7 Intelligent Hobbies
More often than not, during our free time, we are scrolling through social media and looking up on what our friends are doing, or looking at adorable dogs videos, or reading the latest gossip. Though it is a great way to pass time, it is not exactly the smartest way to do it. We should always strive to be a better self, even during a short amount of free time. There are many things you can do, you can learn new things, talk to someone about useful things, or even improve on whatever skills you have, and of course, you can do things that will make you smarter. Here are some of the hobbies that you can do in your free time.
1. Reading
When people think of reading, they assume it to be boring because they only think of one kind of material to read when they think of reading, especially fiction books, and not everyone likes reading them. The truth is, there are so many things you can read that you will actually enjoy. If you are interested in cooking, then study recipe books or read biographies of famous chefs. Or if they enjoy health and fitness, read articles about them online. As long as you are reading things that interest you and at the same time is providing you useful information.
2. Playing musical instruments
Not everyone can afford music classes, but with the technology nowadays, you can do almost anything online, best yet, for free. One of the most common musical instruments people learn from online would be the piano. There are so many videos you can follow along on YouTube, or lessons from some websites, or even piano sheets you can find from Google. When you are playing a musical instrument, you are sharpening your memories and processing, and thus your cognitive abilities will be improved, which is the key to strengthening your brain.
3. Exercising
Exercising doesn’t solely improve your body image and increase your self-confidence. Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly have a higher level of BDNF, a type of protein, in their brains, which helps to increase neurons and blood flow to the brain. BDNF is beneficial for your brain as they help with your concentration and memory, which is important in learning things. On the other hand, people who are “couch potatoes” will have a lower BDNF level over time, thus all the negative effects.
4. Writing
Writing will not only increase your creativity, which is a brain strengthening exercise, it also makes you smarter. How it works is that if you write physically, not writing on your phone or laptop, you are training several parts of your brain at once, such as your motor skills as you are making a movement, and also your cognitive skills as you are thinking of what to write. Besides that, writing on paper actually allows you to visualise things better as they are written down, instead of doing all the thinking in your head.
5. Learning a new language
As we get older, the more difficult it is for us to learn a new language, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. What learning a new language does is that it enhances our brain health as we are analysing the grammatical structures and new words, and these would lead to us having better concentration and attention. Similar to learning a musical instrument, there are tons of free resources on the internet you can learn from. You definitely do not need to pay for classes.
6. Meditating
People who meditate daily not only have a better posture and health, but they are more intelligent as well. When people meditate, they are training to get rid of all thoughts in their head, solely focusing in the moment. Having self-control and knowing how to eliminate distractions is important in gaining intelligence. Aside from that, meditation also helps with our thinking and memory, which is vital in gaining knowledge and being more intelligent.
7. Challenging your brain
There are many ways you can challenge your brain, and it can even be playing games, such as puzzle games, or board games, or just games that make you think. Sometimes even some of the other games that are non-puzzle-like require you to think through what move to make next. When you are working your brain, the neuroplasticity in your brain will be improved. They strengthen your thinking skills, observation skills, and also your focus, which are all important skills that one should acquire to be more intelligent.
These are some hobbies you can do whenever you are having spare time, and they are all beneficial to you, as they would strengthen your brain and increase your intelligence. If you had acquired any of these hobbies, you might not even think about going on social media unless necessary in the future.
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