Some will argue it’s not possible to increase your intelligence, saying you’re better off focusing on what you already have. But here’s what our experts – and the latest research – say about boosting your brainpower.

1. MEDITATE

Meditation improves your memory, increases brain size, makes both brain hemispheres work together and enhances your emotional intelligence, according to the Exploration of Consciousness Research Institute. Plus, a 2012 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found participating in an eight-week meditation training program had measurable effects on how the brain functions even when you are not actively meditating.

TRY > There are various meditation practices, but the Australian Teachers of Meditation Associationsays it’s broadly a discipline that involves turning the mind and attention inward and focusing on a single thought, image, object or feeling. A quiet space makes meditation easier and you don’t need to take up any particular posture, just be comfortable so that you don’t need to readjust part way through the practice. High Performance Coach Stephanie Kakris, who teaches meditation, recommends starting with a guided meditation using an app such as Relax and Rest, which gives five, 13 or 20-minute options with music or nature sounds.

2. PLAY GAMES

The jury is still out on whether cerebral exercises have any long-term effect on mental performance. “The main problem is that although people can train themselves to do better on particular tasks, the performance improvement rarely generalises to other tasks and abilities,” says professor Nick Haslam, of the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences. But a 2008 study called Improving Fluid Intelligence with Training on Working Memory was the first research to show it might be possible to increase your intelligence to a significant degree through training.

TRY > Neuroscientists have designed a series of games called Lumosity to help challenge certain parts of your brain. The online and smartphone resource let’s you exercise core cognitive abilities whenever and wherever you like.