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Everyone has their own unique range of abilities and talents. When you learn to recognize those strengths and put them into action, you build self-confidence and set yourself up for success.
In fact, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner identified eight types of intelligence in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, according to Verywell Mind.
Each person has many strengths and talents, and you do not have to limit your abilities to just one type of intelligence. By recognizing the different areas that come more naturally, you can develop those strengths and become more effective in achieving your dreams!
Discover the different types of intelligence to help you better understand your own strengths.
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Do you love to draw and paint? Do you have an easier time than most solving puzzles? People with visual-spatial intelligence have strong visual and perceptual abilities, according to Personality Max.
You know you have strong visual-spatial intelligence if you enjoy activities like puzzles, painting, drawing, and geometry. Harness your strengths by pursuing careers in the arts as an architect, engineer, or surveyor. Or, perhaps consider a creative profession like a designer or photographer.
Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence
Do you have a knack for learning a new language? Perhaps you have a way with words. Gardner called this type of intelligence linguistic, according to the organization Simply Psychology. Linguistic-verbal intelligence relates to language and communication skills. (Think of people like William Shakespeare, Abraham Lincoln, or Oprah Winfrey.)
If you find yourself in this category, consider a career that requires strong reading and writing skills like a lawyer, journalist, public speaker, or teacher.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Do you enjoy working with numbers? You may have a strong sense of logical-mathematical intelligence. According to Verywell Mind, people with this type of intelligence have a natural ability to solve problems and recognize patterns. They tend to excel in hard sciences like math, computer science, technology, and chemistry.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
If you consider yourself naturally coordinated, then you probably have high levels of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. According to the University of Tennessee, this type of intelligence relates to hand-eye coordination and motor skills.
People with bodily-kinesthetic intelligence excel at physical movement, which makes them skilled at dancing and sports.
Musical Intelligence
People with a strong musical intelligence shine when it comes to musical patterns, rhythms, and sounds. According to Verywell Mind, you will know you have this type of intelligence if you remember melodies easily, enjoy playing an instrument, and have a knack for patterns in music.
If you find yourself in this category, consider a career as a musician, composer, DJ, or conductor.
Interpersonal Intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence relates to your ability to socialize and connect with other people, stressed the career website Indeed. Those with high levels of this type of intelligence naturally empathize with others and understand how people feel.
Interpersonal intelligence can help in a range of professions including medicine, social work, politics, education, and psychology.
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Would you describe yourself as introspective? You may have high levels of intrapersonal intelligence. This type of intelligence has to do with self-awareness of your own emotions and motivations, according to North Carolina State University.
Intrapersonal intelligence especially helps in academic careers that require reflection and theorizing such as philosophy, psychology, or science.
Naturalistic Intelligence
When Howard Gardner first published his book in 1983, he identified seven types of intelligence. Later, in the mid-1990s, Gardner went on to add the eighth: naturalistic intelligence, according to the website The Second Principle.
Think of it as “nature smarts,” the ability to connect with the earth or to recognize patterns in the natural world, like the changing of seasons or phases of the moon. Those with “nature smarts” excel in botany and biology or activities like farming, gardening, hunting, camping, and fishing.
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