训练自己脑瓜更聪明的秘籍

Want to be smarter in work, love, and life? Recent scientific advances have shown that one’s intelligence can be improved by “braining training” – and it’s not just a bump of one or two IQ points.

想在工作，爱情和生活上表现得更加睿智吗？近来的科学发展成果表明，一个人的智力是可以通过脑瓜训练来提升的，而且不仅仅只是提高那么一两分智商值哦！

IQ, measured by a battery of tests that capture a wide range of cognitive skills, from verbal to analytical and beyond, has long been thought to be unchanged throughout one’s life.

IQ，也就是智商，是通过对不同类型的认知技能测试而最终得出的，其中包括语言、分析判断等方面。长久以来，人们认为IQ是终生不变的。

But according to a recent groundbreaking study published in science magazine Nature, IQ can rise by a staggering 21 points over four years–or fall by 18.

但最近，科学杂志《自然》刊登了一篇具有开创性意义的研究文章。文章里说，IQ可以在四年内提高21点或者下降18点，着实令人惊奇。

Cognitive scientist Cathy Price of University College London, UK, and her colleagues found that IQ changes are linked to structural changes in the brain.

来自英国伦敦大学学院的认知科学家凯西?普莱斯和同事们发现智商值变化与大脑结构改变之间存在联系。

More specifically, the density and volume of the gray matter changed in the brains of those people with significantly improved IQ points.

更具体点说就是，那些IQ显著提高的人大脑中灰质的密度和体积都增加了。

Recent research has also shown that short-term memory, traditionally regarded as only one aspect of one’s IQ, may in fact be the lever that can raise overall intelligence.

近来有研究表明，我们原本认为只是IQ的一个方面的短期记忆，事实上可能是“撬动”整体智力水平的一个“杠杆”。

Scientists led by Susanne Jaeggi of the University of Michigan, US, found in 2008 that short-term memory may be the foundation of pure intelligence to a greater extent than anyone suspected.

来自美国密歇根大学由苏珊娜?耶吉领导的一支科学家团队于2008年发现，短期记忆力对智力的直接促进作用可能超乎任何人的想象。

They trained adult volunteers on a difficult short-term-memory task: simultaneously hearing a string of letters and seeing a series of computer screens that had a blue square in different places.

他们对成年自愿者做了培训，让他们完成一项颇具挑战性的短期记忆任务。一边听研究人员说的一连串字母，一边同时观察一组电脑屏幕上显示的蓝色方框的位置，每个屏幕的蓝框位置各不相同。

The volunteers then had to identify when the spoken letter or the square’s position matched that of several screens earlier.

志愿者必须在听到的字母或者蓝框位置与之前屏幕出现的相符时作出判断。

The more they practiced and honed their short-term memory, the greater the improvement in the purest form of brain power, fluid intelligence–the ability to reason and solve problems independently of existing knowledge. The same results have also been achieved in school-age kids.

他们短期记忆力的训练强度越大，脑力最直接的表现形式——流体智力的改善越大。流体智力是根据已有知识独立理清问题、解决问题的能力。该实验结果也在学龄儿童身上得到了证实。

The other brain element you can train in order to raise your IQ is attention. Neuroscientists have shown over and over that attention is the requisite condition of learning and thus of boosting intelligence.

另一个提高IQ的办法就是锻炼你的注意力。神经学家一次次证明注意力是学习能力的必要条件，因而也有助于提高智力。

While improving your brain takes work, the good news is there are some accessible ways to go about it. Aerobic exercise, for one, is very good for both the brain and muscles.

虽然提高智力是一项庞大工程，但幸运的是我们还是有路可走的。比如，有氧运动就是既提高脑力又锻炼肌肉的好办法。

Walking 30 minutes a day five times a week stimulates production of a molecule that nurtures the creation of the new neurons and synapses that underlie learning.

每天步行30分钟，一周五次，可以促进一些分子的分泌，这种分子能促进神经元和突触的生成，而学习能力的产生正是源于这些神经元和突触。

Scientists have also found that exercise increases gray matter in the region of the brain that processes new knowledge and sends it to be stored permanently in the frontal cortex, helping one become more knowledgeable.

科学家们还发现，锻炼身体可以增加脑部某个区域的灰质，该区域主要负责处理大脑接收的新知识，将其传递给额皮质永久储存，增加人的知识储备。

A midday nap not only can restore brain power to its fully awake best but can also raise it beyond what it would have been without some shut-eye.

午睡不仅可以最大程度上将脑力恢复到完全清醒状态，同时还可以使脑力在原没有睡眠的基础上有所提高。

Too excited to nap during the day? Then drink some coffee. Caffeine can make your mind sharper. Learning a second language can also help.

白天时过于兴奋而无法入睡？那就喝点咖啡吧。咖啡因是可以让你的思维更加敏捷。另外，学习外语也可以帮助提升脑力。