Getting Smarter

Americans love the promise of easy self-improvement. Consumers looking for a “quick fix” turn to products promising cognitive enhancement. But do any of the techniques work? Subliminal training programs claim that you won’t even realize you’re learning: Hidden messages in a recording will help you, say, study a language while listening to nature sounds or music – even while you are asleep. Alas, it doesn’t work.

“As the pace of life continues to accelerate, there is increasing pressure for a quick fix to boost our cognitive capacities – for study, for work and for recreation. So, is there anything out there that works?”

Similarly, popular brain-training programs that claim to enhance “working memory” and “attention control” don’t actually boost an individual’s overall cognitive abilities. The gaming format of these programs does make acquiring a new skill fun, so people are more likely to persist; and the tasks get more difficult as your skill increases, which also supports learning. However, while these games can help individuals get better at the specific task for which they are training, the skills don’t transfer to other cognitive areas. Just because you get better at playing the game doesn’t mean that you’ll improve at, say, memorizing names.

“Electrical stimulation – at the right dosage with the right technique in the right location – can produce modest enhancement of some kinds of learning and motor function.”

Healthy individuals may experience a cognitive boost through prescription drugs like those used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, the improvement is merely temporary, and cognition may suffer as the drug’s effects wane. Moreover, for younger people, these drugs might impair brain development in the long run.

“We’re already smarter than our grandparents. And if we live an active lifestyle, we can get smarter and stay smart throughout our lives.”

Evidence suggests that electric stimulation – that is, applying electric pulses to encourage activity in certain parts of the brain – can engender “modest” cognitive gains. The procedure is risky though: Injuries, both major and minor, can occur, especially if amateurs do the procedure “outside of a reputable clinic or lab.”

No quick fix will safely, reliably and significantly increase your IQ. Still, if you rigorously commit to learning a specific cognitive skill (like remembering names) and practice regularly, you can improve that particular skill. Also, working out will help: Cardiovascular exercise functionally improves your brain structure and aids the development of new neurons in the brain – thus, making you smarter.