How Watching Videos Every Day Can Make You More Intelligent

I know, you probably think I’m click baiting you with some “get rich quick” pyramid scheme. You’re probably thinking “I watch videos all the time on tiktok. It’s not really improving my life”. Right? Right. So… I kind of click baited you? Please don’t leave! I said kind of! You’re just not watching the right type of videos! Watching a video a day can make you more intelligent. That’s where I come in. I’m here to tell you exactly how it works.

. How Watching Videos Every Day Can Make You More Intelligent

Watching an educational video daily will improve your cognitive function and ability to understand. Educational videos can:

Increase the brain’s plasticity
Increase motor function skills
Activate your brain for better learning through hearing and seeing
Keep you more engaged through self-study

However, there is much more to watching a video every day than just opening YouTube and clicking something. After doing this for a week, it is 100% worth looking into and trying. I’m here to tell you why this works and how to do it right.

Why Do Videos Help More Than Reading?

Of course everyone’s brain works differently. It is important to find what works for you and your way of learning. I find that a lot of people these days benefit from watching videos everyday. This is something so accessible to people right now. Mixing visual queues and sound queues activates your brain for better learning. It’s a stress free and simple way to gather information. One that many people are passing it up in favor of clickbait filled YouTube recommendations.

The internet is a distracting place. I understand that books will sometimes keep on topic more than a string of videos. However, once you find the thing you love learning about, videos are far more engaging. They grip your attention and are often filled with information given in a more natural way. Hearing and seeing someone talk about a subject is so stimulating. On the other hand, reading about a topic can often lead to distractions. (And sleepiness in my case.) It’s the difference between the science teacher that makes you read the textbook and the one who shows you Bill Nye videos. Which do you remember more? (Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill.)

How I started Watching Educational Videos Every Day

The idea to watch educational videos every day came about because of a little podcast I’m a part of. Our podcast (listen here), is called Better Off Better. It started with me and my two best friends entering into a verbal agreement that affected my life from then on. We do weekly challenges to test out things that people everywhere seem to think make them better people. Now, we know we aren’t great people. So why not try and fix that though very competitive challenges where we purposely pit ourselves against each other? Doesn’t that sound healthy?

As an avid video watcher and time waster, I was really excited when someone suggested watching an educational video a day for a week. There’s so many videos on so many varying topics that I was excited right off the bat. But I didn’t expect to like this challenge as much as I did. Even though it sounds simple, it is definitely worth a try. So, how do you get started? What should your videos be about? Is this really helpful? Slow down buddy. We’re getting there.

How Watching Videos Every Day Can Make You More Intelligent

What Types of Videos Are Educational?

Wonderful question. Educational videos usually fall under one of these following categories.

Instructor-Led Lectures	These videos are the most common in E-learning. They are essentially a replication of a live lesson. The goal is to create the feeling of being in a lecture hall. Instructor-led videos typically show the teacher presenting, along with their supporting content such as slides or a screen share.
Demonstrations	These videos are live recordings of what is being taught in action. They are typically used for scientific studies. Oftentimes, these videos will contain an experiment or showing of things that require physical actions to be taken.
Scenarios and Simulations	These videos are typically used for medical students. They often show patient scenarios and how to handle them. They can also be used to demonstrate mock trials, how to handle difficult conversations in a managerial position, etc.
Learner Generated Videos	These videos are essentially learning from your peers. It creates a more relaxed environment to learn from. This form of social learning is very important to the content maker as well as those learning from it.
Voice Over Screencasts	These videos are typical of YouTube learning. They may be animated or live action footage. They typically go over more specific topics and lend to a more visual understanding of the topic at hand.
Autobiographical Footage	These videos tend to have a speaker who orients themselves towards the text phrases. They teach a subject as it is related to them. Autobiographical footage videos often feel more personal.

What Types Of Videos Should You Watch?

Finding a topic you’re interested in is the first step. Think about the topics you were interested in in high school. Or maybe just a topic you’re interested in learning. Maybe the half-learned passions you picked up in quarantine. (Mine have been sewing, cooking, sculpting, writing. Too many to list.) The cooped up nature of the pandemic is causing everyone to waste time and get distracted easily. So take a bit of time and try to tease out the few things you really want to commit to. This will help you later while finding videos to learn from. Picking the type of video that suits your interests will be much easier once you’ve found your topic.

When you watch educational videos, you’re wasting time more productively. I’m not going to sit here and tell you to have zero distractions. That’s just the nature of working from home or being cooped up inside. But what I will tell you is that watching videos every day really can make you more intelligent. Switch out just one of those clickbait titled prank videos to listen to an expert speak. Ted Talks, master classes, or demonstration videos are a great place to start!

How to Find Topic That Interest You

Now, it’s time to spill the beans. Even though I absolutely loved this challenge, I’m not the biggest advocate for Ted Talks. (Sorry Ted…) I find that a lot of the time the videos aren’t that helpful and leave me with more questions than answers. That doesn’t mean all of them are bad. I just prefer to find other sources for the information I want, and I urge you to do the same. Try out some Ted Talks. Maybe they’re for you!

However, growing a small list of youtubers who provide you with interesting, educational information is a great resource to have. There’s never been a more perfect time to shop around and find some creators who are entertaining and teach you something. Especially when we’re still stuck inside for the foreseeable future! (Cough cough, my podcast Better Off Better, cough cough.) So spend some time growing your list of trusted and interesting creators. Watching their videos will feel familiar and make you more intelligent as you go. Mix the fun with the smart!

Why Should You Try This?

Still on the fence? Knowledge is power, and there’s so much available to us right at our fingertips that it would be a shame to waste it. Learning about things that can improve your life and future is easier than ever, so if spending 15 minutes a day watching some tv is all it takes to start learning a new topic, why not at least test it out! I really enjoyed this challenge, and I urge you, your children, your parents, and anyone you know to try this out for a week! It’s as easy as swapping out some of your regular YouTube watching with videos on a topic you enjoy or have wanted to learn about! Let us know how it goes!

In Conclusion

Through watching videos on topics I was interested in every day for a week, I feel like I learned a lot of lessons. Most importantly is that so much information is accessible. Think about how much time you waste sitting around and watching videos that don’t really teach you anything. Just replace that time spent on an app to time spent watching educational videos of your choosing. You could be learning loads of information on a topic you really care about!

Whether it’s a Ted Talk or any other type of educational video, If you try one single week of educational videos (in any field you like) I guarantee your eyes will be opened to how easy it is to learn! Replace even one single video a day with one covering personal finance or anything else you’re interested in! Watching videos every day can make you more intelligent. Just choose the right ones!

As always, thanks for reading!

How Watching Videos Every Day Can Make You More Intelligent