This blog post is based on insights from Dr. Justin Sung’s YouTube video: “How To Train Yourself To Think Like A Genius” with his presentation on neuroplasticity and higher-order learning strategies.
Discover how Neuroplasticity Learning can help you train your brain for genius-level thinking. Learn proven strategies from learning expert Dr. Justin Sung to boost memory and understanding.
Have you ever looked at someone who seems to understand complex concepts instantly and thought, “That person is just naturally smart—they must be a genius”? What if I told you that academic genius isn’t something you’re born with, but something you can actually train yourself to become?
According to Dr. Justin Sung, a former medical doctor turned world-renowned learning coach, the belief that some people are just “naturally smart” is one of the biggest myths holding learners back. Through his work with tens of thousands of students and professionals, Dr. Sung has demonstrated that with the right approach, anyone can rewire their brain to learn faster, remember more, and think deeper .
In this article, we’ll break down the science behind neuroplasticity—your brain’s remarkable ability to change and adapt—and explore practical strategies you can start using today to train yourself to think like a genius.
What Is Neuroplasticity and Why Does It Matter for Learning?
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This isn’t just a theory—it’s a well-established scientific principle that has transformed our understanding of learning over the past 30 years .
Unlike the old belief that our brains are “fixed” after childhood, we now know that the brain is incredibly adaptable. This means that if you’ve struggled academically in the past, you’re not doomed to repeat those patterns. As Dr. Sung explains:
“If you’ve previously been a student that’s been academically unsuccessful or struggling, then that doesn’t have to be your entire life. It is possible to retrain yourself.” — Dr. Justin Sung
The implications are profound: your current learning abilities are not your permanent limits. With consistent practice, you can literally rewire your brain to become smarter. However, this isn’t an overnight transformation—it typically takes months to years of deliberate practice. The key is understanding that the effort is worth it if you want to achieve what Dr. Sung calls “academic freedom” .
What Does It Mean to “Think Like a Genius”?
When we talk about genius in an academic context, we’re usually referring to two key capabilities:
| Capability | What It Looks Like |
| Superior Memory | The ability to retain information for long periods without constant repetition |
| Deep Understanding | The capacity to apply knowledge to complex problems flexibly and intuitively |
These two abilities are deeply connected. Deep understanding actually improves memory because when you truly understand something, you create more neural pathways to that information. It’s like having multiple doors into a room rather than just one—you’re much more likely to find your way back in .
The Four Levels of Learning: Where Are You Now?
To train yourself to think like a genius, you first need to understand where you currently stand. Dr. Sung breaks learning down into four levels, from lowest to highest order:
Level 4: Isolated Information (Lowest Order)
At this level, information exists in a vacuum. You’re simply memorizing facts without connecting them to anything else. Common techniques at this level include:
- Rote memorization (repeating facts over and over)
- Rewriting notes verbatim
- Re-reading textbooks passively
- Flashcards testing basic recall
The problem? This is how most people study, and it’s incredibly inefficient. Your brain doesn’t see why the information matters, so it doesn’t prioritize keeping it .
Level 3: Basic Application
Here, you can apply information to slightly different contexts. You might solve practice problems or answer questions that vary from how you originally learned the material. This is better than pure memorization, but still limited.
Level 2: Relationship Building (Higher Order Learning)
Now we’re getting somewhere. At this level, you’re actively asking:
- How is this concept similar to or different from what I already know?
- What are the cause-and-effect relationships here?
- How does this connect to other topics I’m studying?
This is where deep processing begins. You’re creating a network of knowledge rather than isolated facts. Techniques like mind mapping and creating high-quality questions that challenge relationships between ideas become valuable here .
Level 1: Priority and Judgment (Highest Order)
This is genius-level thinking. Not only can you see relationships, but you can:
- Judge which relationships are most important in different contexts
- Compare entire knowledge networks against each other
- Prioritize which organizational schemes make the most sense
- Make sophisticated decisions about how to group and categorize information
This is where neuroplasticity truly shines. The more you practice this level of thinking, the more intuitive it becomes. Your brain literally gets better at making these complex connections .
