What to read to become an educated person. Why be an erudite and know a lot of words. Pop Culture: JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Children teach foreign language playfully, parallel to general development. Scientists associate this with the characteristics of memory and psyche.
For an adult, learning a foreign language is always a challenge. And always a huge benefit. This is an excellent workout for the brain and prevents memory loss in old age. You can also communicate with people from different countries and expand your horizons.
Method 2. Read more
When our parents needed new information, they opened a book. Generations Y and Z gain new knowledge on the Internet. The volume of reading may not have decreased, but the quality often suffers. After all, books are read thoughtfully and sequentially, but articles are usually simply scrolled with the eyes.
Subordinate your reading to a plan: make a list of books, distribute them by areas of knowledge and genres. Services like or Livelib will help you create such a list. Then methodically read the books one after another. Just do it right - use .
Method 3. Turn to art
Art is not only contemplation. With its help you can develop perception and thinking.
Choose for yourself some area of human cultural activity and try to understand it. For example, art. Visit exhibitions and watch documentaries, read biographies of artists. Gradually you will begin to understand painting, and at the same time you will learn a lot and take a new look at social processes.
Method 4. Watch video lectures
Method 5. Watch smart TV shows
Users of the World Wide Web often associate television with evil. Today it is even fashionable to boast: “We don’t have a TV at home!”
Indeed, the quality of content on many channels leaves much to be desired, but there are alternatives. For example, Discovery. This TV channel produces very high-quality popular science programs that cannot be legally downloaded on the Internet.
Watch scientific programs in the foreign language you are studying - this is double brain training.
Method 6: Play video games
Contrary to popular belief about harm, computer games develop reaction, imagination and logical thinking. Scientific studies have shown that children who play video games get higher grades than their peers.
Playing complex quests is like solving puzzles. The player has to make difficult decisions in a short time, choosing the lines of plot development. And it powerfully trains the brain.
Method 7. Solve puzzles
If video games are still not your thing, buy a good old Rubik's cube, tangram or puzzle. Alternatively, download .
Puzzles “rejuvenate” the brain, develop memory, thinking and perseverance. They are also excellent time killers: if you get carried away, you can spend more than one hour solving the puzzle. What else do you need on a train or plane?
Method 8. Make new acquaintances
Networking not only helps you build a career, but also develops your memory for names and faces.
Besides new person is always a source of new knowledge. Communication with a smart interlocutor, even virtual, enriches you spiritually and intellectually.
Method 9. Get enough sleep
The vast majority of studies have proven that a healthy adult needs 8 hours of sleep. And in the dark, comfort and without extraneous noise. These factors affect the quality of your sleep.
Connection between good sleep and similar mental activity has also been proven. Read on to dispel any last doubts.
Lack of sleep is detrimental to the brain.
Due to the inhibition of neural processes in the parietal lobe, problems arise with reaction speed, and when the prefrontal cortex slows down, problems with vision and formulation of thoughts begin.
Method 10. Switch to a healthy diet
Avocado, salmon, blueberries, oatmeal - there are many that prevent memory impairment.
Enrich your diet with fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains and seafood, give up cholesterol-laden treats, and you will feel that your brain is gaining new power.
Frontline workers are advised to drink more fluids throughout the day. AND better coffee alternate with green tea and mineral water.
Someone who lived back in the 18th century wrote: “It’s bad to live without a mind; What will you do without him? And indeed, without intelligence, it is impossible to become successful. But what kind of person can be called smart?
Educated and well-read? Or someone with natural ingenuity? Or someone who can put their knowledge into practice?
In everyday life, when talking about a person that he is smart, they usually mean that he knows a lot. It turns out that someone who knows different sciences can be called smart: physics, chemistry, mathematics and others. However, such knowledge only indicates a person’s good memory or his desire to learn something.
Being educated or well-read is not always a sign of great intelligence. Undoubtedly, education enriches a person, but it is not a substitute for intelligence. Everyone has probably met people with more than one education, about whom we can say that they are not particularly intelligent.
