Logical-mathematical intelligence: what is it and how to improve it?

Our ability to solve mathematical problems has long been considered the clearest form of expression of our ownintelligence.

The time it took to detect mathematical patterns in series, to solve a mental calculation operation or to answer geometry exercises, used to be measured. Today this ability is still very important when assessing cognitive abilities human beings, but our conception of what intelligence is (or can be) has become broader.

That is why proposals such as the Theory of multiple intelligences, one of whose components is the Logical-mathematical intelligence formulated by the psychologist Howard Gardner.

• To know more: "The 12 types of intelligence: which one do you possess?"

A definition of logical-mathematical intelligence

This type of intelligence can be defined as our capacity for formal reasoning to solve problems related to numbers and the relationships that can be established between them, as well as to think following the rules of logic.

In logical-mathematical Intelligence, mathematics and logic go hand in hand because thinking through both requires following the rules of a

formal system, devoid of content: one plus one equals two, whatever the units with which one works, just as something that is cannot not be, regardless of what it is. In short, be endowed to a greater or lesser extent with logical-mathematical intelligence allows us to recognize and predict causal connections between things that happen (If I add 3 units to these 5, I will get 8 because I have added them, etc.).

The implications that the aforementioned has for our way of thinking and acting are clear. Thanks to this intelligence we are able to think more or less coherently, detect regularities in the relationships between things and reason logically.

It could be said that, beyond our unique way of seeing things and using language in our own way to define things that happen in the world, logical-mathematical intelligence allows us to embrace logical rules that make our thinking can connect with that of others.

Cognitive skills beyond language

It is important to note that this type of intelligence does not directly explain our way of thinking in general, nor our use of language or the interpretation of our own reality. These factors depend largely on our ideology and the use of language that characterizes us.

Logical-mathematical intelligence does not help us to question whether we are adding the type of units that we should be adding, for For example, just as logic does not tell us which aspects of a problem we should prioritize and solve first, nor which aspects should be our objectives. However, once certain norms have been established, what remains can be evaluated as logical-mathematical intelligence.

An example: when a mathematical problem is proposed to us, we can choose whether to solve it or not and, once we accept the rules of the statement, we can solve it well or badly. But we can also refuse to solve that problem because doing so would not be helpful to our purposes, for whatever reason, or deliberately wrong answer because we do not accept the rules imposed from a start.

How to improve in logical-mathematical intelligence?

Surely you have guessed it, because it is almost obvious: facing tasks that force you to use this type of intelligence. At first this can be very tedious for some people, but the progress that can be made is spectacular and very useful for the day to day, especially those related to the mental calculation.

You can start with notebooks to learn math at your own pace or attend specialized academies (although most of them have a university focus). You also have the option of start practically from scratch on free training websites as the highly recommended Khan Academy, in which you can measure your progress and choose the branches of learning to your liking.

One of the keys: logical thinking

As for the part that refers to logical thinking, you may find it more enjoyable at the beginning, since the best way to develop it is to dialogue and discuss through arguments, watching not to fall into fallacies.

Something that is typical, for example, of any night in bars or a Christmas dinner with the family, but that can be generalized to many other moments in your life. To keep logic at hand, you can search for books of your choice that deal with logic and logical fallacies.

Bibliographic references:

• Gardner, Howard. (1998). A Reply to Perry D. Klein's 'Multiplying the problems of intelligence by eight'. Canadian Journal of Education 23 (1): 96–102. doi: 10.2307 / 1585968. JSTOR 1585790.
• Operskalski, O. T., Paul, E. J., Colom, R., Barbey, A. K., Grafman, J. (2015). Lesion Mapping the Four-Factor Structure of Emotional Intelligence. Front. Hum. Neurosci.
• Triglia, Adrián; Regader, Bertrand; and García-Allen, Jonathan. (2018). "What is intelligence? From IQ to multiple intelligences ". EMSE Publishing.