Used unmodified under CC BY 2.0 license
One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute.
–William Lyon Phelps
This aspect of wellness incorporates lifelong learning, knowledge and education, mental skills, curiosity, and creativity “for the personal growth of the individual and for the betterment of society” (Roscoe, L J 2009).
Some common examples of activities related to intellectual wellness include going to school, reading, learning a new language, watching educational videos, applying experiential knowledge to new situations, doing crossword puzzles, seeking a mentor’s advice, and experimenting with new recipes. While any of the previous examples can be used for the “betterment of society,” two more specific examples are learning new tasks for a volunteer project and reading up on best practices in your industry so you can help your workgroup more efficiently.
The Internet makes intellectual wellness easier
Many websites, like YouTube, Craftsy, Udacity, and TED talks, offer opportunities to increase your intellectual wellness for free, through online classes and videos. You can also find free puzzles and games at sites like Luminosity, which was developed to keep your brain challenged.
Finding other people committed to intellectual wellness is also easy. Meetup helps groups organize around common goals and events, such as learning new languages or skills, and other websites offer mentorship programs within specific industries.
For those interested in traditional school/education, there are also several scholarship databases (like Fastweb) and other educational resources available online.
This post is part of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness series focusing on each aspect of wellness and providing related resources. To get more free resources and information about wellness, click here to get each post by email.
Shelly Najjar, MPH, RDN 
One thought on “Intellectual Wellness (8 Dimensions of Wellness Series)”