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John, you have your own distinct brand of smart. As a result, you're
likely more geared toward some types of intelligence than others. The
important thing to remember is that the scores you receive below are an
indication of where you stand today. Everyone possesses the capacity to
improve and change. To help you do just that, Tickle's experts have
provided a series of action steps in each section below to help you
fulfill your potential. But first, let's examine what you're best at.
You've got people smarts! Social intelligence refers to the ability to read
other people and react appropriately. As a result, you probably have a pretty
keen sense of others' motivations most of the time. It's likely that you can
also spot the difference between what people say and what they really mean.
This understanding of behavior and human nature can help you go far. After all, it's been said that it's not what you know, but who you know that counts. And you have a way with people. Your social intelligence may manifest as having the gift for gab, being a top-notch networker, or an excellent listener and friend. However you put this intelligence to work, you're sure to be admired for an abundance of social know-how.
Your greatest strength is Social Intelligence. You scored a 10 out of 10. This means that you scored above 100% of the others who took this test.
Social intelligence refers to the ability to read other people and
understand their intentions and motivations. People with this
intelligence are usually clued in to the differences between what
others say and what they really mean. As a result, socially intelligent
types may sometimes be accused of being mind readers. People who
successfully use this type of intelligence can be masterful
conversationalists. This can be due to a combination of excellent
listening skills and the ability to meaningfully engage others. People
who are socially intelligent can usually make the people around them
feel comfortable and included. They also tend to enjoy interacting with
a variety of people.
Other valuable skills that can come along with social intelligence are
the ability to assert one's own needs, effective conflict resolution
skills, and the gift of being able to solve most problems in a
cooperative fashion. By being able to key in on others' needs —
sometimes more clearly than those people can themselves — socially
intelligent individuals can be highly perceptive. This trait can be a
great boon in business as well as in personal matters.
Because they often feed off their relationships with others, if social
types find themselves without a romantic partner, close family, or a
circle of friends to share their life with, monetary and academic
successes can lose their luster. When it comes to understanding the
mindset of many socially intelligent people, Ralph Waldo Emerson may
have said it best:
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find
the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a
healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know
even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the
meaning of success."
There's evidence that working to optimize social intelligence can even
be beneficial to your health. It's been shown that lonely individuals
are highly susceptible to depression and a variety of other mental and
physical ailments. So by developing a close social network and learning
to be emotionally available and depend on others, you can be not just
happier but healthier, too.
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Although you appear to have a solid grasp on your people skills, the
following activities can help you hone them even further. Because
you've probably noticed that social intelligence is something that can
produce dramatic results, Tickle's team has provided a variety of both
basic and challenging ways you can kick your social intelligence up a
notch.
Start small
- The next time you're at an airport or in the lobby of a building,
take some time to people watch. In studying people's behaviors you can
improve your "people perception." As you notice people relating, ask
yourself the following questions:
(a) What is the relationship between the people speaking to one another?
(b) What emotions are people experiencing?
(c) What sorts of nonverbal gestures are being displayed, and what do these gestures mean?
By coming to understand others movements, speech, and expressions, you
can really become a great reader of people's moods and intentions.
- Smile more often. People are much more apt to respond warmly to you when they think they will be received well.
- Generate positivity. Avoid chances to criticize, complain, or
judge others harshly. Remember the adage, "If you don't have something
nice to say, don't say it at all?" It's one that's put to good use by
people with high social intelligence.
Challenge yourself
- Try to become aware of the signals that your behavior and body
language convey to others. For example, if your coworkers frequently
ask you if something is wrong or why you're upset, it's a cue that you
need to take a closer look at yourself. Do you walk around the office
with a long face or a constantly slouched posture? If so, you may be
communicating that you're unhappy or something is wrong even if you
don't intend to do so.
- Although it's an easy thing to do, resist the urge to talk
about yourself. Generally, sharing your thoughts and feelings can be a
good thing. However, it's important to make an effort to expand
conversations to more general topics and to ask polite questions about
others. That way the people you're speaking with won't feel excluded or
unimportant. This focus also helps you avoid disclosing too much
personal information. No one is saying that you need to be
close-mouthed or secretive. Just remember that when it comes to talking
about your private life, sometimes less is more.
