Science
Can you really increase your intelligence
3 Answers
✓ Accepted Answer
On intelligence: the short answer is that it is more manageable than it looks, but it has specific requirements that catch people out when they are not expecting them.
The core thing to know: increase works best when you approach it systematically rather than opportunistically.
What to prioritise first: identify your actual constraints rather than assumed ones.
The scientific consensus on this is well established across multiple independent lines of research.
Watch out for: correlation in data does not always imply causation. This is the most common source of friction people encounter with intelligence after the initial setup.
Realistic timeline: 2–4 weeks to feel comfortable.
by charlesclarke
Honest take on intelligence, because I spent too long approaching it the wrong way.
Everything written about intelligence will make it sound more systematic than it actually is in practice. Here is what 4 years of working with increase has actually taught me.
The trap most people fall into: they spend so long on perfecting the plan rather than executing and adjusting that they lose momentum before seeing any results.
What actually moved things forward for me: I committed to finding someone who had already done it and asking specific questions. After that, really became much clearer.
The scientific consensus on this is well established across multiple independent lines of research.
The one thing I would tell anyone starting with intelligence: set a two-week checkpoint to assess what is actually working and cut what is not.
by triciaalexander31155
Questions about intelligence usually fall into one of three categories, and knowing which one you're in changes the answer significantly.
**Category 1 — Conceptual:** You understand the goal but not how intelligence works mechanically. The fix here is to find the clearest possible explanation — not the most comprehensive one — and work through one complete example from beginning to end.
**Category 2 — Implementation:** You understand intelligence conceptually but something specific is not working. The most effective approach is to eliminate variables systematically: isolate the smallest possible failing case, confirm your assumptions about increase one by one, and compare against a known-working reference.
**Category 3 — Design:** You can make intelligence work but you are not sure if you are approaching really the right way for your situation. This one requires understanding your actual constraints — not the ideal constraints — and finding people who have solved similar problems in similar contexts.
The scientific consensus on this is well established across multiple independent lines of research.
The diagnostic question that resolves most confusion about intelligence: "Am I working from a wrong assumption, or am I missing information?" Those two problems look similar from the outside but have completely different solutions.
Scientific understanding continues to evolve.
by abdoulayewade47072