智商不足怎麼破？神經科學家說有一個好方法！

There are two types of intelligence: crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence.
智力可以分爲兩類：固定智力和流動智力。

Crystallized intelligence is your ability to utilize information, skills, and experience already learned -- basically, it's cerebral knowledge. This tends to build as you age, and is emphasized in most Western cultures.
固定智力就是人們利用已有的信息、技能和經驗的能力，基本上就是大腦知識。它會隨着你的年齡增長而提升，而且在大多數的西方國家也得到了重視。

Fluid intelligence, by contrast, is your ability to identify patterns, solve novel problems, and use logic in new situations. It's not about how much you know; it's about your ability to be creative, aware, innovative, and visionary.
至於流動智力，與固定智力相反，是識別圖形，解決新問題，在陌生情況下運用邏輯思考的能力。這就與你的知識水平無關了，而與你的創造力，覺悟力，革新能力和想象力有關。

It's relatively easy to improve your crystallized knowledge: read, listen to podcasts, collect more facts, learn. But fluid intelligence isn't like that. It's not about facts and figures; it's about your capacity to take something you've never seen before and work with it -- to be ingenious.
兩種智力相比之下，提高固定智力的難度更小：你只需通過閱讀，收聽播客，收集更多證據素材，學習就可以了。但流動智力卻截然不同。流動智力與事實和數據無關，卻與你對從未接觸的事物的接受能力和兼容能力相關——也就是你的應變能力。

Now, studies show that there is something you can do to dramatically improve your fluid intelligence as well as your overall IQ: meditate.
如今，已經有許多研究發現了大幅度提高個人流動智力，乃至整體智力水平的方法，就是——冥想。

That's correct: Meditation is not just good for your physiological health, reducing stress, improving mood, and setting you up for emotional equilibrium rather than reactivity.
沒錯：冥想不僅有利於人們的生理健康，降低壓力水平，改善情緒，達到情感上的平衡而不是促進大腦的活動。

It can also make you significantly smarter.
它還可以顯著地使你變得聰穎。

Siegfried Othmer, former president of the neurofeedback division of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, conducted neurofeedback research on participants using brainwave training (a specific form of meditation). Those who meditated showed an average gain in IQ of 23 percent.
Siegfried Othmer是“應用生理學及生物反饋協會”神經反饋部門的前任主席，他曾經對研究參與者進行腦電波的訓練（一種具體的冥想方式），從而進行神經反饋的研究。其中冥想訓練的參與者的智力平均提升了23%。

That is remarkable.
這個結果非常驚人。

Not only did the meditators improve their IQ, but the effect was lasting, according to a follow-up study conducted one year later. Participants who meditated showed significant gains in creativity, concentration, and self-awareness.
根據一年後的一個後續研究顯示，冥想者們不僅提升了智力，而且這個效果是持續性的。冥想者們在創造力，專注力和自我覺知能力都有很大程度的提升。

Another astonishing study in Consciousness and Cognition showed that after just four days of daily 20-minute meditation, participants demonstrated significant improvements in memory, cognition, and lowered stress levels. Perhaps most notably, the group that meditated scored as much as 10 times better on a working memory task -- an important part of fluid intelligence.
另外一項發表在《意識和認知》雜誌上的驚人研究顯示了，每天進行20分鐘的冥想，以此持續4天，參與者的記憶力，認知力有了大幅度提高，而且壓力水平也大大降低。也許最值得注意的，就是冥想者們在記憶力測試裏的分數比原來高出10倍，而記憶力，正是流動智力的重要一部分。

Why does meditation improve your IQ? There are a few reasons, but one of the main ones is that deep meditation slows brain activity.
爲什麼冥想可以提高人的智力呢？原因有好幾個，不過其中最主要在於深層思考能夠減緩大腦活動。

As slower brainwaves take over (also known as being in a delta or theta state), the brain increases its own plasticity, or ability to reorganize itself. By practicing focused attention during meditation, whether on your breath, a mantra, or even music, you give your brain just the right kind of respite. That's all you need to do: You rest your brain, it improves itself. Amazing, no?
當緩慢的腦波佔據大腦（也稱之爲α或θ波狀態），大腦就能夠增強它的適應性，或自我認知的能力。在冥想過程中鍛鍊專注力，無論專注於你的呼吸，一段祈禱文，甚至是音樂，你都可以讓大腦得到很好的暫緩休息。這就是你要做的事情：讓大腦休息，讓它自我修復。這很神奇，不是嗎？

It's worth noting that neither of the groups that experienced such extraordinary improvements were yogis, nor were they meditating for hours at a time. In fact, the second group meditated for only 20 minutes a day over four days -- that's 80 minutes total, less time than it takes to watch a movie.
很值得注意的是，這些參與冥想並獲得重大智力提升的人們都不是瑜伽修行者，也不是一次性深思好幾個小時的人們。實際上，第二組人們只在4天裏每天僅僅冥想20分鐘——加起來一共80分鐘，比看一部電影的時間還短。

Everyone knows meditating is good for you; the trick is getting started. It's kind of like going to the gym. We all know we should do it, but ...
人人都知道，冥想有益，關鍵在於行動起來。這就像去健身房健身一樣。我們都知道我們應該去做，但是……

There are plenty of free options. You can always practice classic mindfulness meditation and sit with your eyes closed, focusing on your breath. Or you can listen to a particularly peaceful track of music and do the same thing.
有許多不用花錢就能鍛鍊的方法。你可以採用經典的沉思冥想方法，閉目打坐，專注自己的呼吸。或者收聽一段平和的音樂再進行沉思冥想。

The New England Journal of Medicine says you must meditate for a minimum of 12 to 15 minutes at a time to get the health benefits of it. That's not very long. In fact, the more research that is done on meditation, the more apparent it is that it's not about doing it for hours at a time -- it's just about doing it regularly.
《新英格蘭醫學期刊》發佈的文章顯示，每次至少花15-20分鐘的時間去冥想，身體可以獲取大大的好處。而且這段時間也不是很長。實際上，在冥想方面的研究進行得越多，我們就越會發現冥想的意義不在於一次花多少時間冥想，而在於要常常冥想。

So consider making a meditation practice one of your new year's resolutions for 2017. Give your brain a rest. It may just help you become even more of a genius.
所以把冥想鍛鍊當作2017年的新年願景吧。給大腦休息的時間。這樣有助你成爲一個更有才的人。