Lessons on Intelligence and Decision-Making from Engaging Mental Challenges

We begin our fascinating foray into the lessons on intelligence and decision-making by engaging mental challenges with an allegory. The incident in question ostensibly took place in South Africa many years ago. A bus was traveling along a winding road toward a bridge. Unbeknownst to the driver, the clearance was insufficient, and the bus became lodged firmly in the bridge – unable to move.

The traffic police arrived, with civil engineers on site, alongside tow trucks and other emergency services personnel. Try as they might, the bus was immovable. All their efforts proved fruitless. At that point, an intelligent, young child surveyed the scene and whispered in his mother’s ear – Mummy, why don’t they let the air out of the tires and pull the bus out from under the bridge?

In our quest for intelligent decision-making models, processes, and practices, we must continuously explore myriad options in search of feasible solutions.

Often, challenges, obstacles, hurdles, and annoyances must be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb. Problem solvers must process information from various uncontrollable variables, seeking solutions to otherwise unsolvable challenges.

With a keen eye for detail, a strategic mindset, and unwavering determination, anything is possible. Today, we explore the lessons on intelligence and decision-making from engaging mental challenges – much like the bus under the bridge paradigm.

Can Mental Challenges Improve Intelligence?

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines intelligence as ‘The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills; a person with this ability.’ Indeed, all of our intelligence is not bestowed upon us at birth and certainly doesn’t remain constant throughout our lifetime – we can contribute to our intelligence through ongoing learning, immersion in challenges, and constant brain training activities.

Do strategy games improve intelligence? The scores and mechanics of strategy games can help players enhance their cognitive skills, benefiting both in-game performance and real-life decision-making. Numerous examples support this, with lessons that have wide-ranging implications.

Right off the bat, we can confidently state that strategically oriented board games, table games, card games, and online games have profound effects on activating problem-solving parts of the brain. Players engage deeply with tactical and strategic games to acquire the necessary skills, abilities, and wherewithal to succeed in daring missions, challenges, and quests.

Practiced hands and well-thought-out strategies certainly trend in favor of victorious outcomes. Players enjoy these types of attractions, and they routinely seek out strategy games to improve their intelligence and problem-solving capabilities. It’s all in a day work – second nature to gaming aficionados, who thrive in these environments.

How Important is Knowledge for Successful Decision-Making?

Knowledge is an important criterion, but it’s not the be-all and end-all for successful decision-making.

 It is not the acquisition of knowledge that yields successful outcomes; it is the application of that knowledge at the right time, under the right conditions, and with all the requisite elements lined up for success. Indeed, university professor Craig B. Barkacs, MDA, JD, states,

I make it a point to invite my students to share their honest feedback about the material I teach. A recurring observation I hear is that while they greatly enjoy and value the lessons, they often perceive topics related to human behavior as being less rigorous compared to the more quantitive courses, such as accounting and finance in our university’s business program… At a surface level, concepts related to human behavior may appear simple and intuitive—but applying them effectively is an entirely different challenge.

There are notable differences between a person’s understanding of theory and the practical application thereof. Intelligence is the overriding factor. It makes a world of difference when applying knowledge in an efficacious manner. Simple knowledge of factual, relevant, and helpful information is insufficient – it’s the mastery thereof that makes it count. That’s why it’s imperative to train the brain to perfection rigorously.