How to Increase Your IQ: Science-Backed Strategies that Work

Originally Published: May 4, 2021 | Last Updated: May 13, 2026 | 4 min read

Who doesn't want to think sharper, solve problems faster, and perform at a higher level? The great news: your IQ isn't fixed. Decades of neuroscience research now confirm that the brain is far more malleable than we once believed; and that targeted habits can meaningfully improve how it functions. 

Here's what the science says, and how to use it.

What is an IQ?

Your intelligence quotient (IQ) measures your reasoning ability; specifically, your capacity to take in information, identify patterns, and logically predict outcomes. A standard IQ test assesses two core types of intelligence:

• Crystallized intelligence is built on knowledge, facts, and past experience. It tends to grow steadily as you age and accumulate learning.

• Fluid intelligence is your ability to reason abstractly, adapt to new situations, and solve novel problems; independent of prior knowledge.

IQ tests have a complicated history. Originally developed in France to identify students who needed additional support, they were adopted by the US military, and have been used - and misused - ever since. The biggest flaw in how they were historically applied: the idea that your score was permanent.

We now know that simply not true.

The science behind a changeable brain

The key concept here is neuroplasticity - your brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout your life. Recent research from UC Berkeley confirms that neuroplasticity is influenced by lifestyle choices including physical activity, diet, and environment, and continues well into old age.

Cognitive flexibility - your ability to switch between mental tasks and adapt to new situations - is one of neuroplasticity's most powerful outcomes. Unlike raw IQ, cognitive flexibility grows through experiences that challenge your brain to adapt and create new connections.

In other words, the habits you build today are actively reshaping your brain's structure and capacity. Here's what the evidence supports.

5 ways to support your cognitive performance

Whether or not you decide to take an IQ test, here are ways that you can increase your ability to reason, logically and creatively solve problems, and predict outcomes. 

1. Play chess (or learn any complex strategy game)

Chest remains one of the most well-studied tools for cognitive development; and for good reason. The game exercises, both hemispheres simultaneously, strengthens the corpus callosum (the bridge connecting the two halves of your brain), and develops habits of long-range thinking and perspective taking.

Regular chess practice builds working memory, improves concentration, and trains you to see situations from multiple angles. These skills translate well beyond the board: they're exactly the kind of cognitive flexibility that neuroplasticity research points to as a marker of higher fluid intelligence.

Related: Mental Acuity: A Guide to Staying Mentally Sharp

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2. Meditate

The research on meditations effect on brain structure has grown significantly in recent years. A 2024 systematic review found that meditation has been shown to induce neuroplasticity, increase cortical thickness, reduce amygdala reactivity, and improve brain connectivity and neurotransmitter levels; leading to improvements in cognitive function, emotional regulation, and stress resilience.

Research using fMRI and other neuroimaging methods confirms that meditation increases gray matter density, cortical thickness, and information processing speed. Even relatively short daily practice, 15 to 20 minutes, can produce measurable changes over time.

One particularly meaningful finding: meditation appears to reduce activity in the brain regions associated with fear and stress, which are known to suppress cognitive performance when chronically activated.

3. Learn a new language

Language learning is one of the most demanding cognitive exercises a person can undertake. The process of acquiring a second language stimulates growth in the hippocampus and increases cortical thickness in regions associated with memory, attention, and executive function.

Beyond the structural changes, bilingualism has been linked to stronger working memory and improved ability to focus in the presence of distractions. The brain must constantly manage and switch between two linguistic systems; and that ongoing exercise appears to have lasting cognitive benefits. 

4. Learn a musical instrument

Playing an instrument is one of the most comprehensive forms of brain training available. It simultaneously engages motor control, auditory processing, memory, attention, pattern recognition, and emotional processing, often in real time, under pressure.

One study found that learning a musical instrument produced a significant positive impact on the learners' intelligence in both adults and children, with IQ gains of 7 or more points. For context, the average IQ in the US sits just below 100; a 7-point increase represents a meaningful cognitive shift.

5. Move your body

The relationship between exercise and cognitive function is one of the most robustly supported findings in neuroscience. A landmark randomized controlled trial with 120 older adults found that aerobic exercise training increased the size of the anterior hippocampus by 2%, effectively reversing 1 to 2 years of age-related volume loss, and improving spatial memory alongside it.

Or recent research confirms that moderate – intensity aerobic exercise can significantly improve memory performance, with optimal effects, observed in sessions of around 30 minutes, up to 3 times weekly. Exercise also promotes neurogenesis and enhances neuroplasticity by stimulating neurotrophic factors crucial for cognitive function.

Research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience (2025) highlights that exercise–induced neuroplasticity not only enhances synaptic plasticity and brain connectivity, but also improves cognitive flexibility; a core component of measurable intelligence.

The encouraging finding across these studies: rigorous exercise isn't required. What matters most is consistency.

The bottom line

Your IQ isn't a ceiling, it's a starting point. The brain is a living, adaptable organ, and the habits you build around how you think, move, and challenge yourself have a real impact on its structure and performance over time. 

Chess, meditation, language, learning, music, and regular exercise aren't just good for your health in a general sense. Each one target specific neurological mechanisms, that support, sharper reasoning, stronger, memory, and greater cognitive flexibility; the building blocks of what IQ tests actually measure.

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