Some rich and famous entrepreneurs have some pretty weird hobbies.
Hobbies are great for relieving stress. But did you know that hobbies can also boost your intelligence?
Hobbies that Make You Smarter
If even the busiest entrepreneurs and billionaires can make time for hobbies, so can you. Here are five hobbies to consider.
1. Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly helps you stay healthy– but it can also make you smarter.
Steve Wozniak plays Segway polo. Marc Benioff does yoga. Sergey Brin does trapeze.
Running, weightlifting, cardio, yoga, and even just walking all have long-term brain benefits and help you be a better entrepreneur.
Even just walking improves creativity.
2. Play A Musical Instrument
Warren Buffett plays the ukulele. Larry Page played the saxophone growing up. Scores of other entrepreneurs and business leaders have learned an instrument growing up or still play to this day.
There’s no denying the link between playing music and achievement.
Musicians and entrepreneurs share several essential skills, such as leadership, innovation, and confidence.
3. Play Video Games
Although video games get a bad rap, the science is in, and games indeed have cognitive benefits.
Heck, plenty of wealthy people play five hours a week on average. And being a gamer isn’t all just a brain-rotting waste of time, like Mom or Dad told you!
Video games have been shown to improve memory, spatial reasoning skills, strategy, and even social skills.
So whether you’re solving complex puzzles, killing waves of zombies in a post-apocalyptic hellscape, or becoming a rich criminal mastermind in San Andreas, just play in moderation!
4. Learn a New Language
Pretty impressive! Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he learned Chinese for three reasons: to communicate with his wife’s family, to study the Chinese culture, and to challenge himself.
All great reasons. Here’s another one: Speaking multiple languages improves the brain’s executive function, which covers everything from memory, to reasoning, to problem solving, to planning and execution.
Knowing additional languages such as Spanish, German, Arabic, Russian, and Portuguese are extremely beneficial for entrepreneurs in today’s global business world.
5. Reading
The greatest entrepreneurs read.
Reading is a daily habit that will make you smarter – and maybe even happier and healthier.
Need some ideas on what to read? Check out these eight books Warren Buffett tells millionaires to read.
Although picking up any or all of these hobbies won’t boost your IQ to genius level, they will help keep your memory sharp, enhance your cognitive skills, and keep your brain energized for years to come.
5 Hobbies to Boost Your Intelligence
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This article, “5 Hobbies to Make You a Smarter Entrepreneur” was first published on Small Business Trends