Nowadays, there seems to be more pressure on academic and practical knowledge than ever before. From the age of about four or five, we are asked time and time again: ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ or ‘what do you want to do when you grow up’. The parameters of our study are consistently constrained. We cut certain subjects out in order to focus our attention on others. We specialize to the point that we take just one subject when studying a degree. When we enter the workplace, this specialism is put to a more practical use — namely one that can make us or our employer more money. But have you ever considered the loss of general knowledge that often comes hand in hand with this constant whittling down of what we’re focusing on? It’s a crying shame!
So, to even the playing field a little, read on as we take a look at some of the key benefits that accompany a good general knowledge of things and ways to boost your own!
The Benefits of General Knowledge
One of the major benefits of having an extensive general knowledge is that it helps you to communicate with all sorts of other individuals, regardless of what you or they may be particularly interested in. If you can speak on a wide variety of topics, you can easily break down barriers, start conversations, and bond with others. You may also find areas of interest that you were previously unaware of along the way! General knowledge also means that you’re more aware of the world around you in general, keeping you on top of your game!
Ways to Boost Your General Knowledge
There are plenty of ways that you can boost your general knowledge, and all of them don’t necessarily mean you have to bury yourself in books studying random subjects to an in-depth knowledge. Some of your options can actually be pretty fun.
Quizzes
The first way that you should test the waters of general knowledge expansion is to try your hand at a few different quizzes. Now, there are plenty out there, so it can be hard to whittle your options down. For film and TV recognition, try out The Fictional Furnishings Quiz. Test your wisdom regarding the British Monarchy. See how many European capitals you can identify. Find out whether you know as much about Disney as you initially assumed you might. The range of topics out there is seemingly endless.
Watch Documentaries
Almost all of us love a good documentary, but we really tend to neglect them nowadays. This is bizarre, since with catch up TV and online streaming you don’t even have to watch them as they’re aired. So record a few and sit down and watch them later. You’ll pick up all sorts of information that you can stow away for later!
If this hasn’t stirred your appetite for random knowledge and trivia, we’re not sure what will! As you can see, there are plenty of benefits to knowing a few facts outside of your professional specialism, so try out the aforementioned techniques to fill your well of information!
