#74 - Unlocking Your Superpower: The Eight Intelligences That Shape Us

In this episode, we are featuring the book Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner. In today's episode we will consider the difference between intelligence and cognition. We will explore eight different types of intelligence and how these show up in our daily lives individually and collectively. 

Dare you to Move - Switchfoot

Dare you to Move - Adam Doleac

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Transcript

"Hello Everyone! Welcome to The Game of Life Podcast; I am Alexandria Burek and I am your host.

Thank you for picking my show; you will find this show is a blend of personal stories and life lessons covering a wide–and I mean wide–range of topics that are designed to help you live life a little better everyday; my goal in sharing these personal stories, wins, whatever it may be is always to inspire you–my life is so radically different even I am a bit amazed at the transformation that's taken place over the last 3 years. With that, no better time to get into it than the present. 

In this episode, we are featuring the book Frames of Mind by Howard Gardner. In today's episode we will consider the difference between intelligence and cognition. We will explore eight different types of intelligence and how these show up in our daily lives individually and collectively. 

 Before we dive into the heart of the episode, I will kick it off with a little personal update. 

Personal Update:

My goal with the personal update is to put my money where my mouth is and lead by example. I’ll share three personal wins, sprinkle in some gratitude, drop a new original thought and leave you guys with a song I love (link will be in the show notes). 

Wins: 

First, I have to say, I cannot believe what I accomplished in the last week. I changed my first toilet seat, laid 100 bags of mulch, planted 50 plants, made 3 weeks of dog food, ripped up 450 square feet of carpet, replaced my dryer vent, produced this podcast, booked a work and fun trip, started my first ongoing consulting project, ran several miles, lifted weights, made 20+ trades, and that is in addition to my job.    

Second, I got peace with something that has been really eating away at me. My relationship with my sister is turbulent at best, and I’ve been really tormented by it for what seems like my whole life. Last night, during my wind down routine, I finally got at peace with our relationship or lack there of one. What brought me this peace was reflecting on the lessons and things I have learned as a result of our relationship.  

Third, after a serious win streak in day trading, I decided I want to level up another notch and go really hardcore all in on it. I set a very aggressive goal for myself. I am really challenged but its forcing me to learn and level up in ways I wasn’t required to when I first started. At this point in my life, I kind of like when I am struggling, because I know I am growing and gaining so much. Then again, I have sadist tendencies. 

Gratitude: As I was wrapping up with my landscaping project, I chose not to listen to music or a podcast and just enjoy the bird song before sunset and I got to hear owls. One of my FAVORITE sounds in this world is listening to owls. It feels like a warm hug to me. I just love it and I am so grateful that I have a place where I can hear owls. 

Original Thought: So this week is an original thought inspired by one of my favorites Robert Green during his appearance on the Diary of a CEO podcast. He said something that inspired me to think, how can turn this advice into something actionable, and the result is this weeks original thought: Create a list of 3-5 confidence cues for yourself–these are memories or situations in which you did something great and felt amazing. Use that before you go into a big meeting or embark on a new journey that excites, or scares you. 

Feature song of the week. This week’s song is Dare You to Move, the original by Switchfoot and then the remake by Adam Doleac. I chose this song because it resonates with my adolescence and adulthood at the same time. When I hear this song I am instantly brought back to a middle school dance singing my heart out; when I listen now as an adult, I hear something completely different. As a kid, I thought of this as a love song, as an adult, I see now they were talking about what it means to look in the mirror, at the life you’ve created, and realize that only you can change it. 

Food For Thought: 

Book & Author: 

Book: Frames of Mind 

Author: Howard Gardner 

How I found it: 

This is one of the books Robert Green regularly recommends. I was drawn to it because I believe I am neurodivergent. Likely ADHD with a dash of something else thats flown under the radar, but is there and unknown to me. I was not good at school. I honestly grew up thinking I sucked at life, that I was not smart, and that I did not like reading. TURNS OUT. None of that’s true–I am just wired different. SO. I was interested to see what this book might have to say about that.  

