9 Types of Intelligence: How to Improve All of Them

Unveiling Howard Gardner's Nine Intelligence Types

The 1980s gave us many wonderful things, and Howard Gardner’s book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences was one of them. It just didn’t sit right with this Harvard psychologist that intelligence is something measured by solving an equation or standardized IQ tests. In light of this injustice, Harvard University psychologists concluded that there are nine different types of intelligence, each of them with their unique manifestations and “smarts.”

Now you are probably excited to discover your Howard Gardner’s type of intelligence. And as enlightening as it might be, it will be even better to work on improving each of them! It’s not that we possess only one kind of intelligence — we just have them developed at different levels. But developing each of them can make you and your team perform and communicate at work more efficiently, let on your creativity and organizational skills, and in the end, get much better results. So it’s in your power to up your game.

That’s why in this article, we’ll go through each intelligence type and different aspects of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. And also, we’ll include some tips on improving intelligence. There may be no quick fix, but there’s one ultimate strategy we’re sure of — the Headway app. It provides fun and easy growth, helping users to make self-development a sustainable habit with different formats that suit their needs best. Especially for businesses that strive for growth, Headway launched a corporate subscription providing means for employees’ development.

The Headway app inspires people to learn such topics as Productivity, Happiness, Self-Growth, Business & Career, Leadership, Negotiation, and many more. With Headway for Business, your employees can watch explainers to gain more knowledge in less time, read or listen to 15-minute summaries from the best nonfiction books, get personalized recommendations, and receive curated collections according to their growth preferences.

So let’s get to the strategies for growing each intelligence type fast and efficiently and discover how the Headway app can help!

1. Interpersonal: People-smart

Social butterflies

Empathetic

Highly perceptive

Negotiators

These people know their way around any conversation. Their charm and ability to pick up the subtlest social cues make them skillful negotiators and also earn an excellent reputation in any circle.

Thus, the two most essential words in increasing interpersonal intelligence are socializing and empathizing. And to do that effectively, make sure to check out the summary of Negotiation Hacks by Simon Rycraft. This bestselling author covers everything you need to know for fruitful communication: from empathy and likeability to time-proven tips.

2. Logical intelligence: Number-smart

Highly rational

Excellent at math

Good at finding patterns and causalities

High problem-solving skills

For these people, the STEM field is their oyster. The math of any complexity comes naturally to them. And cold-blood deduction is their go-to thinking method.

How to develop this superpower? Apart from solving brain teasers from time to time, look into reading A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. Even though she is an engineering professor now, she ignored math subjects in school pretty much. But Barbara found ways to retrain her brain, which you can find in her book, and start your journey to enhancing logical mathematical intelligence type.

3. Linguistic: Word-smart

“Walking dictionaries”

Multilingual

Eloquent and witty

Good at writing

You ask them, ‘What’s that word again?’ and they’ll always have an answer. And mostly, in different languages and with an extra pun on top. People with linguistic intelligence know their words and are not afraid to use them.

Want to get your linguistic juices flowing? Then it’s essential to read and write regularly. And to kill two birds with one stone, check out On Writing by Stephen King. One of the most known writers today, King yet again proved his mastery with this title. You’ll get extra handy hacks from its summary on the Headway app for better writing and to boost your linguistic intelligence along the way.

4. Musical: Music-smart

Great sense of rhythm

Highly sensitive to sound

Good with musical instruments and singing

Can think in music

It’s easy to spot these people: always humming a tune or tapping to some rhythm. However, the musical intelligence type is not just about making music. It can also be about a high appreciation of melodies and enjoying them like others don’t.

For slipping into the world of chords and pitches, Music Theory by Nicolar Carter is your key. Not only is it easy to digest and highly informative, but also perfect for any level of music knowledge. And after you’re through with it, your favorite songs will gain a whole new layer of sound.

5. Intrapersonal: Myself-smart

Very self-aware

Always self-reflecting

Mostly introverted

Empathetic

An intrapersonal intelligence type comes from a deep understanding of your inner world and your own feelings. Such people know what they feel, want, and need, which is a foundation for achieving your goals and following your passions. Moreover, this profound introspection makes them empathy pros.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your intrapersonal intelligence, self-reflection is critical, especially in the form of journaling. Also, it will be eye-opening to read Self-Awareness by Daniel Goleman, Robert Steven Kaplan, and Susan David. As a part of the Harvard Business Review Emotional Intelligence Series, this book is basically an instruction to meet your Self. And that acquaintance is the ultimate one to make.

6. Visual-spatial intelligence: Picture-smart

Strong imagination

High sense of direction

Very creative

Often daydreaming

For “picture-smart” people, it’s a no-brainer to visualize anything they think of. A vivid imagination and spatial reasoning are their main perk, making them creative and artistic.

No matter your occupation, creativity is always a big advantage. Therefore, if you want to improve your visual intelligence, you should turn to The Art of Creative Thinking by John Adair. The author analyzed the lives and approaches of the most prominent “creative thinkers” and gathered the most illuminating insights in his book. So get ready to learn the best from the best.

7. Naturalistic: Nature-smart

In touch with the natural world

Animal lovers

Apply scientific theories in real life

Good at gardening/farming

Naturalistic intelligence, what’s that like? Incredibly sensual, for sure! Such people are one whole with Mother Nature and easily discern different animals or plants.

The journey towards cultivating this intelligence type is perhaps the most therapeutic. Spending more time outdoors, gardening, and reading How Not to Kill Your Houseplant by Veronica Peerless before all. This witty and enlightening book tells everything you need for your plants to live and prosper. So say ‘aye’ in favor of increasing naturalistic intelligence!

8. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: Body-smart

Strong sense of timing

Good motor control

Multitaskers

Mind-body connection

Kinesthetic intelligence is all about feeling your body and truly attuning to it. And not just in an athletic way — people who are great at handmaking also fall under this type.

The first step towards achieving high kinesthetic intelligence is setting up a harmonic connection with your body. That means tuning into its needs, senses, body movements, and intricacies. In this respect, The Body Book by Cameron Diaz is a must! Science-based and incredibly well-put, this bestseller provides a guide for building stamina, strength, and great health.

9. Existential: Abstract-smart

Highly spiritual

Very considerate

Deep thinkers

Asking big questions about life and death

Ah, the philosophers. These people are not to be satisfied with small talk or superficial chitchat. Their mind is always wondering about big questions and sophisticated matters. So if someone were to finally discover the true meaning of life, it’d be one of these folks.

So, how to improve the existential intelligence type? Your way goes through the classics of philosophy. For example, the Headway app has a summary collection just for this occasion — Modern Philosophy Basics to Find Meaning. Ten summaries, fifteen minutes each, and your existential intelligence is up and running.

Are you ready to improve all intelligence types?

And what about giving your team an opportunity to discover different kinds of intelligence theory and improve their personal intelligence types? That’s what the Headway app’s corporate subscription is perfect for! It lets you and your employees learn more in less time and presents you with thousands of life-changing insights and different perspectives from the world’s top authors. The best thing is you don’t have to make any sacrifices in your working routine to grow all your psychologist Howard Gardner’s types of intelligence effectively. Instead, you can listen to a highly informative 15-minute summary or watch explainers during your commutes or coffee breaks.

As a business executive Jack Welch, said, great leaders love to see people grow. So don’t hesitate to provide your employees with excellent means for growth in a fun and easy format. With the development of each human intelligence type, your employees can become more productive, organized, creative, and efficient giving your company even more value and high results.