How to Be Smart

Do you wish you were smarter? Do you wish other people believed you were smarter? The latter may be simpler than the former, but whether you genuinely want to increase your intellectual capacity, or just want to reap the benefits of appearing more intellectual, there are some concrete steps you can take to achieve your goal.

Everyone craves intelligence. Like anything of perceived value, we want it. Of all our personality traits, intelligence is the most admired and useful tool available. Most of us want to know how to become smarter.

Society celebrates smart people, and rightly so: Our survival depends on good decisions. Moments of brilliance change the course of history. Smart people who open the door to new understandings receive the greatest praise imaginable. We all want to stand up and say, “I have the answer.”

Beyond dreams of elevating humanity to a golden age – and getting all the credit – intelligence just makes life easier. Things seem to come easier to smart people. Intelligence lets you solve problems faster, make more money, and work less.