We all know by now that reading makes us more intelligent. Research shows that it not only helps with fluid intelligence, but with reading comprehension and emotional intelligence as well. So, if you’re looking for a way to boost your repository of knowledge, the surest way is to invest time and energy in reading informative and thought-provoking books that cover an array of topics. Here are our top 5 books that help to encourage new ways to think and learn:
1. What If? Serious Scientific Answers To Absurd Hypothetical Questions – By Randall Munroe
“What If?” explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel much smarter for having read. In pursuit of answers, Munroe runs computer simulations, pores over stacks of declassified military research memos, solves differential equations, and consults with nuclear reactor operators.
2. Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art And Science Of Remembering Everything – By Joshua Foer
This book recounts Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." The author draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory.
3. The Magic Of Reality: How We Know What's Really True – By Richard Dawkins
As a bestselling author and the world’s most celebrated evolutionary biologist, Dawkins has spent his career elucidating the many wonders of science. In “The Magic of Reality,” he takes a broader approach and uses his unrivaled explanatory powers to illuminate the ways in which the world really works.
4. Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder – by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
A standalone book in Taleb’s landmark Incerto series, “Amtofragile” is an investigation of opacity, luck, uncertainty, probability, human error, risk, and decision-making in a world we don’t understand.
5. Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World – by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler
A radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools, “Bold” unfolds in three parts that: focus on the exponential technologies; draw on insights from billionaires such as Larry Page, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, and Jeff Bezos; and look at best practices that allow anyone to leverage today’s hyper-connected crowd like never before.