An intelligent person is one who knows how to apply his knowledge in practice, has logical thinking, is able to analyze events and see perspectives, who can distinguish the important from the secondary and thinks outside the box. This is the one who knows how to think.
It is noteworthy that many people do their actions without thinking. Sadly, research shows that most people think only 10% of the time. And in their actions they are guided by established habits, brought to the point of automatism. Often people make mistakes not because they are stupid, but because they do not like to think.
An intelligent person is quick-witted, knows how to draw conclusions and learn lessons from his life experiences.
As the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle noted, “Intelligence lies not only in knowledge, but also in the ability to apply knowledge in practice.”
Is it possible to develop your mind?
The mind, just like muscles, needs to be developed and trained, in otherwise it atrophies as unnecessary. Therefore, in order to grow wiser, you must always give your mind a load, force it to work. And, as the English writer Daniel Defoe wrote, “It’s never too late to grow wiser.”
1. Read more
Reading is gymnastics for the brain. It helps to expand your vocabulary, improves visual memory and develops the ability to analyze information. The main thing is to read every day, setting aside at least half an hour or an hour.
They say that reading for the mind is like exercise for the body. True, you need to not just read, but comprehend what you read.
2. Make your own decisions
Some people push others for some decision, not wanting to strain their brains. After all, making a decision involves analyzing the situation and choosing the optimal solution, that is, it forces you to turn on the thought process and start thinking. Refusal to think gradually leads to degradation, and there can be no talk of any intelligence or success here.
3. Surround yourself with smart and successful people
There is a category of people who strive to communicate with, but at the same time have mercantile goals. Firstly, they believe that against their background they themselves will look smart and successful. And secondly, they make such acquaintances, hoping to take advantage of their position and connections.
However, the advice to surround yourself with smart and successful people only means that a person who finds himself in such a company should try to catch up to their level: think broadly and outside the box, develop, travel, learn foreign languages, etc. After all, as the popular proverb says, “ Whoever you hang out with, that’s how you’ll gain.”
4. Get rid of habitual behavior patterns
Each person creates a comfort zone around himself in which he feels safe. At the same time, being in it constantly, he gets used to performing the same actions, says almost the same words and, as a result, lives automatically. New people, events and impressions frighten him because they threaten to disrupt his daily stay in the “stagnant swamp”.
However, if you look at your own memory, you will notice that all the most significant events happened precisely when we destroyed patterns and stereotypes, broke out of the circle of habitual actions.
New people and impressions, unusual situations shake up our minds, force us to think, compare, analyze and make decisions.
The Christian philosopher Augustine the Blessed wrote: “If I am deceived, then that is why I exist. For whoever does not exist cannot, of course, be deceived: therefore, I exist if I am deceived.”
People whose lives pass without emotions, are boring and monotonous, do not themselves notice how they are degrading, their minds are fading. They do not need success, because they begin to be content with little - satisfying just basic physical needs.
Travel, change jobs, go on an excursion to another city, try a new dish, buy a new thing, or just start going to work a different way - just change your usual lifestyle!
5. Give up the TV
TV can be safely called a chronophage - a time eater. With a huge number of different channels, just switching from channel to channel in search of an interesting program takes at least half an hour. Unnecessary shows, series with other people's lives and problems create the appearance of their own full-fledged interesting life.
TV became not only her surrogate, but also a drug that lulled her consciousness. Why strain and think, analyze, if you can just listen - figuratively speaking, obediently “chew” television “food”, specially selected for mass consumption, without giving yourself the trouble to start thinking.
By the way, one of the great people noted that “Those who read books will always control those who watch TV.”
The Internet can also be classified as a chronophage, if it is not used to obtain the necessary information, the same social media, computer games and even some people. People-chronophages, not knowing how to spend their own time and what to do, begin to devour the property of others. Don't forget that our time is the most valuable thing we have. After all, this is something that once we give to someone, we will never be able to return.