- Learn how to disagree gracefully. Having a different point of
view from others isn't a problem unless you make it so. If you find
yourself repeating your points or trying to persuade someone with no
success, know when to quit and agree to disagree. If the point or
disagreement is an important one, seek to truly understand the other
person so you can find common ground. When you're able to compromise,
both of you can be satisfied.
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Social intelligence
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This trait centers on successfully decoding interpersonal cues to respond to others with empathy. |
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Physical intelligence
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This trait involves the ability to control and direct body movements for achievement or expression. |
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Logical/mathematical intelligence
(aka "reasoning/numbers smarts") |
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This trait involves higher-order thinking through abstract and numerical reasoning. |
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Personal intelligence
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This means being in tune with your inner self through exploring your feelings, values, and ideas. |
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Visual/spatial intelligence
(aka "picture smarts") |
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This trait involves accurately forming mental pictures and being able to interpret the physical world. |
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Linguistic intelligence
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This means clearly expressing thoughts and feelings in written or oral form. |
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Most everyone has at least some degree of each of these six
types of intelligence. Yet it's also true that almost no one uses any
one kind of intelligence to its fullest potential. Most of us take
advantage of certain aspects of an intelligence we have but don't
explore its other benefits. As you read the sections below, notice the
ways you're actively using your intelligences today and the ways you
can expand them in the future. The Take Action sections will help you
get started.
Before looking at the details of your remaining intelligences,
you might want to know how we generated this summary of your skills.
While you were answering the test questions, we measured your
intelligence level in six distinct areas: linguistic,
logical/mathematical, personal, physical, social, and visual/spatial.
As you look at your multiple intelligences profile, you may notice that
you can receive the same score on more than one of your intelligences.
Don't worry, that's very common. If some of the intelligences share the
same score, it simply means that you're equally good at all of those
skills.
Here's how your intelligences profile is ranked. First, we calculated
your overall score for each intelligence. The higher the score, the
higher it is ranked in your intelligences profile. If you receive the
same score on more than one type of intelligence, our researchers then
looked at how difficult
it is for people to get high scores on those different areas. They then
ranked those competing intelligences in order of difficulty.
You scored a 10 out of 10 on Physical Intelligence. This means that you scored above 100% of the others who took this test.
When most of us think of physical intelligence, we think of dancers and
athletes. Indeed, athletic prowess, physical grace, and control of the
body for achievement or expression are each important aspects of this
kind of intelligence. However, another important facet is the use of
fine motor skills such as hand-eye coordination for activities like
surgery, carpentry, and painting.
Very few people can accomplish the highest levels of physical
intelligence, and those who do — whether sports heroes or heart
surgeons — are usually both admired and paid handsomely for it. Yet
everyone can benefit enormously from improving our intelligence in this
realm. Until recently, physical intelligence was something that had
been devalued in our society, mostly as a result of the industrial
revolution. Once people developed machines to do tasks like farming and
metal work, people's physical abilities in these areas were pushed
aside.
Fortunately today, medical research demonstrates the importance of
physical activity and maintaining a mind-body connection. It's been
found that the more people use their bodies and preserve their physical
capabilities, the more their thinking can improve, as well. Physical
intelligence isn't just about muscle and athleticism. There are a
variety of skills that can be worked on when it comes to improving
physical intelligence including strength, endurance, flexibility,
balance, dexterity, expressiveness, coordination, and good reflexes
(Armstrong, 1999). People who use this type of intelligence frequently
come to see their bodies as a source of joy, along with the added bonus
of suffering less from stress and certain types of disease.
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With all the talk in the media about the importance of physical fitness
and an active lifestyle, you probably understand the value of some
aspects of physical intelligence by now. In fact, based on your score,
it's evident that you've put emphasis on this intelligence in your own
life already. As a result, Tickle's experts are making the stakes in
this area higher by giving you a variety of physical challenges.
