Can you make yourself more intelligent? Honestly: you can't dramatically change your baseline IQ, and most "brain-training" shortcuts don't deliver what they promise. But that's far from the whole story. Intelligence isn't a single fixed number — and the kind built on knowledge and skill (crystallised intelligence) genuinely keeps growing throughout life. You can meaningfully sharpen how well your mind works and keep it healthy by doing things that are well supported by evidence: keep learning (a language, an instrument, deep reading), challenge your thinking, stay physically active, sleep well, stay curious — and cultivate a "growth mindset," the belief that ability can develop with effort. The honest message is encouraging: you may not raise your IQ score, but you can absolutely become a sharper, more capable thinker.
"How can I become more intelligent?" is one of the most natural questions in the world to ask. The internet is full of confident answers — brain-training apps, miracle supplements, ten-minute hacks. As a psychologist, I'd rather give you the honest version, because the truth is both more useful and, in its own way, more hopeful than the hype.
What "intelligence" actually means
Part of the confusion is that intelligence isn't one single thing. Psychologists often distinguish two kinds:
Fluid intelligence is your ability to reason, solve new problems and think on your feet. It's relatively stable and tends to peak in early adulthood. Crystallised intelligence is the knowledge, vocabulary and skills you accumulate over a lifetime — and this kind keeps growing as long as you keep learning. So while your raw problem-solving capacity is fairly set, the sheer depth and usefulness of what you know is not. That's a genuinely hopeful distinction.
What genuinely helps your mind
None of these will turn you into a different person overnight — but together, over time, they keep your mind sharp, capable and growing.
Keep learning — deeply
Learning a language, picking up a musical instrument, or reading widely and deeply all genuinely build your mind. Going deep on subjects — rather than skimming — gives you richer frameworks for understanding new things, which is much of what we mean by being a good thinker.
Challenge yourself with novelty
The brain grows through being stretched, not coasting. Regularly doing things that are new and a little hard — a fresh skill, an unfamiliar problem, a different perspective — keeps you mentally flexible far more than repeating things you've already mastered.
Look after the brain: move and sleep
Physical exercise increases blood flow to the brain and supports its health, and good sleep is when learning is consolidated and the mind restored. They're not glamorous, but they're among the best-supported things you can do for clear, sharp thinking.
Stay curious and ask questions
Curiosity is the engine of intelligence. People who keep asking "why" and "how," who take time to actually think rather than just consume, and who stay genuinely interested in the world, keep their minds active and growing throughout life.
Cultivate a growth mindset
How you think about your own ability matters. A "growth mindset" — believing intelligence can develop through effort, rather than being fixed — is linked to better learning, because it changes how you respond to difficulty: as a challenge to grow, not proof you're "not smart." It's not magic, but the belief itself helps.
The evidence on growth mindset — honestly: a large 2019 US national study found that a short growth-mindset intervention produced a modest but real improvement in grades, particularly for lower-achieving students, especially where the school environment supported it (Yeager et al., Nature, 2019). The effects are meaningful rather than miraculous — which is exactly why a growth mindset is best paired with the practical habits above, not treated as a shortcut on its own.
It's worth being clear-eyed. Brain-training games mostly make you better at those particular games — the improvement rarely transfers to general intelligence. There is no supplement or "smart pill" that raises baseline intelligence; a healthy diet supports your brain, but it won't lift you beyond your natural potential. Be sceptical of anything promising a dramatic IQ boost from a few minutes a day. Real cognitive growth comes from sustained learning and healthy living, not shortcuts.
Sometimes what holds people back isn't ability at all, but self-doubt, anxiety, or difficulty concentrating — which can make a perfectly capable mind feel slow or foggy. If that resonates, the issue may be emotional rather than intellectual, and it's very workable. A consultation with Dr. Kohli can help you clear what's getting in the way of thinking at your best.
Key takeaways
- You can't dramatically raise baseline IQ — but intelligence isn't one fixed number, and you can become a sharper thinker.
- Crystallised intelligence (knowledge and skills) keeps growing throughout life as long as you keep learning.
- What genuinely helps: deep learning, novelty and challenge, exercise, sleep, curiosity, and a growth mindset.
- Growth mindset has modest but real benefits — helpful alongside good habits, not a shortcut on its own.
- Brain-training games and "smart pills" largely don't deliver — sustained learning and healthy living do.
Frequently asked questions
Can you actually increase your intelligence?
You can't dramatically change your baseline IQ, but you can meaningfully sharpen how well your mind works and keep growing your knowledge and skills (crystallised intelligence) throughout life. Deep learning, challenging yourself, exercise, sleep and curiosity all genuinely help. So while "raising your IQ" is overpromised, becoming a more capable, sharper thinker is very real.
Do brain-training apps make you smarter?
Mostly no. Research consistently finds that brain-training games make you better at those specific games, but the benefit rarely transfers to general intelligence or everyday thinking. Your time is better spent learning something genuinely new and challenging — a language, an instrument, a real skill — which engages the mind far more broadly.
What's the difference between fluid and crystallised intelligence?
Fluid intelligence is your capacity to reason and solve new problems; it's relatively stable and tends to peak in early adulthood. Crystallised intelligence is the knowledge, vocabulary and skills you build over time — and it keeps growing as long as you keep learning. This is why people often become wiser and more capable with age, even as raw processing speed levels off.
Does believing I can get smarter actually help?
To a modest but real degree, yes. A "growth mindset" — believing ability can develop with effort — tends to improve learning, because it changes how you respond to difficulty: as a chance to grow rather than evidence you're "not smart." The research shows meaningful, not miraculous, effects — so it works best combined with genuine learning and healthy habits.
If self-doubt, stress or difficulty concentrating is stopping you from thinking at your best, that's workable — and you don't have to sort it out alone. Dr. Prerna Kohli can help, in person in Gurugram and online across India and for NRIs worldwide.
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About the author
Dr. Prerna Kohli
Dr. Prerna Kohli is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of practice, based in Gurugram. She holds a PhD from Aligarh Muslim University, where she was a four-time gold medallist, and received the "100 Women Achievers of India" award from the President of India in 2016. A TEDx speaker and published author, she works with individuals, couples, and families through her private practice — in clinic in Gurugram and online worldwide — with a particular speciality in NRI mental health.