By identifying the chronophages in our lives and getting rid of them, we will have a lot of time that we can use to become smart and successful.
6. Keep a diary or start a blog
It turns out that expressing your thoughts beautifully and intelligently is not so easy. Many people have long lost their school skills in writing and presentation; they have forgotten how to write letters. Keeping a diary or blog develops logical thinking, the ability to analyze, and expands vocabulary. If we make it a habit to devote at least half an hour a day to writing it, then within a month we will be able to see how successful we are.
7. Determine what you are really interested in
Surely everyone has a favorite activity, a hobby. What you can do, you need to try to do even better. If you don’t have a favorite activity, you can start studying an interesting, but completely unfamiliar topic. Or, for example, another foreign language. Learning something new - good workout mind.
8. Play sports
Swimming, fitness, dancing, chess, basketball, cycling - this is not only relaxation, but also good. Scientists have noticed that with moderate physical activity, a special protein is produced in human muscles, which activates memory and promotes better assimilation of knowledge. Besides, physical exercise improve blood supply to the brain. Physically active people maintain a clear mind into old age.
8. Listen to music
Psychologists claim that Mozart, in particular, has a beneficial effect on a person’s mental abilities.
9. Laugh
― the best rest for the brain. During laughter, endorphins are produced, allowing him to relax and unwind.
10. Fall in love
Harmony in love and sex increases, and therefore makes a person smarter and more successful. This is stated by the authoritative neuropsychiatrist Amen Daniel Gregory, based on his 20 years of practice, in his book “Brain and Love”.
11. Get enough sleep
Everyone knows that sleep is necessary for the body, because during it our strength is restored. But the brain continues to work actively during sleep, analyzing, processing and sorting the accumulated information. Thanks to sleep, unnecessary information is also erased, which means memory reserves are freed, and the brain is ready to work again.
Everyone allows themselves to do stupid things. You yourself can see very well that we live in a society full of stupid and thoughtless decisions. For real smart people with a broad outlook and rich knowledge is becoming less and less. If you come across an erudite person, you will probably think that the guy on duty needs to know so much that he is bursting with this knowledge, or he has a lot of free time, because “a working man cannot know much.” But this is all nonsense. Being a well-read erudite is only for your own good. The more you know, the more you can explain, the more extensive your vocabulary, the greater the chance that you will break out of your meager capabilities and become a person who will make even the craziest dream come true.
This will help you find a common language with anyone
One of the main problems of communication with strangers- this is the absence of common themes. If you are an auto mechanic and only know auto mechanics, then talking to you is boring for everyone who doesn’t know about auto mechanics. But if you are a broad-minded person, then communicating with you is much easier. You can easily find mutual language with anyone, even the most ossified person, when you are well versed in cinema, literature, cars, sex, space, science and cigar brands. Erudition is conducive to sincere conversations that are devoid of tension. It determines the “interestingness” of a person. However, just knowing is not enough. You also need to be able to present this knowledge in a way that will be interesting to your interlocutor.
To do this, you need to use it as naturally as possible Difficult words and understand their meanings. It’s easy to test your erudition today - just take a Russian vocabulary test. If your result is shaky, then take up a dictionary, books and read, learn, analyze.
This will improve business relationships and prevent failure
It makes no difference what you work for. You can be a simple government employee, you can work in an office, or you can have your own business. In any work that involves communication with clients, partners or an employer, erudition will not be superfluous - it will serve as an aid for further progress to the career Olympus. The point, of course, is that an intelligent person who knows the meaning and power of his words is a valued employee and a trusted partner. You won't find an investor who will invest money in a dumbass who can't put two words together, even if his idea turns out to be brilliant. An investor will not see the genius behind the image of a stupid person.
