Do you want to know how to increase IQ? For a long time, people believed you were born with a fixed level of intelligence and could not change it. But modern science tells a different story. Your brain can change, grow, and adapt throughout life.
However, not all “brain games” work the way advertisements claim. In this post, we’ll look at the best memory activities to improve IQ, based on the latest research from 2020–2025. The results might surprise you, sometimes, the best thing for your brain is to move your body.
Do Brain Games and N-Back Training Really Work?
You have probably heard of “working memory training.” This usually involves computer games where you have to remember sequences, like the famous n-back game The idea is simple: if you improve your short-term memory, you become smarter overall.
What the Science Says. The results are mixed. These games do make you better at the game itself (“near transfer”), but they often fail to make you smarter in everyday life or increase your general IQ (“far transfer”).
Reality Check. A major 2024 meta-analysis that reviewed many experiments found that while working-memory scores improved, there was no reliable evidence that this consistently increased fluid intelligence (IQ).
Scientific Consensus. Leading outlets like Scientific American highlight the same point: a Scientific American article notes that impressive early findings for commercial brain-training programs have been very hard to replicate in newer, tightly controlled studies.
Verdict. Brain games can be fun and may sharpen certain skills, but you shouldn’t rely on them alone to boost your IQ.
For more practical examples of brain training, explore these memory-boosting games that you can play on your own or with others.
Physical Activity: The Most Proven IQ Booster
If sitting and playing memory games isn’t the magic cure, what is? The strongest answer so far is physical exercise. The evidence is especially strong for children and teenagers—but adults benefit too.
Why It Works. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain (for example, a UT Southwestern study found that a year-long exercise program in older adults with mild memory problems increased cerebral blood flow) and triggers the release of growth factors that support the health and growth of brain cells.
Huge Gains for Kids. A meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials including more than 3,200 children and adolescents found that structured physical activity helped them gain an average of 4 IQ points. This strongly suggests that moving your body is one of the most evidence-backed ways to support intelligence in young people.
Benefits for All Ages. A large umbrella review of exercise trials shows that exercise significantly improves general cognition, memory, and executive function across all age groups—and that even light-intensity exercise can make a meaningful difference.
Long-Term Protection. For older adults, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) looks especially powerful. A 2024 HIIT study in people aged 65–85, summarized in this news article, found that just six months of high-intensity training improved hippocampal-dependent cognition, with benefits still measurable up to five years after the program ended.
The “Exergame” Revolution: Mixing Movement and Thinking
New technology lets us combine physical exercise with memory and attention challenges. This is often called integrated or dual-task training, and it is showing great promise.
What to Try. Look for exergames—video games that make you stand up and move, such as virtual reality (VR) games, dance games, or motion-controlled console games.
The Evidence. Recent research on exergames suggests promising positive effects on both cognitive and motor functions in older adults.
VR Success. A custom VR game called LightSword was designed specifically for long-term cognitive inhibition training in healthy older adults. In this study, participants who trained with LightSword improved their ability to focus and ignore distractions, and these benefits lasted well beyond the end of the training program.
Your Environment Matters: The “Green” Effect
Sometimes, how to increase IQ isn’t about what you do, but where you are.
The Findings. A large study from Belgium, summarized in a news article in The Guardian, looked at children living in urban areas and found that simply living in a neighborhood with more greenery—parks, trees, and gardens—was linked to higher IQ scores.
The Stat. Just a 3% increase in green space around the home was associated with about a 2.6-point increase in IQ in urban children. In other words, a slightly greener neighborhood can be linked to measurably better cognitive performance.
Spending more time in nature may support attention, reduce stress, and create a healthier environment for the brain to grow and function.
What Are the Best Memory Activities to Improve IQ?
So, what are the best memory activities to improve IQ based on real science rather than hype?
The research suggests you’ll get the biggest payoff from activities that combine movement, memory, and rich environments:
- Structured physical exercise
Cardio and interval training, especially in children and teens, are linked to measurable gains in IQ and problem-solving ability. - Motor-cognitive activities
Things like dance, martial arts, or team sports force you to coordinate movement, remember patterns, and make quick decisions all great for working memory and executive function. - Exergames and active VR
VR and motion-controlled games that make you move while tracking scores, targets, and rules blend memory challenges with physical effort and show promising effects on brain function in older adults. - Time in green environments
Spending time in parks, forests, or other green spaces supports attention and mental health and is linked to slightly higher IQ scores in children.
How to Increase IQ in a Science-Backed Way?
If you’re serious about boosting your brain power, stop searching for a magic puzzle app and start looking at your lifestyle.
To increase IQ or at least give your brain the best chance to perform at its peak:
- Get moving. This is the #1 science-backed tip. Structured exercise is linked to higher IQ in youth and healthier brain aging in adults.
- Go outside. Regular time in nature seems to support both mood and cognitive performance.
- Combine thinking and moving. Choose activities that train your body and your brain at the same time: dance classes, martial arts, sports, or active VR/exergames.
Your brain is ready to grow you just need to give it the right kind of training and environment.
Sources:
- “Brain Game: N Back – Improve your Working Memory” BrainGymmer.
- “Exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, study finds” UT Southwestern Medical Center.
- “Can we enhance working memory? Bias and effectiveness in cognitive training studies” Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
- “Brain Training Doesn’t Make You Smarter” Scientific American.
- “Exercise Interventions and Intelligence in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis” Pediatrics.
- “Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis” British Journal of Sports Medicine.
- “Forget swimming or cycling — a new study shows this surprising exercise could protect your brain health for 5 years” Tom’s Guide.
- “LightSword: A Customized Virtual Reality Exergame for Long-Term Cognitive Inhibition Training in Older Adults” arXiv.
- “Green space could be even better for young brains than we realised” The Guardian.