Short-Term Strategies: Quick Wins to Start Retraining Your Brain
You don’t need to wait years to see improvement. Here are three strategies you can implement immediately to start moving up the learning levels:
1. Go Up One Level
Don’t try to jump from rote memorization to genius-level analysis overnight. Instead, identify what level you’re currently at and incorporate just a few techniques from the level above.
For example, if you’re mostly using flashcards (Level 4), start asking yourself “How does this fact connect to the bigger picture?” before you flip the card. If you’re doing practice problems (Level 3), start explicitly identifying “What other concepts are related to this one?” after solving each problem .
For Example:
If you’re studying the water cycle, instead of just memorizing the steps (evaporation, condensation, precipitation), ask yourself: “How does this connect to climate change?” or “What would happen if evaporation rates suddenly doubled?” These questions force your brain to create relationships.
2. Master Pre-Studying with Organizational Frameworks
Most people “pre-study” by doing exactly what they’ll do in class—just earlier. This is inefficient. Instead, create a simple organizational structure before diving into details.
Here’s how:
- Take 10-15 minutes before a lecture or study session
- Identify the 3-4 main ideas of the topic (not individual facts)
- Figure out how these main ideas relate to each other
- Create a basic “backbone” or framework
Think of it like moving into a new house. You wouldn’t have movers dump furniture randomly and then try to organize it. You’d plan where the couch goes, where the dining table fits, and how traffic will flow through rooms. Your brain works the same way—it needs to know where information belongs before it can efficiently store it .
For Example:
Before a biology lecture on the circulatory system, you might identify three main ideas: (1) Heart structure, (2) Blood vessel types, and (3) Blood composition. You note that heart structure determines how blood moves through vessels, which affects what happens to blood composition. Now when you hear details in class, you know exactly where they fit.
3. Delay Your Note-Taking
This might feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s powerful. Instead of writing notes immediately when you hear information, hold it in your head first.
Process it. Manipulate it. Ask yourself questions about it. Only when it makes sense to you should you write it down—in your own words.
Why does this work? Writing notes immediately offloads the cognitive work your brain should be doing. It’s like hiring someone to do your workout for you—you don’t get stronger. By delaying note-taking, you force your brain to grapple with the information, which is exactly what creates learning .
“By writing notes as soon as the sensory information comes in, we’re essentially offloading the work that our brain would have to do to make sense of it by putting it on paper… if we were to hold on to it in our brain, it forces our brain to deal with the information and process and organize it.” — Dr. Justin Sung
Long-Term Strategies: Building Lasting Transformation
Short-term strategies give you immediate gains, but lasting change requires building foundational capacities. Here are two critical long-term approaches:
1. Increase Your Cognitive Load Tolerance
Higher-order learning is mentally uncomfortable. It requires holding multiple concepts in your mind simultaneously, wrestling with confusion, and tolerating the feeling of “not quite getting it yet.” This is called cognitive load, and most students avoid it because it feels unpleasant.
But here’s the truth: that uncomfortable feeling is your brain actually working. It’s the mental equivalent of muscle burn during exercise. The more you tolerate this discomfort, the more your cognitive capacity grows—just like building physical strength .
How to build tolerance:
- Gradually extend how long you work on complex problems before giving up
- Practice the short-term strategies consistently—they naturally increase cognitive load
- Reframe confusion as “my brain is working” rather than “I’m not getting this”
- Start with shorter sessions and gradually increase duration
2. Practice Critical Reflection
This is perhaps the most important skill of all. Critical reflection means constantly evaluating what’s working and what isn’t in your study system.
Dr. Sung identifies this as the #1 reason students fail to improve even when given excellent techniques. Many students continue using methods that feel productive (like making beautiful flashcards or color-coding notes) without asking whether those methods are actually creating deep learning .
Ask yourself regularly:
- What specific parts of my study technique are actually improving my memory and understanding?
- What am I doing that just feels productive but isn’t actually helping?
- Why is this technique working or not working?
