The 3 Types of Intelligence That Impact Your Success

How many types of intelligence are there? Some experts claim there are two while others claim nine! Which types matter for success and happiness? There are three types of intelligence that have a significant impact on your success, and the first one doesn’t matter very much. Fortunately, you can influence the two types of intelligence that matter the most.

Build the critical types of intelligence and experience more success:

1. Pure IQ is the common type of intelligence we all know. This is the type of intelligence that “smart” people have. When you think of Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, you’re talking about this type of intelligence. Those with a high intelligence quotient tend to:

• Learn more quickly.
• Have more employment options available, since they can successfully deal with a wider range of college majors. Not everyone can become a physician or astrophysicist. But a high IQ won’t help you be a better real estate agent than someone with average intelligence.
• See the relationships between seemingly unrelated fields and concepts.
• But high IQ and success aren’t always correlated. There are many intelligent people unable to hold a job that meets their intellectual capacity and are underemployed. Clearly, more is needed than just a high IQ to be successful.

2. Emotional intelligence can be more important than intellectual intelligence. What good is knowing a lot of information if you can’t control yourself or relate to others effectively? Those with high emotional intelligence can identify and deal with emotions in themselves. They are also able to detect and respond accordingly to emotional displays by others.

• Those with high emotional intelligence are viewed as “normal people.” They don’t have temper tantrums, they can pick up on social cues, and they can manage their own emotions.
• A lack of emotional intelligence can create numerous challenges.Those that lack emotional intelligence can be impatient, frustrated, hurt the feelings of others, and act like a bull in a china shop. They fail to temper their emotions or see how others will interpret their actions and words.
• Those with high emotional intelligence are frequently more successful than those with a high IQ. There are few fields that require a high IQ to be competitive. There are other qualities that matter far more.

3. Social intelligence is the ability to act appropriately in social situations. It’s the ability to do and say appropriate things in the proper context. For example, someone being loud at a wedding or cursing at a company Christmas party isn’t displaying a high level of social intelligence. Being too informal with a stranger or an authority figure also shows a lack of social intelligence.

What can you do to enhance these three types of intelligence?

It’s generally believed that you can’t change your IQ. However, you can always learn more. You can easily increase the amount of information you possess. You can learn public speaking skills, geometry, or how to speak Swedish.

Emotional intelligence and social intelligence can be improved quickly. You can enhance your social skills, emotional skills, and learn appropriate behavior for different settings. Many books have been written about emotional and social intelligence. You can learn these skills in the comfort of your own home, but you must practice them in the real world to make them your own.

Learn what you need to know to be knowledgeable in your area of interest. Also, perfect your emotional and social intelligence. A lack of these two types of intelligence can have a negative impact on the results you create in your life.