Because physical intelligence can be easily measured, you'll be able to
appreciate your progress as you go.
Start small
- So long as you don't have any specific physical limitations, try
working on your flexibility. One way to test your present level of
flexibility is by seeing if, while holding your arms straight, you can
make the palms of your hands touch each other behind your back.
Practice daily until you can do so. Or for a more in-depth challenge,
consider trying out a beginner yoga class at your local gym.
- Breathing is crucial to health and fitness. Yet did you know
that most of us breathe incorrectly? Correct breathing is accomplished
by inhaling deeply and expanding your abdomen so that your diaphragm
moves downward. This way, air flows into your lungs more effectively.
When you breathe out the diaphragm moves upward so that the air is
pushed out of the lungs. Try concentrating on your breathing for at
least five minutes per day.
- If you don't already, try to make simple exercises a part of
your daily routine. Consider adding a 30-minute speed walk or floor
exercise session to your schedule. You'll be amazed by what even these
short workouts can accomplish when you stick to them.
Challenge yourself
- Increase your strength, reflexes, and balance by taking a martial
arts or a self-defense course. If there's not one available in your
area, try to find yourself a good at home martial arts workout video
instead.
- Go out dancing! Whether in a class or at a club, it can be fun
to express yourself physically. Don't worry if you're not great at
first; there'll be lots of other beginners. No matter what type of
dance you choose (e.g., salsa, ballroom, tap, jazz), it can increase
your grace and coordination.
- Get a complete fitness evaluation by a personal trainer. Once
you've discussed your goals and determined your fitness level, you can
develop a regimen that increases particular strengths or works on
weaknesses.
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You scored a 9 out of 10 on Logical/Mathematical Intelligence. This means that you scored above 90% of the others who took this test.
People
with a high level of logical/mathematical intelligence are generally
great problem solvers who are able to both think critically and analyze
data. Individuals who have this intelligence also tend to see the world
as a logical place. This is probably true because they're usually so
skilled at picking up the patterns all around them. Whether it's a
scientist noticing a repeated behavior in one of her subjects or a
mathematician using patterns of numbers to solve a theorem, this type
of intelligence can be extremely handy in intellectual pursuits.
However, there are also plenty of everyday uses for
logical/mathematical intelligence. For example, whether you're reading
the financial pages or the sports section, the newspaper is typically
filled with data and statistics for you to interpret. Indeed, it's hard
to grasp the complexities of important scientific, social, economic, or
political issues if you can't understand the information given. Life is
also filled with plenty of opportunities to use applied math. Balancing
your checkbook, bargain shopping, and even gambling demand some level
of logical/mathematical intelligence. When it comes to money, people
who are logically/mathematically intelligent typically have the benefit
of being better able to manage their own finances. They also have a leg
up on understanding the factors that affect their investments.
As learners, people who are strong in this type of intelligence
comprehend things most effectively through trial and error rather than
through verbal instruction or visual diagrams. In particular, if given
a problem to solve, logical/mathematical people will usually prefer to
test out solutions themselves rather than to be told or shown what the
right answer is. Moreover, people who use this intelligence can be
stronger than most other people are at weighing the merits of different
arguments. By looking at facts critically, these individuals are good
at forming their own conclusions — an ability that can make them great
business leaders and first-rate independent thinkers.
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Your above-average score indicates that you already use this
intelligence effectively in your life. As a result, Tickle has provided
you with some ways to improve your intelligence so that you reach the
top of your ability. The following action steps will help you to
increase your familiarity and adeptness with numbers and scientific
concepts. They'll do this by helping you focus on topics that probably
aren't typically part of your life, as well as by working math into
your daily routine.
Start small
- Buy or borrow a high school math textbook — anything from algebra
to geometry or trigonometry — and reacquaint yourself with concepts
that you might not have fully understood the first time around.
- If you're not already a regular viewer, try to spend a couple
hours a week watching scientific programming on the Discovery Channel,
the Learning Channel, or PBS. By watching programs that talk about
scientific concepts and explain different discoveries, you can improve
your logic and deductive reasoning capabilities.
