What's Your Intelligence Type? | Science of People

Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner described nine different types of intelligence in his book Frames Of Mind: The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences.

Each ‘type’ of intelligence can be an area of strength to a certain degree, where one excels. Everyone scores differently in this and has different levels of each type of intelligence.

There are people who find nature to be meditative and feel closely connected to trees, rivers and flowers. The natural elements around them like the clouds and the universe attracts them.

They make great astronomers, botanists, geologists and landscape architects.

Some people love interacting with friends, family and colleagues. They understand body language, and communicate better and are sensitive to others feelings, perspectives and viewpoints. This super-important intelligence type can be applied to most careers.

Interpersonal Intelligence types can have great careers as managers, psychologists, teachers and social workers.

Many people have an enhanced musical sensitivity, being able to understand and differentiate between pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone.

They can be great music conductors, composers, music teachers, and DJs.

Some people are numbers-oriented. They love figures and are easily able to think quantitatively and symbolically. They are great at sequential reasoning, abstract thinking and inductive/deductive thought patterns.

Logical-mathematical intelligence types can be great economists, scientists, analysts, auditors and accountants.

The physical body is easily understood and handled by some people. They can dance well, use their hands to create things and have a great understanding of kinetics.

They are good at careers requiring body activity like a fitness coach, actor, athlete or physical therapist.

Mazes and jigsaw puzzles draw some people towards them. These are the spatial intelligence types, who have great graphical skills, an active imagination, along with mental imagery and spatial reasoning abilities. They can understand blueprints with ease, and have an ability to think in 3D.

Career options for spatial intelligence types can be a graphic artist, engineer, photographer and pilot.

Some people are masters of language. They can learn multiple languages, write great poetry, prose or speeches. They can communicate well and explain complex meaning. This universal type of intelligence is found in journalists, public speakers and writers.

Radio jockeys, politicians, TV hosts, and lawyers are great careers for linguistic intelligence types.

Some people go inward and are able to understand their own thoughts, fears, desires and emotions. They can ‘witness’ oneself and others and have a deeper level of human understanding.

Psychologists, spiritual leaders and Gurus are examples of people with high intrapersonal intelligence.

Some people have deep insights about life and the universe, being able to talk about existential stuff, evolution, human species and the meaning of life.

Such ‘life-smarts can be great authors, philosophers, writers and motivational speakers.

Most of us think of intelligence in a one-dimensional way, that is thrust upon us in our formative years. Excellence in academia, passing IQ tests and the ability to retain facts and figures in our memory is generally considered the definition of intelligence.

In the past few decades, this has completely changed, with intelligence now being considered as a learned skill, having multiple dimensions and variety.