Who It's For: 

This book is for the academic community, specifically educators. I personally could not read it cover to cover, but I did read what was interesting to me, enough so that I could have a thoughtful conversation about the idea of multiple intelligences. I would say, I wished this author wrote two books: one for academia (which was obviously the intended audience) and one for the general public. What I do want to honor, is the authors noble cause and call to action for educators to radically rethink intelligence and how it is measured within the institution of education–we need more people taking this stand. 

The Takeaways: 

In today’s episode, I will give a brief overview of what this book generally has to offer while spending a majority of the time highlighting the six intelligences the author outlines in addition to two bonus intelligences I came across not covered in the book, but interesting and relevant. 

This book is based on the idea that intelligence takes on multiple forms of expression; while one person can be linguistically gifted, another can be exceptional in logical-mathematical realms and so on. What I love so much is that Gartner argues that one intelligence is not superior to the other. I would go so far as to say that the multiple intelligences are complimentary and that they aid in creating the melody of life.   

In this book the author goes into great detail about the history, biology and evolution of intelligence before he goes on to explain what intelligence is and what the six intelligences are. If you are interested in that jazz–I suggest you read the book, we are cutting to the chase today.  

We need to distinguish the difference between intelligence and cognition for this episode to be meaningful. 

Cognition, in this context, refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring, processing, and applying knowledge, such as perception, memory, problem-solving, and reasoning. Gardner’s theory suggests that cognition operates differently across the different intelligences. 

Intelligence is defined as a unique way of processing information and solving problems. 

Now that we’ve covered the concept of the book, and differentiated between intelligence and cognition, I am excited to take a closer look at 8 different intelligences, 6 coming from the book and the other two proposed later after the concept of multiple intelligences gained popularity and consideration.  

First is Linguistic Intelligence which can be explained as the ability to process and produce language effectively via reading, writing, storytelling and so on. The cognition here involves verbal reasoning, syntax processing, and semantic understanding. 

In the book the author makes the case for four unique ways linguistic intelligence shaped society. First is the rhetorical aspect–using language to convince others of a particular course of action. Second is the capacity to use language as a method to assist with remembering information; the author cites the usefulness of language to help us remember things like directions, our possessions, rules of a game, and operating procedures. The third way is through explanation. Much of teaching and language comes through language. Fourth relates to metalinguistic analysis, the use of language to reflect on language itself.    

Irrelevant, but a notably interesting fact I highlighted was that, the author cites that Albert Einstein was said to develop late linguistically, but some argue that this might have contributed to his unconventional views of the world. 

Could you be predominantly linguistically intelligent? How do you express yourself? Is it through writing, storytelling or speeches? Do you find it helpful in memorizing things to tie it to a story or specific words? Do you find yourself easily coming up with or identifying rhymes? Perhaps you are fascinated with metaphors or exploring language? 

Second is Musical Intelligence which can be explained as sensitivity to sound, rhythm, and pitch expressed as composing, playing instruments, and things of that nature. The cognition in musical intelligence includes auditory processing, pattern detection in music, and emotional resonance with sound.

The author cites American Composer Harold Shapero who describes the musical mind as concerned with tonal memory, noting that someone with musical intelligence needs to collect a variety of tonal experience before it can begin to function creatively. The author emphasizes the composer's notion that the tonal memory of the composer has been compounded and integrated with emotional experiences, and is stored in the subconscious waiting to be recalled and used in future creations.  

To some of us, who are not gifted with musical intelligence, this concept seems foreign and almost incomprehensible, however, this gives us a peek behind the curtain of the musical minds that create the very songs we get lost in.

If you naturally notice rhythms, melodies, or patterns in sounds, you might have more musical intelligence than you give yourself credit for or even realize. Do certain songs or sounds evoke strong emotions or vivid memories for you? In our family its common that songs relate to memories or situations and you could make an argument that people who experience this have a higher degree of musical intelligence than the average person. Less abstract, but most relevant, do you enjoy composing music? Are you a creator of melodies or find composing songs interesting? 