- Make it a priority to visit science and technology museums on
occasion to better understand the concepts that underpin both
scientific advancements and the natural world.
Challenge yourself
- Read about a mathematical or scientific concept and then teach it to someone else less knowledgeable than you are.
- Learn a computer programming language such as BASIC, C, or
PASCAL. Picking up one of these languages is not only a marketable job
skill, but it can also help you hone your logical and pattern
recognition abilities.
- Subscribe to a popular science journal such as Science, Psychology Today, Omni, or Scientific American to keep up with the latest discoveries and research.
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You scored a 9 out of 10 on Personal Intelligence. This means that you scored above 90% of the others who took this test.
People with a high level of personal intelligence aren't afraid to ask
themselves life's big questions: "Why am I here?" or "What's the
meaning of life?" These issues are everyday fare for people using their
personal intelligence. By being willing to explore the unknown,
personally intelligent people can seem positively fearless to those
who'd rather focus on simpler, more concrete issues. It's true: Asking
deep questions that may have no definitive answers can be scary at
times. However, by delving into these existential places, personally
intelligent types can become very in tune with their feelings, values,
and ideals. It's a kind of self-knowledge that people with less of this
intelligence rarely experience.
After all, getting to know who you are and understanding your place in
this world should not be things left only to philosophers,
psychologists, and religious scholars. Developing a solid sense of
yourself can be crucial to nurturing self-esteem and a positive
self-image. People who score high on personal intelligence are
typically comfortable expressing the full spectrum of their emotions.
They are also generally in tune with their conscious and unconscious
feelings. Perhaps most importantly, people with a high degree of this
intelligence appear not just to recognize their own emotions, but the
underlying causes for them, as well. This can make personally
intelligent people very self-reliant and able to improve their own
lives.
People who are personally intelligent seem to realize that it's not so
important what the answers to life's big questions are, but that the
questions are being asked. By forcing yourself to face who you are, you
can begin to accept
who you are, as well. Possessing inner peace can make what others think
of you matter much less. In activating personal intelligence to its
fullest, you can effectively enrich your life. This is true because in
many ways, this kind of intelligence represents an integration of your
mind and heart.
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Personal intelligence is never completely achieved. In fact, this
particular type of intelligence needs to be practiced on a consistent
basis in order to be maintained. Based on your score, it's apparent
that you use this type of intelligence to some extent already. With
this in mind, below our research team has offered a variety of
exercises to help you expand your self-knowledge. Try them out to see
which ones most positively enhance your personal intelligence.
Start small
- Get to know yourself by writing your own biography. If you're
having a hard time getting the hang of writing about yourself, read a
biography of someone you admire first. Once properly inspired, the
writing may more easily.
- Practice being alone with your thoughts. Learn to enjoy
silence. Many people avoid dealing with themselves by always having
some type of distraction around them — TV, music, other people. Try
spending 20 to 30 minutes of quiet time to yourself each day.
- Do something that makes you happy at least once a day. Pet
your cat. Take a run. Play with a niece or nephew. Whatever you choose
to do, make sure that you're giving yourself time to enjoy your life
and the things and people around you.
Challenge yourself
- Forgive someone unconditionally for what they have done to you.
Understand that your negative feelings are only weighing you down.
Better yet, forgive yourself for something that you've done and that
you truly regret. You'll be surprised the weight that can be lifted
from you when you practice forgiveness.
- Is there something you always wanted to do but have always
been afraid to try — like rock climbing, taking a dance class, or even
going on a safari? Remember that where there's a will, there's a way.
Take a little time to do some research and bolster your
self-confidence. Once you start charting out a concrete plan you may
find that the goal isn't so unreachable after all.
- Find ways to strengthen your spirit. Whether it's through
practicing your religion or some type of philosophy, find ways to feel
connected with yourself and with nature. Some people feel at peace with
themselves in a house of worship, such as a church, mosque, temple, or
synagogue. Others go to a park or garden, or simply take a walk to seek
spiritual refuge. Wherever you go, you can strengthen your personal
intelligence by taking time to reflect and be thankful.
