What the evidence says about neuroplasticity, education, and cognitive growth
Written by Michael Hodge · Founder & Assessment Director
Bachelor of Science (Psychology), University of Wollongong · LinkedIn
Last updated: · Published:
Mostly no, partly yes. Adult IQ scores are largely stable, and the shifts that do occur are typically modest. A 2018 meta-analysis suggests each year of formal education raises measured IQ by roughly 1–5 points. Brain-training apps show smaller transfer effects than their marketing implies, and lifestyle factors matter at the margin without transforming a number. The 3–5-point bump on a second sitting is the practice effect, not real cognitive gain. Your score is a snapshot, not a fixed verdict.
Not all interventions are created equal. The seven methods below are picked for evidence strength, with conservative effect sizes and an honest assessment of where the literature is thin or contested.
≈1–5 IQ points per additional year of schooling
Each additional year of schooling appears to raise measured IQ by a small but real amount — the closest thing to a robust causal lever in this literature (Ritchie & Tucker-Drob, 2018 meta-analysis).
Small-to-moderate gains in fluid-reasoning task performance
Sustained aerobic activity improves executive function and working memory through better cerebral blood flow and hippocampal neurogenesis. Effects on full-scale IQ are typically under 2 points in adult RCTs.
Restorative — recovers fluid-reasoning lost to chronic sleep debt
Chronic short sleep measurably impairs working memory, processing speed and the executive functions fluid intelligence depends on. Restoring sleep recovers most of the deficit; the effect is restorative rather than additive.
Small gains in executive function; modest verbal-IQ effects
Sustained second-language learning is one of the better-evidenced cognitive challenges for adults, with modest but durable effects on executive function and verbal reasoning. Verbal-IQ effects depend on time-on-task.
≈2–4 IQ points after sustained childhood training in some RCTs
Long-term instrumental practice is associated with stronger working memory and processing speed; childhood studies show clearer gains than adult ones (Schellenberg, 2004). Adult effects are smaller and less certain.
Meaningful contribution to verbal-IQ growth across adulthood
Sustained reading across unfamiliar fields builds vocabulary, verbal reasoning and the conceptual frameworks that crystallised intelligence rests on. Hard to isolate from formal education in observational data.
Reliable gains on the trained task; transfer to fluid IQ small or null
You'll get better at the task itself, but transfer to general intelligence has been hard to replicate; the evidence is genuinely mixed (Melby-Lervåg & Hulme meta-analyses).
Being honest about what the research does not support is just as important as knowing what works. A few popular approaches fall short of their claims.
The research here is fairly clear: improving at a specific task doesn’t transfer to general intelligence. You get better at that game, not at thinking more broadly. Lumosity, one of the most prominent brain-training companies, settled a US Federal Trade Commission complaint over unsubstantiated claims that its games could improve general cognitive performance. The transfer problem — getting better at Task A without improving at Task B — has been replicated across dozens of studies.
No supplement, app, or weekend workshop reliably raises IQ. The supplement industry markets various nootropics with bold claims, but the evidence for meaningful cognitive enhancement in healthy adults is thin. If a product promises dramatic IQ gains, treat the claim with serious scepticism.
Taking the same IQ test repeatedly may raise your score on that test, but that’s test familiarity, not intelligence improvement. You become better at recognising the format, managing your time, and recalling specific item types. The gains typically disappear when you take a different, unfamiliar test. This is why psychologists use alternate forms and enforce minimum retest intervals.
The brain’s ability to form new neural connections persists throughout life, though it is strongest in youth. This capacity — neuroplasticity — is the biological basis for cognitive improvement at any age. Regular engagement with novel, challenging tasks builds cognitive reserve: a buffer of neural resources that helps the brain maintain function even as some connections are lost to aging or injury.
The key word is novel. Routine activities in your comfort zone don’t stimulate growth. The brain adapts and automates familiar tasks, which is efficient but doesn’t build new capacity. Growth requires struggle — the productive kind, where you are working at the edge of your current ability.
What counts as a novel challenge depends on your starting point. For someone who has never programmed, learning to code qualifies. For a software engineer, it might be studying music theory or learning to paint. The principle is consistent: engage with domains that require you to think in ways you don’t normally think. Read in a field completely outside your expertise. Take on projects that make you uncomfortable. The discomfort is a signal that your brain is building something new.
These seven strategies are grounded in the research discussed above. None of them is a shortcut, but all of them have evidence behind them.
Read widely and deeply
Across genres and disciplines. Reading builds vocabulary, strengthens verbal reasoning, and exposes you to new conceptual frameworks. Non-fiction in unfamiliar fields is particularly effective.
Exercise regularly
Aim for 150 or more minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. Walking, swimming, cycling, running — the specific activity matters less than consistency. The cognitive benefits are well-documented.
Prioritise sleep
Seven to nine hours consistently. Sleep is when the brain consolidates learning, clears waste products, and restores the executive functions that fluid intelligence depends on.
Learn something genuinely new
An instrument, a language, a technical skill. The learning process itself — the struggle, the mistakes, the gradual mastery — is what stimulates neural growth. Passive consumption does not count.
Engage with challenging problems
Puzzles, strategy games, complex projects at work. The key ingredient is that the problem should be hard enough to require real effort but not so hard that you give up. Psychologists call this the “zone of proximal development.”
Stay socially active
Conversation and collaboration exercise cognitive flexibility. Navigating different perspectives, explaining your thinking, and processing real-time social information all engage the brain in ways that solitary activities do not.
Manage stress
Chronic stress impairs working memory and executive function through elevated cortisol levels. Meditation, physical activity, adequate rest, and strong social support all help keep stress within manageable bounds.
IQ is malleable but not infinitely so. The most reliable improvements come not from trying to “get smarter” directly, but from building a life that naturally exercises your brain: ongoing education, physical health, intellectual curiosity, and sustained engagement with challenging work.
The effect sizes aren’t dramatic in adulthood — you are unlikely to move your IQ by 20 points through lifestyle changes alone. But they are real, and they compound over years. A person who reads widely, exercises regularly, sleeps well, and keeps learning will, over a decade, almost certainly maintain sharper cognitive function than someone of equal genetic potential who does none of those things.
Perhaps the most useful reframe is this: instead of asking “how can I raise my IQ score?” ask “how can I build a life that keeps my brain working at its best?” The answers turn out to be the same things that make life richer in general — learning, moving, connecting, and staying curious.
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Take the Free IQ Test →Mostly no, partly yes. Adult IQ scores are largely stable, and the shifts that do occur are typically modest. A 2018 meta-analysis suggests each year of formal education raises measured IQ by roughly 1–5 points. Brain-training apps show smaller transfer effects than their marketing implies, and lifestyle factors matter at the margin without transforming a number. The 3–5-point bump on a second sitting is the practice effect, not real cognitive gain. Your score is a snapshot, not a fixed verdict.
The transfer evidence is largely negative. Improving at a brain-training game does not consistently transfer to general intelligence. Broader activities like learning a language or instrument have stronger evidence for cognitive benefits.
Meta-analyses suggest roughly 1–5 IQ points per additional year of schooling, depending on the quality and type of education. The effect is cumulative and one of the most robust findings in intelligence research (Ritchie & Tucker-Drob, 2018).
Regular aerobic exercise improves executive function, working memory, and processing speed. The effects on full-scale IQ are modest — typically under 2 points in adult RCTs — but well-documented and the broader benefits extend well beyond cognition.
Practice effects and test familiarity can modestly improve your score on a specific test. But this reflects test familiarity, not genuine cognitive improvement. The gains typically disappear when you take a different test.
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