IQ is a popular subject. Everyone wants to be a genius, but nobody wants to build up their mind. Instead, they turn to brain pills or nootropics, hoping this will help. Today’s article gives you step-by-step instructions to increase your intelligence naturally.

Start Playing Zero Sum Games

Pick a game like poker, Chess, bridge, backgammon, etc and play it regularly.

Why?

Because these are all games of skill, and the smartest player wins long-term. You must change your thinking to become a winner. Specifically, you’ll need to master the art of metacognition. This means you’re able to “step outside your mind” and objectively analyze your own decision-making skills.

There’s a reason top investors all recommend playing cards. And it’s because most people are incapable of thinking about their own thought process. So, you’ll develop a major intellectual advantage over them.

The Easiest Way To Increase Your Intelligence? Buy A Mammoth Book Of Puzzles And Solve One Per Day

Every two years I buy a big book of crosswords, cryptograms, or brain teasers. Then I solve one puzzle every morning to start my day.

There are tons of puzzle books out there, and you can pick them up at any grocery store or Wal-Mart, but here are a few other titles I recommend:

• Bletchley Park Logic Puzzles
• The Times Big Book Of Cryptic Crosswords
• Sit & Solve Nice & Easy Mazes
• The Times Codeword Puzzles
• 399 Games, Puzzles & Trivia Challenges Specially Designed to Keep Your Brain Young

Solving these requires patience, pattern recognition, and a broad range of knowledge. It’s a fantastic way to exercise your mind.

Make More Predictions

You’re riding an unfamiliar subway route, which side will the doors open on at your next stop?

Will it rain this weekend?

Who wins tonight’s basketball game?

Making predictions is an easy way to start thinking in terms of future events. However, it’s important to have a “why” behind your idea.

Doing this allows you to create a hypothesis, test it, and then go back to see if there were any flaws in your logic. It keeps your brain actively engaged, and helps train your mind to discover the most likely outcome in any particular event.

Try making two or three predictions every week and watch your analytical abilities soar.