Third is Logical-Mathematical Intelligence which is the capacity for abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, and problem-solving evidence by someone's ability to do math and solve logic puzzles naturally. The cognition required for logical-mathematical intelligence includes deductive and inductive reasoning, numerical processing, and hypothesis testing.

Outside of what I expected to be covered in this section, the author shares that people with Logical-Mathematical intelligence are excellent at categorization. Early signs of Logical-Mathematical intelligence is this ability to categorize, or recognize that items belong in a class or a set. As the child develops, they are able to start recognizing quantitative aspects of these groupings. 

If you love solving puzzles or find yourself doing random math problems due to curiosity you might be more mathematical-logical minded. People who are inclined mathematically will find themselves solving logical problems for fun–is this you? How about pattern recognition–like the example we covered–does that happen naturally? For me, I am always organizing things into groups and categorizing them–I thought this was just obvious to people, but the more I do it, and especially in exploring these multiple intelligences I am thinking I may have been downplaying it. How about your approach to problem solving? Do you test ideas? Do you work through things step by step? If so you might be more mathematically or logically inclined than you think. 

Fourth is Spatial Intelligence which is the ability to visualize and manipulate spatial relationships and is seen in people who can easily manage navigation or are advanced in art and architecture. The cognition seen in people with spatial intelligence includes vivid mental imagery, keen spatial orientation, and object manipulation in the mind.

This was one of the more interesting and personally applicable forms of intelligence to read about. The author includes these figures where you have to find the identical item, but it is rotated or inverted. According to Gardner, this is one of the most commonly and vastly studied forms of intelligence. The author notes that, this type of intelligence is located in the right hemisphere of the brain–making a person with Spacial Intelligence right brain dominant–and that any damage to the right side of the brain would dramatically impair a persons ability to objects, faces, and scenes. 

If you think spatial intelligence might be more your speed, my question to you is, do you find it easy to visualize objects or scenes? Are you especially good at drawing or designing? Are you often the one people put in charge of navigating? Can you visualize maps or or routes in your mind? Are you able to notice when objects are rotated or flipped? Do you find it easy to spot differences in shapes or patterns?

Fifth is Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence which is control over physical movement and touch and is seen in dancers, athletes, and especially surgeons. Cognition displayed by individuals with advanced Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence involves advanced motor planning, sensory-motor integration, and tactile processing.

To describe how a person with Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence thinks, Gardner highlights an insight shared by Martha Graham, one of the most premier modern dancers, who said, “I often remarked on the extreme difficulty of having any kind of conversation with most dancers which has any logical cohesiveness–their mind just jump around (maybe like my body)--the logic–such as it is–occurs on the level of motor activity. 

If that sounds like you, you might possess this special bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. This is you if you feel most alive when you are moving, or dancing, or playing sports, or working with your hands. If you are skilled at tasks requiring precision, like crafting, surgery, or athletic maneuvers, you might want to explore other expressions of this form of intelligence. 

Sixth is Personal Intelligence which covers a vast range of areas that can be broken down into subgroups. It’s possible that these will be broken up into their own intelligences in the future. I think of this through the lens of internal versus external. On the internal side you have self-awareness, reflection, metacognition–which is basically thinking about thinking–emotional insight and self-monitoring. Cognitively speaking you see this manifest as self-regulation, goal setting, and self monitoring. On the external side you have your ability to understand and interact with others evidenced by people who are natural born leaders and teachers in their respective fields. This is seen as having an enhanced cognitive ability to tune into social situations, express empathy, and interpret nonverbal cues.  

The author selected psychologist NK Humphrey’s take to illustrate his take on the evolutionary purpose of personal intelligence, stating that social intelligence was developed to cope with local problems of interpersonal relationships.

I have a sense that I have a strong dose of personal intelligence (hence this podcast). If you’re like me, and have a strong sense of personal intelligence, you are likely highly aware of your own emotions and motivations, often reflecting on your goals or feelings. You probably find it easy, almost too easy, to read people’s moods or intentions, like knowing when someone needs support without them saying anything. Maybe you are just the life of the party and you thrive in social settings, or its natural for you to lead or teach others with a natural confidence. 