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You scored a 9 out of 10 on Visual/Spatial Intelligence. This means that you scored above 90% of the others who took this test.
People with visual/spatial intelligence have the interesting ability of
being able to form high-quality mental images and even manipulate those
pictures to form new things. Visual/spatial abilities can include being
able to visualize accurate representations of existing objects and
having the skill to imagine detailed original designs or scenes. In the
career world, this can make visual/spatial types great at everything
from mechanical engineering to interior design.
People with this intelligence typically have a high level of attention
to detail and are well in touch with their surroundings. As a result,
visually/spatially intelligent people can make great hunters because
they tend to notice even small changes in their physical environment —
a key when tracking prey. They're also the kinds of individuals you'd
want in control of the map on a road trip. Visual/spatial intelligence
can make people great with directions.
In addition, people with strong visual/spatial intelligence typically
love aesthetics. They can usually find beauty in both manmade and
natural things. Appreciating a sunset, noticing how patterns and colors
fit together to make a great outfit, and having at least a passing
knowledge of architecture and design are all different ways that their
love of beauty can manifest.
People who use this type of intelligence tend to think in pictures
rather than numbers or words. As a result, those who score relatively
high on visual/spatial intelligence are better at learning concepts
when seeing charts, pictures, or diagrams rather than hearing a
lecture. Overall, using this type of intelligence can enrich your life
because it requires a vivid imagination. Indeed, by forming creative
mental images and really seeing the things around you, you can make the
world a more wondrous place.
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The activities below are designed to help you to exercise your spatial
skills and further advance your imagination and visual abilities. Each
task focuses on a different aspect of visual/spatial intelligence.
Begin with something basic. Then challenge yourself to expand your
talents even more.
Start small
- Try rearranging the furniture in one room of your house. Begin by
visualizing how the new layout will look, draw it, and then move things
around to see how you like the new look.
- When walking or driving to a familiar destination, take a new
route to familiarize yourself with different paths and how they fit
together.
- Listen to classical music; it's known to increase visual/spatial skills.
Challenge yourself
- Next time you need to learn or teach a new concept, try creating a graph or a diagram to convey the information.
- Check out your local college or community center to sign up
for a class in photography, sculpting, or drawing to explore your
visual creativity.
- Either take an orienteering class or learn to master using a
compass and your surroundings so that you can hike on your own. It will
help you become more attuned to your surroundings.
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You scored a 6 out of 10 on Linguistic Intelligence. This means that you scored above 60% of the others who took this test.
Generally,
people with a high degree of linguistic intelligence have a greater
gift for expressing themselves than most other people do. In fact,
linguistically intelligent people often become known as real wordsmiths
among their friends and colleagues. Whether their skills center on
having the gift of gab or the ability to turn an elegant phrase,
linguistically intelligent types know how to get a point across with
precision and flair. Poets, thespians, writers, and public speakers are
among the people who rely heavily on linguistic intelligence.
At times, having this type of intelligence can make for very persuasive
communication. By choosing the right words at the right time,
linguistic intelligence can help people clearly express their ideas,
thoughts, and feelings to others. This can be a crucial skill in both
professional and personal life. Linguistically talented people are
often able to tailor their communication to a variety of audiences.
Many also seem to know when subtlety is more appropriate than being
overly direct.
Think about the people in your life who can tell a great story or who
have others in stitches when telling a joke. That's linguistic
intelligence, too. It's a skill that can make people a real hit in
social situations. By crafting vivid descriptions and emotional
language, people with linguistic intelligence can keep an audience
riveted.
People who score relatively high on this intelligence tend to think in
words instead of pictures. As a result, when it comes to learning
something, they're better able to understand verbal explanations than
charts or drawings. Studying the origins of words, slang, and metaphors
can also be intriguing to those who score high on this intelligence. As
for leisure time, when linguistic types are not telling stories
themselves, they might be found curled up with a good book. Typically
lovers of the written word, linguistically intelligent people can be
voracious readers.