Knowledge leads to trust
Extensive knowledge in various fields, which must be constantly accumulated, will never become a dead weight for your life. If you learn to present them correctly, then you will acquire one of the most important resources of our time - the resource of trust. How is this related? The point is that the image smart person, who speaks beautifully and knows a lot - this is the image of a successful person who you can trust not only with your money, but also with your life. There are as many scoundrels among erudites as among ordinary people, but if there are scoundrels among them, then these scoundrels are successful in their business - they are trusted.
Girls like smart guys
If nature has deprived you of height and muscles, then you have one trump card left - to become smart and well-read. Today it attracts girls no less than impressive biceps. Special attention You should pay attention to your vocabulary, which serves as the basis for beautiful speech. However, you should not only know the words, you also need to skillfully apply them - you cannot throw around scientific and technical terms left and right. Such things are relevant only in a professional environment. In normal communication it is better to use literary language, and use it appropriately and to the maximum. Rich and beautiful speech complements your image, which will be pleasant to any friend.
We all admire erudite people. How to become the same? The answer is simple - read more!
But you won’t be able to stay within your favorite genre. If you want to become erudite, you need to force yourself to explore the unknown shelves of bookstores.
Here are 14 timeless books covering a wide range of topics: politics, science, history, culture and more.
1. Classic: George Orwell, "1984"
George Orwell wrote this anti-communist novel in 1948, describing life in London 36 years later. He predicted a totalitarian state where the government, " Big Brother", always watches everyone and dictates to a person what to say and what to think.
Some of his predictions have come true - for example, there are cameras everywhere in our cities, and we are searched from time to time to make sure that we do not have weapons on us.
This book is a must read - it talks about the consequences of giving the government too much control over citizens and their lives.
2. Pop culture: JK Rowling, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”
If you haven't read this or the next six books in the Harry Potter series, run to the bookstore.
The novel is about a boy who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard and goes to study at Hogwarts School of Wizardry.
3. Pop Culture: John Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
4. History: Anne Frank, “Refuge. Diary in letters"
5. Science: Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species
The work on the theory of evolution revolutionized science and became the cornerstone modern biology.
Even if you do not agree with Darwin's theory, you still need to read the book - just for self-education.
And if the evolutionary view is close to you, it is even more worth reading “The Origin of Species” to better understand the theory.
6. Science: Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time
This book by the famous theoretical physicist and cosmologist was published in 1988.
In it, Hawking offers clear explanations of modern scientific concepts - time travel, general relativity and the history of the creation of the universe.
7. Science: Bill Bryson, A Brief History of Almost Everything
Interestingly, the author is not a scientist. He was just very curious and decided that he wanted to understand science, and then he wrote this book to make the path easier for his followers.
8. Philosophy: Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”
"The Art of War" was written in the 5th century BC. e., but remains relevant today.
The author is the military strategist Sun Tzu, and his work was a textbook on military affairs. But over time, people have discovered that the techniques described in the book are useful in times of peace, and the recommendations to “know yourself” and “know your enemy” help to achieve success in a variety of situations.
The book contains 13 chapters describing various aspects of military affairs, and valuable advice from the ancient commander is used today sports trainers, lawyers and entire corporations.
9. Philosophy: Robert Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”
This book helps you understand and use real life philosophical concepts. It tells the story of a father and son who travel through the American northwest on a motorcycle.
There's a ton of timeless advice here to help you live a more fulfilling and happy life.
10. Art: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
The plot of this play revolves around two young lovers whose families are at odds with each other. The story of forbidden love has become a vital part of world culture.
11. Technology: Walter Isaacson, "Steve Jobs"
This fascinating biography is based on years of work, personal interviews with Steve Jobs and more than a hundred of his acquaintances: family members, friends and colleagues.
The book, written by Isaacson at Jobs's request, explains why the Apple co-founder had such a simultaneously magnetic and intimidating nature, and tells the story of how Apple and Pixar were built and how they became the huge companies we know today.
This is an inside look at the tech industry, a source of inspiration that can help you rethink a lot of things, and a fascinating story about life most interesting person.
