Can't get smarter? Think again

There is no fast-track to wisdom but intelligence, which is defined as the way that we comprehend, analyse and respond to the world, is a far more malleable concept.

Scientists once claimed that intelligence quotient levels were hereditary. This meant humans had no control over their brain power; it was decided by their genes.

But recent studies have shown that IQ scores are barely linked to genes at all. They can also be extremely volatile, changing significantly - by up to 20 points - over time.

We have scoured the writings of neuroscience experts, business leaders, technologists, and psychiatrists to find out how ordinary people can instantly boost their IQ levels by making small tweaks to the way that they comprehend the world. The idea is to increase mental agility. These techniques cannot make anyone appear well-read, or replace life experience.

Distrust everything you hear

Rather than accept everything you hear as the truth, question it all.

This does not mean verbally challenging everything your friends and colleagues say. It means mentally seeing the opposite argument, or trying to find an alternative explanation for anything and everything.

Anirudh Joshi, who posts on the question-and-answer site Quora, says: "When an assumption that most people believe is true is challenged, this leads to a new line of thought that would probably not have been considered otherwise.

"Build your model of the world upon a foundation of distrust."

The modesty bias

Modesty is frequently associated with intelligence. The idea is this: smart people will never claim to be geniuses because they know how much they don't know.

The phenomenon was first observed by intelligence expert CL Downing, who posited that people with below-average intelligence tend to think they are above average, and people with above-average intelligence tend to underestimate their intelligence. It is now known as the "Downing effect".

The modesty connection can extend as far as how people dress. In 2008, undergraduate researchers at the University of Wisconsin showed test subjects pictures of a woman dressed either in a revealing top and short skirt or in "preppy" fashions.

In most cases, the woman was judged to be significantly more intelligent when dressed in more modest clothing.

Look people in the eye

Put your smartphone away and learn to look people in the eye when you speak to them.

According to Nora A Murphy, an associate professor of psychology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, test subjects watching taped interviews believed the people who maintained eye contact had higher IQ levels.

The 2007 study of 182 graduate students also found that subjects who spoke clearly in a pleasant, expressive voice and were responsive to their conversation partners, were deemed to be much smarter than the more diffident subjects.

Use your middle initial

Richard E Grant and Reginald D Hunter are on to something. Having a letter inserted between your first and last names helps to inflate others' opinions of your intellectual ability.

At least, that's according to a study by two European psychologists last year.

"Middle name initials often appear in formal contexts, especially when people refer to intellectual achievements," the research by Wijnand AP van Tilburg and Eric R Igou claimed.

Become a night owl

A 2009 study found that people who tend to go to bed later and rise later are more intelligent than those who do the opposite.

The research by Satoshi Kanazawa and Kaja Perina analysed the sleep habits of 20745 adolescent Americans. It found the "very dull" went to bed at an average of 11.41pm and woke up at 7.20am. In contrast, the "very bright" went to bed at 12.29pm and got up at 7.52am.

That extra half an hour made all the difference.

Surround yourself with smart people

The saying goes that an individual is the mean of the six people they spend the most time with.

If you surround yourself with intelligent, interested people, you are more likely to discuss more sophisticated topics, challenge yourself and thus, "seem" smarter.

According to Quora poster Preston Carter, people should spend time with "people who have the thinking abilities you want, see what they do, and mimic them".

Keep schtum

If you are worried that something you say could make you look stupid, remember the sage advice from former US president Abraham Lincoln: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."