Gardening, knitting and reading are among the hobbies which can increase our levels of intelligence, new research has found.
The team at DIYS.com asked 4,694 volunteers in July 2020 to sit an IQ test to discover the activities which can improve our cerebral intelligence, boosting our brain power.
Learning an instrument scooped the top spot, as findings discovered that doing so engages nearly every area of the brain at once. In fact, playing music uses both parts of the brain's "hemispheres whilst increasing activity within the corpus callosum (the bridge)". Time to brush the dust off your instrument and get playing again...
In second and third place came knitting and exercising, respectively, with both activities engaging cognitive stimulation. In the study, 71% said knitting helped to increase their concentration levels, while those who exercised were found to have a larger brain volume in the memory.
"This year has challenged many of us physically, mentally and emotionally and so the surge of starting a new hobby comes as no surprise. Participating in a new activity is a practical way of helping our mental health, especially if we are cooped up in our homes for a long period of time," Stefan Gheorghe from DIYS.com says.
"As the study shows, arts and crafts among other mobility-training activities can improve our moods alongside developing our cognitive skills. Without realising, these activities are improving our emotional wellbeing as well as making us smarter."
Other hobbies to make the list include meditating, writing, blogging, trying new recipes and sewing, too.
Have you ever wondered if it's possible to boost your IQ levels? Take a look at the full list of hobbies to try below...
- Learning a new instrument (9.71% IQ increase)
- Knitting (9.68%)
- Exercising (7.37%)
- Reading (7.07%)
- Practising meditation (6.38%)
- Learning a new language (5.88%)
- Gardening (5.10%)
- Joining an online video game group (4.81%)
- Making and editing videos (4.26%)
- Trying new recipes every week (4.17%)
- Start writing/blogging (4.12%)
- Colouring in an art book (3.96%)
- Daily journaling (3.26%)
- Playing a new board game (2.00%)
- Sewing (1.03%)
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16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration
Garden book
RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space
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Adam Frost'spractical, no-nonsense approachwill help youplan and build agarden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presentertakes you step by step through the whole process, fromsimple garden design ideasto a fullgarden makeover.
Garden book
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere
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Isabelle Palmershows youhow to make the most of every little space with a series of projects forsmall gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners,Modern Container Gardening offersbeautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with anextraordinary wealth of expertise.And now, in thisin-depth guide, theypass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book isintended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed withunnecessary technical detail.
Garden book
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
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Veg In One Bedexplains how tobuild your bed andgrow from seed, as well advice onplanting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill andsuggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
Monty Don offersstraightforward gardening advice in this book, revealingthe secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically.You can alsoenjoy a tour of hisHerefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.
The Practical House Plant Book by the RHScontains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents.Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is anessential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door –doesn't have to sacrifice style. InSmall Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
Garden book
No Dig Garden Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1
Charles Dowding,innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method oforganic gardening.With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soiland types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round withIn Bloom.Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
The RHS'Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, andmake the best compost.
Do youwant to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? InWildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything,Kate Bradburyteams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
Gardener and TV presenterDavid Domoney is afirm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, Davidexplains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plusshares histop 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
Garden book
DK RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
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If you're looking for new garden ideas, theRHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design willguide you from planning to planting,such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Garden book
Lorenz Books How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening
Now 20% Off
Thisplanet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment.Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, andtake on simpleprojects such asmaking a pondand a wildlife hotel.
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling referencebook –organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory –will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Garden book
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest
Now 65% Off
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. Theseprojects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
Lisa Joyner
Deputy Daily Editor, Country Living and House Beautiful
Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.