By performing regular critical thinking exercise, solving puzzles and reading books that challenge you, you can increase your brain power and focus your mind more clearly. Healthy, natural sleep and regular exercise also allow your brain to rest and improve your overall health, which provides oxygen and blood to the brain more efficiently. As your thinking skills improve, you will experience many benefits.
Become a More Skilled Thinker and Debater
One benefit of increasing your intellectual abilities is the ability to think more clearly and to reason more clearly. Having practice in logic and critical reasoning will help you make better arguments in favor of your views, which will make you more persuasive. Among the many benefits of a mastery of logic that the California State University at Northridge lists are the ability to spot flaws in others' arguments, as well as to be more persuasive in your speech regardless of your level of particular expertise in a given subject.
Improve Your Brain Function
Providing your intellect with regular exercise and challenges, and gradually increasing the difficulty of these challenges over time, will give you practice in focusing on difficult problems. The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which is devoted to science and technology learning, notes that mental stimulation prevents cognitive decline as you age, and improves brain function. As your ability to focus improves, you may accomplish tasks at any difficulty level without being affected by distractions.
Improve Academic and Intellectual Performance
As your IQ improves, so will your score on IQ tests. These tests measure your ability to solve problems of varying complexity, and when you are better able to solve problems, you will perform better academically and intellectually. With the improved memory and focus you have developed, you can reason your way through problems on other tests and employ deductive reasoning to answer questions you're uncertain about.
Health Benefits
While intelligence alone does not improve your health in any direct way, a March 2009 article in Science Daily notes that your IQ can influence the decisions that affect your health. The article cites a study in which researchers in Glasgow linked lower IQ to a higher risk of death due to accident, suicide and coronary heart disease.
This study observed data from 1 million Swedish men who had joined the army at age 18. Accounting for their respective backgrounds and education levels, researchers concluded that they link between IQ and health may be due in part to more intelligent people being more inclined to make healthy lifestyle choices. People with higher IQs were found to avoid heavy drinking or smoking, eat healthier diets and take part in more regular exercise.
