I was recently reading a Reddit post of someone who seemed to be younger, wondering how they can improve their intelligence. As I was writing a response, I realized this would be a good blog post. So here’s my framework for how I think about intelligence in case it helps anyone.

Using an IQ test to measure intelligence is like using a basketball hoop to see who can dunk, a doorway to see who can walk through it, and a limbo bar to measure height. In other words, we’re creating some semi-random tests that are correlated with height to measure it in the same way the questions on an IQ test correlate with testing some forms of intelligence.

Instead, I’d suggest thinking about intelligence differently. First, I’d look at Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence’s to understand that intelligence comes in many different forms and each is an independent skill that can be built up. For example, with enough time, most people can learn the piano and boost their musical intelligence.

Second, think of intelligence as knowledge that compounds over time. In order to learn, we usually need to attach the new idea to some old idea we know. So, as we know more things, we can learn new things, and that makes the growth rate of knowledge compound over time. Kind of like compounding interest when you invest.

To add to this, I typically think of intelligence as the combination of 3 different aspects. The first is about knowledge, which is kind of like the number of facts you know. The second thing I think about is being “smart,” which is how long does it take me to learn a new fact, pattern, or skill? The third is about knowing the right time to apply it, which I call “wisdom”. This is important because as useful as it is to know or be able to do a bunch of things, it’s only beneficial if you can apply it in everyday life. Wisdom helps me regulate what stuff I need to remember versus what’s okay to forget.

For example, I normally don’t need to hold onto the details about how to replace a specific part in my car would go (knowledge). I can easily re-look it up using my phone at any time (smart). So it’s not worth remembering myself unless I’m going to need to use it daily. However, it is useful to remember how to use a screwdriver (knowledge) so I can remove it and also having a basic understanding of how engines work is useful in case I need to diagnose which car part to fix (wisdom).

With my framework for applying Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, I’ll leave you with the one question that’s most important to me: What skill or new piece of knowledge do I want to invest my time in next to learn something new? The answer to that is almost always driven by whatever motivates me at any given moment. Every new problem I work on is a chance to build my intelligence just a little bit more.