12. Psychology: David McRaney, "You're Not That Smart"
This book shows that, without realizing it, we are always under the influence of certain psychological attitudes, and it is impossible to get rid of this influence, no matter how hard you try.
His investment philosophy teaches you to make informed decisions that can bring significant profits in the long term.
How many wars has humanity survived? How to measure beauty? What do laughter and a grimace of displeasure have in common?
You will find a hundred clear explanations of a variety of things in this book. Its author is a professor at the Department of Psychophysiology at Nizhny Novgorod State University. N.I. Lobachevsky, presenter Researcher at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Antonets.
From book:
Can the sound of your name affect how you are perceived?
Russian philologist Vladimir Zhuravlev found that the messages contained in the sound of words in the modern Russian language can be assessed using 25 emotional antonymous comparisons: “good - bad”, “joyful - sad”, “safe - scary”, “simple - complex” and others.
After conducting research with a large number of people, Zhuravlev was able to establish what subconscious rating each sound has on what scale.
Nowadays it’s easy to find clues on the Internet about what impression your name leaves. For example, Nikolai is handsome and safe, Kolya is good, and Kolyan is good, kind and handsome. An analysis of the poems and illustrations for them showed that poets intuitively follow phonosemantic rules and that there are also sound-color relationships that are also observed in the language.
Beauty squared
Most people think that mathematics is too abstract and far from real life. Not so!
Have you heard about a mathematical theory that helps simplify the search for a life partner? Can you guess how exponential growth is related to the catastrophes that threaten humanity? Do you realize that the numbers in a company logo influence your purchases? From the book by mathematician and philosopher Alex Bellos you will learn about this and much more. Read in one go!
From book:
A Warning to Humanity
Physics professor Albert Bartlett has been giving his famous lecture "Arithmetic, Population and Energy" since 1969. Each time he begins it by declaring in a foreboding tone: “The greatest flaw of the human race is its inability to understand the essence of exponential growth.”
Exponential growth occurs when a quantity continually increases in proportion to its value, for example by doubling: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64...
Imagine a bottle of bacteria whose numbers double every minute. At 11:00 there is one bacteria in the bottle, and by 12:00 the bottle will be completely filled with bacteria. “If you were an ordinary bacterium living in this bottle,” Bartlett asks, “at what point in time would you realize that there was about to be no free space left?” Amazingly, at 11:55 the bottle appears almost empty: it is only 3 percent full.
Bartlett's bottle is a warning to the inhabitants of the Earth. If the planet's population increases exponentially, there will be no free space left much faster than it seems.
Game theory
Do you want to delight others with your insight? Learn to think strategically and emerge victorious from any situation? This book is written especially for you.
From book:
Less is better
You might think it's always good to have more options. But if you think strategically, reducing the number possible options may bring more benefits.
Thomas Schelling writes in his book about how the Athenian commander Xenophon fought with his back to a deep gorge. He deliberately chose such a position so that his soldiers would not have the opportunity to retreat. Their backs became stiff in that battle, but they won.
Likewise, Cortés sank his ships after arriving in Mexico. The Aztecs could retreat deep into their territory, and Cortez's soldiers had no opportunity for escape or retreat. By making the defeat even more disastrous than it would have been on its own, Cortés increased his chances of victory - and won.
Psychology
Psychology is one of the most interesting human sciences, and now it has become accessible to everyone. To better understand yourself and other people, you do not need to read the works of scientists written in complex language.
This book explains the theory so simply and engagingly that in just a couple of days you will be able to advise your friends. Paul Kleinman will help you understand the key ideas of psychology, the concepts of Freud, Fromm, Rorschach and other researchers.
From book:
Social phobia
Social phobia is one of the most common types of anxiety disorder; Its symptoms affect nearly 13 percent of the world's population at some point in time.
A person suffering from social phobia is constantly worried about how others perceive him. Such people experience an irrational fear that someone treats them badly or evaluates them negatively, and also that they do not appear at their best in front of others.
