Sam’s and the results were pretty
astounding 60 to 70 beats per minute
classical music can see a sizable
improvement but 50 to 80 BPM pop music
can do the trick as well so if your
teacher tells you to take out your
headphones and focus you’ve got a good
argument ready to go
number six TV good news couch potatoes
it turns out that watching certain kinds
of TV can actually be good for you and
no we’re not just talking about
Discovery Channel documentaries in a New
York Times article published in 2005
Steven Johnson examined what he called
the sleeper curve or the idea that
watching TV shows with complex plots can
make us smarter if you consider the fact
that this was long before Premium TV hit
its peak you can only imagine how smart
we’re getting while watching today’s
complex multi arc long game narratives
number five napping you definitely
shouldn’t be snoozing at your desk but
it seems like the Spanish had the right
idea with their siesta concept
researchers have found that taking a
midday nap can help revitalize you and
improve your memory significantly in
Japan work day naps are becoming more
common and we can totally see why timing
the length of your nap is key because
too long or too short and you may not
reap the benefits
can you imagine replacing your 3:00 p.m.
coffee break with a half-hour nap
you just know the results would be good
number four
daydreaming much like napping video
gaming or channel surfing daydreaming
especially when you have work to do or
attention to pay doesn’t gain you many
accolades but like those other seemingly
time wasters daydreaming can actually
help harness some additional brainpower
in fact studies have shown that people
who daydream tend to have better
memories than people who stay focused on
the task at hand
it may seem counterintuitive but this
works because your brain actually is
engaged even if it’s not paying
attention to what it’s supposed to be
number three sarcastic co-workers of all
the things on your list this one is the
biggest head scratcher we all have that
work friend who has more disdain for
your job than anyone and never bothers
to hide it if your coworkers tend to
make a lot of sarcastic comments quips
jabs and deep deep cuts it can actually
improve your ability to think creatively
a study from organizational behavior in
human decision processes shows that
hearing sarcasm forces you to think
abstractly which helps with creative
thought additionally for the same study
sarcasm did not lead to an increase in
conflicts
number two chewing gum not chewing gum
is classic old-school shortsightedness
it makes sense the loud chewing could
potentially be distracting to your
classmates but in reality all that
masticating was actually making you
smarter studies have been done with both
sweetened and sugar-free gum and
participants who chewed performed better
on a variety of intellectual tests the
problem is the effect doesn’t really
seem to last after you throw your piece
away but all the same pop some gum in
your mouth before a big test and your
grades just might soar number one being
in a bad mood given all the unlikely
brain power-ups we’ve discussed so far
is one last splash of negativity really
that’s surprising despite what the ever
cheery and seldom solicited positive
thinking brigade has to say we’re here
to tell you that being in a good mood
isn’t always positive a study from the
University of New South Wales shows that
being in a foul mood actually has some
shocking benefits participants showed
better memory skills better judgment
skills and were also less gullible so
next time you’re having a bad day make
the best of it do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe
and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
a book to improve your intellect welcome
to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
things you didn’t know could make you
smarter
before we begin we publish new content
every day so be sure to subscribe to our
Channel and ring the bell to get
notified about our latest videos for
this list we’re looking at the most
strange and surprising things that can
actually boost your memory and improve
your cognitive workings number 10
dancing who knew that boogying down
could also increase your IQ in addition
to the physical benefits of dancing like
giving your brain a boost of oxygen and
making you feel happier studies have
shown that dancing stimulates the brain
and increases mental capacity even
better more complicated routines like
the tango which require higher brain
function and memorization can actually
help prevent dementia so get down and
reap the benefits number 9 video games
as much fun as they are video games can
get a seriously bad rap many claim to
contribute to violence and users
antisocial behavior or are a giant waste
of time we’re not here to debate those
points but the good news is that they
can actually improve the brains function
and we’re not just talking about games
that are expressly created to be
educational
an American Psychological Association
study actually looked specifically at
shooter games and found that they
potentially improved memory
problem-solving and even social skills
so why not raise that GPA with a little
GTA number 8 exercise and sports we know
how beneficial physical activity is for
the health of your body and even for
mental health but did you know that
exercise can also make you smarter there
are so many ways in which exercise
improves the function of your body and
that extends to your brain as well
working up a sweat every day can help
with memory productivity energy levels
focus and keeps you in a better mood
while you’re at it and even if you don’t
feel the cognitive improvements at least
you’ll have a good workout similarly but
perhaps unsurprisingly eating clean can
also make you smarter
number seven listening to music playing
an instrument has long been touted as a
way to make you smarter but studies have
shown that simply listening to music can
have similarly effective results
research has been done on how students
who listened to Mozart while studying
performing
Sam’s and the results were pretty
astounding 60 to 70 beats per minute
classical music can see a sizable
improvement but 50 to 80 BPM pop music
can do the trick as well so if your
teacher tells you to take out your
headphones and focus you’ve got a good
argument ready to go
number six TV good news couch potatoes
it turns out that watching certain kinds
of TV can actually be good for you and
no we’re not just talking about
Discovery Channel documentaries in a New
York Times article published in 2005
Steven Johnson examined what he called
the sleeper curve or the idea that
watching TV shows with complex plots can
make us smarter if you consider the fact
that this was long before Premium TV hit
its peak you can only imagine how smart
we’re getting while watching today’s
complex multi arc long game narratives
number five napping you definitely
shouldn’t be snoozing at your desk but
it seems like the Spanish had the right
idea with their siesta concept
researchers have found that taking a
midday nap can help revitalize you and
improve your memory significantly in
Japan work day naps are becoming more
common and we can totally see why timing
the length of your nap is key because
too long or too short and you may not
reap the benefits
can you imagine replacing your 3:00 p.m.
coffee break with a half-hour nap
you just know the results would be good
number four
daydreaming much like napping video
gaming or channel surfing daydreaming
especially when you have work to do or
attention to pay doesn’t gain you many
accolades but like those other seemingly
time wasters daydreaming can actually
help harness some additional brainpower
in fact studies have shown that people
who daydream tend to have better
memories than people who stay focused on
the task at hand
it may seem counterintuitive but this
works because your brain actually is
engaged even if it’s not paying
attention to what it’s supposed to be
number three sarcastic co-workers of all
the things on your list this one is the
biggest head scratcher we all have that
work friend who has more disdain for
your job than anyone and never bothers
to hide it if your coworkers tend to
make a lot of sarcastic comments quips
jabs and deep deep cuts it can actually
improve your ability to think creatively
a study from organizational behavior in
human decision processes shows that
hearing sarcasm forces you to think
abstractly which helps with creative
thought additionally for the same study
sarcasm did not lead to an increase in
conflicts
number two chewing gum not chewing gum
is classic old-school shortsightedness
it makes sense the loud chewing could
potentially be distracting to your
classmates but in reality all that
masticating was actually making you
smarter studies have been done with both
sweetened and sugar-free gum and
participants who chewed performed better
on a variety of intellectual tests the
problem is the effect doesn’t really
seem to last after you throw your piece
away but all the same pop some gum in
your mouth before a big test and your
grades just might soar number one being
in a bad mood given all the unlikely
brain power-ups we’ve discussed so far
is one last splash of negativity really
that’s surprising despite what the ever
cheery and seldom solicited positive
thinking brigade has to say we’re here
to tell you that being in a good mood
isn’t always positive a study from the
University of New South Wales shows that
being in a foul mood actually has some
shocking benefits participants showed
better memory skills better judgment
skills and were also less gullible so
next time you’re having a bad day make
the best of it do you agree with our
picks check out these other great clips
from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe
and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
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