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You've already got a better handle on this type of intelligence than
most people do, but there's always room for improvement. The action
points below can help you to make your written and verbal communication
skills more varied, specific, and engaging. Start small and work up.
Start small
- Dust off your dictionary, and use it to learn five new words a
week. You'd be amazed at how many words you've probably never even
seen. For an added challenge, consider buying a book on verbal
expressions like metaphors or quotations to familiarize yourself with
new expressions. Once you've got them down, try working them into
conversations.
- If you remember your dreams, keep a dream journal next to your
bed, and each morning take a few minutes to capture them as vividly as
possible on paper.
- If you don't already own one, stop by your local library or
bookstore to pick up some books on tape. As you listen to them, take
careful note of how narrators bring the stories to life.
Challenge yourself
- Try writing a nonfiction story with a standard plot line. Standard
plot lines usually consist of an introduction, rising action, the
climax or turning point, falling action, and a resolution. Books are
available on this topic if you need help.
- Try to write a poem that encapsulates how you felt when you did something on your own for the first time.
- Think about a funny experience you've had and practice telling
it out loud in front of a mirror in the most dramatic and amusing way
possible. Once you're comfortable, try it out on your friends or
family.
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We
can all use a little inspiration. Check out how these visionaries put
their different types of intelligence to work. The list below is a
perfect example of how important each type of intelligence really is.
If everyone were simply book-smart, where would we all be today?
Dr. Phil McGraw: Author and therapist
Dr. John Gottman: Researcher and marriage counselor
Barbara Walters: Journalist and talk show host
Twyla Tharp: Choreographer and dancer
Lance Armstrong: Bike racer
Dr. Christiaan Barnard: Surgeon of first heart transplant
Erno Rubik: Inventor of the Rubik's Cube
John Nash: Mathematician
Suze Orman: Financial advisor
Dalai Lama: Tibetan spiritual leader
Deepak Chopra: Spiritual guru
Oprah Winfrey: Talk show host
Dale Chihuly: Glassblower and artist
Maya Lin: Architect of the Civil Rights and Vietnam Veteran's Memorials
Charles and Ray Eames: Furniture designers
Amy Tan: Writer
Pablo Neruda: Poet
Tony Kushner: Playwright
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Fortunately, the field of assessing intelligence has come a long way
from measuring the size of our skulls. However, even 50 years ago,
traditional beliefs about intelligence indicated that people's capacity
for learning was fixed. In other words, the prevailing view was that
you're either born smart or you're not. Furthermore, measuring
intelligence was almost completely limited to how well you performed on
logic and math tests.
But fast-forward to the early 1980s, and you would have found Dr.
Howard Gardner advocating a new way of looking at intelligence. His
influential theory of multiple intelligences helped educational
psychologists and others to broaden their thinking about what it means
to be smart. According to Gardner, thinking about intelligence needed
to acknowledge more than one form of intelligence. To describe the many
dimensions Gardner felt made up intelligence, he coined the term
multiple intelligences. His theory centers on the idea that
intelligence is made up of at least seven to nine distinct abilities.
It also postulates that all human beings possess a number of types of
intelligence in varying amounts. What's more is that Gardner believed
people's intelligence could be improved.
To help you put Gardner's theory in action, Tickle created the Multiple
Intelligences test. While Gardner looked at up to nine different areas
of intelligence, Tickle's test focuses on what we feel to be the core
six: linguistic, visual/spatial, logical/mathematical, physical (or as
Gardner called it, "body"), social (Gardner termed it "interpersonal"),
and personal (Gardner used the term "intrapersonal").
We hope this test helps you understand that you no longer need to be
judged by strict and narrow standards of what it means to be smart.
Instead, you can start to appreciate the many ways that you and others
are intelligent. If you'd like to learn more about this topic, Tickle's
research team suggests the references below for future reading.
Armstrong, T. (1999). 7 Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences. NY: Plume.
Arnheim, R. (1983). Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. Berkeley, CA: University of CA Press.
Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence Reframed. NY: Basic Books.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. NY: Basic Books.
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