Social phobia should not be confused with excessive shyness, since the former is accompanied by persistent and very serious symptoms of an emotional and physical nature: trembling, increased sweating, rapid heartbeat, severe nervousness in situations of communication with strangers, fear of being underestimated, anxiety about the possibility of being humiliated , excessive anxiety due to the fact that others will notice the patient’s anxiety, fear of pre-planned events, etc.
Naked statistics 
Our world is generating huge amounts of data faster and faster. However, as The New York Times rightly noted, “data is just the raw material of knowledge.” Statistics are the most powerful tool we have at our disposal for the practical use of information.
In this book Charles Whelan gives many answers interesting questions: how to calculate the number of homeless people in a metropolis, why casinos are always in the black, how globalization affects poor people and others.
From book:
Forecast police
In the 2002 film Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a crime-stopping detective. His hero is an employee of a certain bureau that uses certain technology to predict crimes before they are committed. And this is no longer fantasy.
In 2011, The New York Times published an article entitled: “Police are on the scene before a crime is committed.” It said that special computer program predicted a high probability of car thefts that day in an underground parking lot located in the business district of the city of Santa Cruz.
When detectives got there, they found two women staring too closely into the car windows. One of them has been repeatedly detained for theft, and the other was found in possession of illegal drugs.
The system used in Santa Cruz was developed by two mathematicians, an anthropologist and a criminologist. The Chicago Police Department has created an entire unit of forecasting analysts. Part of its formation was explained by the fact that the gangs that terrorized the city acted according to certain patterns.
Interstellar. Science behind the scenes
Before filming Interstellar, consulting scientist Kip Thorne suggested two simple rules to the director. First: nothing in the film should contradict the generally accepted laws of physics or reliable knowledge about the world. Second: all speculation must be scientifically supported.
If you still have questions after watching, then Kip Thorne’s book about the curvature of space and time, black holes, gravity and other mysteries of the Universe will help answer them.
From book:
Time Warp
The main character of the film"Interstellar" Cooper is worried that he will no longer see his daughter Murph, because, being near Gargantua, he ages only a few hours, while years pass on Earth. How to explain this?
Back in 1912, Einstein realized that massive bodies can bend time and this curvature is the cause of gravity. The greater the time dilation, the stronger gravitational attraction. And at the surface of a black hole, where time hardly moves, gravity is so enormous that even light cannot overcome it.
The theory was confirmed when Robert Wessot of Harvard used a NASA rocket to lift the atomic clock 10,000 kilometers and, using radio signals, compared its time with the clocks that remained on Earth. It turned out that time on Earth flows about 30 microseconds per day slower than at an altitude of 10,000 kilometers.
Economics of everything
The dean of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University explains how economics influences various social processes.
By reading this book you will learn moreabout the structure of the state and understand why we are faced with certain forces of social friction, for what reasons perfection is unattainable, what social capital is, the problem of the freeloader, as well as the British disease and red sclerosis, what dilemma the elites face in Russia and much more.
From book:
Do we need a state?
Not only in Russia, but also in the world public consciousness there were many myths associated with the state. And at some point these myths began to be tested. For example, all the great British economists gave the same example: if it were not for the government, who would build lighthouses in England? But the nation needs lighthouses - what would England be without shipping?
Economist Ronald Coase went to the British Admiralty archives and began to look at who actually built the lighthouses. It turned out that not a single lighthouse in England was built by the government. Whoever built them - captains' guilds, local communities, shipowner corporations, but not the government.
Then Friedrich von Hayek checked how things were going with monetary systems. It turned out that different states at different times created their own treasury systems of monetary notes, but they all died. The banknotes we use now are so-called banknotes, that is, systems of private receipts between banks. They began to look at the police, the fire department, the army, and again there were mixed answers.
The conclusion that can be drawn from all this is this: if the state is needed, it is not for what it was previously thought to be for. The state has substitutes everywhere.
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