There’s more than one kind of smart, and way to use it

Intelligence comes in many flavors.

Some of us are stronger in street smarts while others excel in book smarts. There is business acumen, artistic talent, craft skills, emotional intelligence — the varieties are legion.

Nonetheless, we harbor a strong cultural bias toward intellectual aptitude. This fuels our obsession for measuring individuals against fixed standards like IQ scores, GPAs and class rankings, a narrow focus that excludes a vast array of talents and abilities.

This shows how enamored we are with our predilection for abstract thinking, the sort most often employed in intellectual pursuits and one distinguishing us from other animals. This underpins our claim that we are the smartest creatures on the planet. In view of our penchant for destroying the environment on which we utterly depend for our existence, this is a highly debatable assertion.

While often operating subconsciously, our biases about intelligence influence how we treat each other. For example, some folks despise the kind of smarts found in those who pursue intellectual disciplines, derisively referring to them as “eggheads.”

In turn, intellectual types sometimes dismiss the value of more pragmatic forms of intelligence, such as the body wisdom of an athlete, the survival skills of a homeless person or the aptitude of a manual laborer.

This prejudice in favor of head smarts manifests in our enthusiasm for competing in the intellectual sphere. From spelling bees to Trivial Pursuit to the World Championship of Chess, we are enamored with determining who is smartest.

What’s more, our views on brainpower often shape our romantic relationships. Surveys show many women find intelligence attractive in selecting mates, a tendency anthropologists attribute to a perceived survival advantage. Men, on the other hand, too often feel threatened by an intelligent female. For example, studies show women on debate teams suffer discrimination because of their gender, particularly when they outperform their male counterparts.

Also, people tend to socialize and couple with those of similar intelligence, so there is a clustering effect that reinforces one’s prejudice either for or against various kinds of smarts.

So, why the cultural bias in favor of intellectually smart people? There is evidence that above average intelligence is associated with better health, longevity and a higher standard of living. With some notable exceptions, our economic system rewards intelligence with money and power.

But being book smart can have downsides. With high IQ comes high expectations, and the pressure to accomplish and succeed can be oppressive. Many students feel the weighty demands of parents and teachers based on their lofty IQ scores or GPAs.

Also, there is an increased neuroticism among those of higher intellect. They worry more, have greater anxiety and exhibit heightened emotional vulnerability.

Perhaps the best yardstick for intelligence is not what form it takes, but what we do with our aptitudes and talents, whatever they may be.

As author Napoleon Hill put it, “Action is the real measure of intelligence.”