Again these next two did not come from the book but I find them interesting and relevant to what we talk about here on this show. 

Seventh is Naturalist Intelligence which is the unique ability to recognize and categorize natural phenomena–think biology and environmental awareness. The cognition required for this type of intelligence would be pattern recognition in nature and classification skills.

This type of intelligence is to create a category for the people who have a passion for studying or cultivating plants. Or for people who are inclined to identify specific animals or natural patterns–think modern day bird watchers or veterinarians or even farmers–these people are designed for that type of work. 

This could be you if you love to organize or observe and research natural phenomena. Maybe you’re particularly interested in tracking weather–I still can’t believe there are people who chase tornadoes, those people must fall into this category. One of my friends is a successful landscaper and I noted his attention to detail (he is incredible type a) but also he seems to have a natural passion for plants and he studies weather patterns, which I feel is not all that common for your everyday landscaper–I mean this guy knows the weather patterns, the level of detail really blew me away. Amongst others, I feel like he might fall into this category. 

Eighth is Existential Intelligence which is the capacity to ponder big questions about existence; this is the type of intelligence we see in philosophers and in those who practice and teach spirituality. For existential intelligence we will see a level of cognition that includes the ability and interest in abstract thinking about meaning and purpose.

When I think about people that fall in this category I think about people who are authors, thought leaders in niche areas of study; I think about philosophers and stoics. I also think about the personal growth, self development communities; these people are very interested in life’s big questions. I might even say that there is a high probability that someone who has a high degree of personal intelligence would also have a strong existential intelligence. 

This could be you if you find yourself pondering big questions, like the meaning of life or the nature of existence? Me personally, I think about this stuff often–like how the stem systems of trees resemble the capillaries in our lungs, or how a trees branches are in a way a mirror of the root system which can be tied back to the universal law of correspondence (as above so is below). Do you find yourself drawn to philosophical or spiritual discussions about purpose and the universe? Do you find comfort or excitement in exploring abstract ideas about humanity’s place in the world? If so, you might just have a high degree of existential intelligence and you might be responsible for uncovering other forms of intelligence that have yet to be discovered. 

Before we close out, I want to leave you a couple thoughts I have beyond what I have already covered: I think we all have some blend or mix of these intelligences; in that unique mix that is us, is likely where our secret gift or superpower comes from, we just need to find a way to tap into it. This concept adds a layer of complexity to the idea that where your passion meets your skills and knowledge is your “purpose” or money maker in life–it could be your unique blend of intelligence is what positions you to do what you do best provided you let those express fully and embrace them. Either way, what I really loved about this book is the way we now get to think about how these different forms of intelligence show up in our lives and create our special magic. 

I will also note that we can use this knowledge in our interactions with those we love and or just simply encounter. For example, when I talk to my best friend, she always cites that my plans lack logic, and I smile, and I think, I don’t need logic, I move through the world in a different Beforeway–she kind of knows this, but she also doesn't fully get it, in the same way that I typically don’t see how her “obviously logical” plan doesn’t seem logical to me–we each have our own unique sets of intelligences–the key is looking at these differences as good, or neutral, versus automatically labeling others who see things differently as “wrong”. I also think of conversations with another friend of mine, who has a much more similar brain, and we are usually jumping and weaving and bouncing all around and we still have a thoughtful, and exciting and certainly interesting conversations that cover many topics from real estate to mindset to parenting to books and anything else interesting in our lives. I say this to say, notice when you are expecting someone to have a similar intelligence as you, and challenge yourself to enjoy and appreciate the different types of intelligences–find ways to make that a positive and expand your view versus approaching it from a judgement or negative point of view. 

Closeout

You guys, I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you can find some fun way to apply this to your life and have more meaningful conversations or interactions with those who cross your path.  

I’d love your thoughts on what I shared today—drop a comment, hit the fanmail link in the show notes to shoot me a text and tell me what’s landing for you! 

Thank you so much for spending this time with me—I hope it’s making your day, and maybe your life, a little better. If you loved this, or even just liked it, please share the show and or give it a 5 star rating! 

Byeeeeeeeeee