What does it mean to be intelligent? Have you ever heard someone say, “What an intelligent guy!” or “I wish I had her intelligence.” Well, usually we think of intelligent people as being really smart, you know, they score well on tests, get good grades in school, and solve difficult problems easily. They often have good memories, big vocabularies, and high IQs. And if you are not one of these people, then you probably know someone who is.
Grammar of Happiness
The Piraha are a small tribe of about 400 people that live in the Amazon. Unlike every other human language, Piraha doesn’t have words for abstract ideas. They only talk about what they directly experience or what people they know have directly experienced.
Walking Your Way To Fluency
One of the most well known tourist attractions in the city of Kyoto, Japan is called the Philosopher’s Path. It’s a little footpath that follows a winding canal underneath cherry trees in a quiet part of the city. Along the way there are little tea houses and shops.
Want To Eat Healthier? Try Sleeping More
Are you a healthy eater? Trying to eat healthy might be more difficult if you aren’t getting enough sleep. Researchers from Columbia University scanned the brains of 25 men and women, while they looked at pictures of food. Before they were tested, they were kept in a lab for 5 days.
Can You Make Better Decisions in English?
A group of scientists at the University of Chicago have shown that if we think in a foreign language, we can actually make better decisions. They looked into something called decision bias, which occurs when our emotions cloud or negatively influence our ability to think clearly about something. The scientists found that thinking in a foreign language reduces decision bias, causing people to think more logically, with less emotion.
Make Practicing English Easier On Yourself
It’s already June, but it feels like the year just started. Since we’re almost at the halfway mark of this year, I thought it would be a good time to look back and review. What goals did you make for this year? Are you doing something everyday to make them happen? If you didn’t make […]
The 80/20 Rule For English Learners
Hi Everyone, Thanks for listening to our free lessons. We’ve been getting a lot of positive emails about these short lessons and we’re really happy you like them. If you want to try our longer listening lessons and our special speaking lessons, take a look at the Deep English Fluency Course. Ok, now for today’s […]
Power Your Body – Power Your Mind
Learning isn’t all mental. Scientists are starting to find that physical exercise increases the power of our minds and makes us better learners. Dr. John Ratey is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In his book about learning and the brain, he says that we need to exercise our bodies to improve our minds. Exercise doesn’t just increase important brain chemicals, it also helps our brain grow. Ratey says, The cells in our brains are connected “through leaves on tree-like branches and exercise causes those branches to grow.” When we increase our movement, we improve our thinking skills.