- Can I connect this back to the theory of how learning actually happens?
Understanding the “why” behind techniques empowers you to adapt and troubleshoot your own learning process. As Dr. Sung puts it, he wants people to become “the mechanic of their own brain” .
The Science Behind Why This Works
The strategies outlined here align with cutting-edge research in neuroeducation. Studies show that neuroplasticity enables students to solidify new knowledge when actively engaged in learning activities like problem-solving and discussions, which reinforce neural pathways .
Key research-backed principles include:
- Spacing: Breaking learning into distributed sessions rather than cramming strengthens long-term potentiation in the hippocampus
- Dual Coding: Combining visual and verbal information creates redundant neural pathways, making information easier to retrieve
- Formative Feedback: Regular small corrections prevent “hardwiring” misconceptions and ensure plasticity is creating accurate connections
- Emotional Engagement: Positive, low-stress environments enhance cognitive function by allowing the amygdala and hippocampus to process information more effectively
Dr. Sung’s approach integrates these principles into practical, real-world strategies that go beyond theory to create measurable improvements in academic performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1. Can anyone really become a “genius” learner, or is this just for naturally smart people?
Absolutely anyone can improve. Dr. Sung’s work specifically focuses on students who have previously struggled academically. The science of neuroplasticity shows that brains change based on what we do with them, not just our genetics. However, it requires consistent effort over months to years—not just a weekend of trying new techniques .
Q.2. How long does it take to see results from these strategies?
Short-term strategies can show improvements within weeks. However, the real transformation—where higher-order thinking becomes as easy as your old habits—typically takes months to years of consistent practice. The key is that it gets progressively easier as your brain literally rewires itself .
Q.3. What if I try higher-order learning and it feels too hard?
That’s completely normal and actually a good sign—it means you’re challenging your brain appropriately. Start by going up just one level from where you are now, not jumping straight to the highest level. Building cognitive load tolerance is like building physical strength; you need to progressively increase the challenge .
Q.4. Are flashcards completely useless?
Not necessarily, but they should be used carefully. Flashcards that test isolated facts promote lower-order learning. If you use flashcards, make them test relationships and applications, not just recall. Dr. Sung warns that many students over-rely on flashcards because they feel productive while creating “learning debt” .
Q.5. Can these techniques work for professional learning, not just academics?
Yes. While Dr. Sung often uses academic examples, the principles of deep processing, cognitive load management, and critical reflection apply to any complex learning—whether you’re mastering a new professional skill, learning a language, or studying for certification exams .
Conclusion: Your Brain Is Trainable—Start Today
The belief that you “just aren’t good at learning” is a myth that has held too many people back. Thanks to neuroplasticity, your brain is capable of remarkable change at any age. By moving from passive, isolated memorization to active, relational, higher-order learning, you can literally train yourself to think like a genius.
Remember:
- Start with short-term strategies: Go up one learning level, pre-study with frameworks, and delay note-taking
- Build long-term capacity: Increase your cognitive load tolerance and practice critical reflection
- Be patient but persistent: Real change takes months to years, but it gets easier as you go
The discomfort you feel when grappling with complex ideas isn’t a sign that you’re failing—it’s a sign that your brain is working, growing, and literally becoming smarter.
What study habits have you been using that might be keeping you at lower levels of learning? Take a moment to critically reflect on one technique you use regularly, and consider how you might elevate it just one step higher. Your future genius-level self will thank you.
Source/Credit
This blog post is based on insights from Dr. Justin Sung’s YouTube video: “How To Train Yourself To Think Like A Genius” with his presentation on neuroplasticity and higher-order learning strategies.
Dr. Justin Sung is a world-renowned expert in self-regulated learning, a certified teacher, research author, and former medical doctor. He has guest lectured on learning skills at Monash University for Master’s and PhD students in Education and Medicine. Over the past decade, he has empowered tens of thousands of learners worldwide to dramatically improve their academic performance, learning efficiency, and motivation through his iCanStudy program .
The original content has been translated, expanded, and repurposed for educational purposes.
