Practical Intelligence

1. Practical Intelligence is the Art of Coping, Beyond IQ.

Practical Intelligence: the mental ability to cope with the challenges and opportunities of life.

IQ is insufficient. Traditional IQ tests measure abstract, convergent thinking, but they don't capture the full spectrum of human competence. Success in life depends on a constellation of intelligences, including social, emotional, aesthetic, kinesthetic, and crucially, practical intelligence (PI) – the art and science of common sense. Relying solely on IQ leads to the "terminal assumption" that intelligence is fixed, hindering personal and educational growth.

The smart gap. Businesses increasingly face a "smart gap," needing workers with high-level mental skills beyond data processing. While technology makes some jobs easier, true knowledge workers who can think, analyze, and solve complex problems are scarce. Developing PI is essential for individuals to thrive in a knowledge-intensive world and for organizations to innovate and compete effectively.

PI is learnable. Unlike the notion of fixed IQ, practical intelligence is a learnable competence. It involves developing specific mental habits and skills that allow individuals to function effectively in their environment, meet challenges, and capitalize on possibilities. This book outlines a framework for understanding and upgrading your mental "software" to enhance your PI.

2. Thinking is a Whole-Body Function, Not Just the Brain.

A thought—any thought—is a whole-body event.

Beyond the brain. Your brain isn't a standalone computer; it's the central processor of your biocomputer, which includes your entire nervous system, organs, muscles, and chemical systems. Thinking involves this whole integrated system. This explains phenomena like gut feelings, the influence of mood on cognition, and the profound connection between mental activity and physical health.

Biocomputer architecture. The biocomputer operates on multiple levels, from the primitive basal region (reptilian brain) controlling vital functions and habits (cerebellum), to the mid-brain (limbic system) managing emotions and hormones, to the cerebral cortex handling complex, conscious thought. These levels constantly interact, influencing everything from basic reflexes to abstract reasoning.

Mind-body connection. Mental activity, including thoughts and emotions, directly impacts physiological processes, even at the cellular level. Studies show meditation can boost immune function, while stress can impair it. Understanding this deep connection is fundamental to practical intelligence and managing your overall well-being.

3. Cultivate Mental Flexibility to Embrace Change and Complexity.

By middle age most of us carry around in our heads a tremendous catalogue of things we have no intention of trying again because we tried them once and failed—or tried them once and did less well than our self-esteem demanded.

Work in progress. Mental flexibility is the willingness to be changed by new experiences, ideas, and perspectives. It contrasts with the "finished product" mindset, where individuals become rigid, resistant to learning, and fearful of failure. This hardening limits growth and adaptability.

Archaic vs. dynamic thinking. Archaic thinking is automatic, reflexive, and bound by past conclusions and dogma. It fears ambiguity and resists the new. Dynamic thinking, conversely, is original, reflective, open to new information, values ideas, and embraces complexity. Developing PI means shifting from archaic to dynamic patterns.

Embrace humility and ambiguity. Mental flexibility requires humility – the acknowledgment that you don't know everything and are open to learning. It also involves increasing your tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, seeing them as opportunities rather than threats. Simple phrases like "I don't know," "I made a mistake," and "I've changed my mind" are powerful tools for maintaining mental openness.

4. Practice Affirmative Thinking Through Conscious Sensorship.

Sensorship:The practice of consciously and consistently choosing what you will allow into your mind.

Beyond positive thinking. Affirmative thinking is a deliberate pattern of selective attention and ideation that supports mental health. It goes beyond simple "positive thinking" slogans to involve actively managing the inputs you allow into your mind and consciously directing your thoughts.

Filter your environment. We are constantly bombarded by messages from media and people that can negatively impact our mental state. Conscious "sensorship" means choosing to limit exposure to toxic inputs like sensationalized news, negative entertainment, and critical or unsupportive people.

Re-engineer attitudes. Attitudes are mental states that predispose us to think and behave in certain ways. Negative attitudes like vengeance, envy, and guilt shackle us to negative emotions and drain mental energy. Cultivating affirmative attitudes like gratitude, abundance, and practical altruism frees up energy and promotes well-being.

5. Adopt Sane Language Habits to Shape Clearer Thought.

What you say Is what you think

Language shapes reality. The structure and vocabulary of our language profoundly influence how we think and perceive reality. Different languages offer different "verbal maps" of the world, and even within the same language, individual word meanings vary. Becoming aware of this influence is key to semantic sanity.

Avoid semantic sins. "Dirty" language patterns like blanketing (generalizing opinions), aggression (demeaning others), directiveness ("should" language), attribution (assuming motives), all-ness (over-generalizing), dogmatism (rigid statements), and polarization (two-valued thinking) contaminate thought and communication.

Use clean language. "Clean" language is psychologically neutral and respects others' perspectives. It involves using qualifiers ("to me," "in my experience"), non-aggressive phrasing, non-directive language, focusing on behavior over assumed motives, using limiters ("some," "in certain situations"), and avoiding absolute or polarized terms. Updating your vocabulary can literally change how you think.

6. Value Ideas as Precious Assets and Nurture Them.

There is no such thing as a mental note.

Ideas are fleeting. Everyone has lots of good ideas daily, but most are lost because we fail to capture them. Relying on short-term memory is a delusion; ideas are like butterflies that flit away unless recorded. The simple act of writing down ideas is crucial for valuing and preserving them.

The power of the index card. The index card (or similar note-taking method) is arguably the greatest thinking tool ever invented. It's cheap, portable, and effective for capturing fleeting thoughts, tasks, and information. Consistent use overcomes the "it slipped my mind" syndrome and builds a personal inventory of intellectual assets.

Protect new ideas. Ideas are fragile, especially when new. The P.I.N. formula (Positive, Interesting, Negative) is a method for evaluating ideas by first exploring their positive and interesting aspects before considering the negative. This suspends premature judgment and gives nascent ideas a chance to develop.

7. Master Bivergent Thinking: The Synergy of Divergence and Convergence.

Get the whole group doing the same type of thinking at the same time.

Two sides of thinking. Effective problem-solving and decision-making involve two distinct mental processes: divergent thinking (generating many ideas) and convergent thinking (narrowing down to a few). Bivergent thinking is the skill of integrating these two modes synergistically.

The pivot point. The transition between divergent and convergent thinking is a critical "pivot point." Ineffective groups often fail to manage this transition, mixing idea generation with evaluation, leading to confusion and idea-killing. Process consciousness – being aware of how the group is thinking – is vital.

Brainstorming rules. Brainstorming, as defined by Alex Osborn, is a method for maximizing divergent thinking by strictly separating it from evaluation. Rules like suspending judgment, going for quantity, and encouraging wild ideas are designed to unleash creative potential before the convergent phase begins.

8. Develop Helicopter Thinking for Perspective and Relational Insight.

Helicopter Thinking:A thinking process that integrates both abstract and concrete patterns of ideation into a synergistic combination.

Levels of abstraction. Helicopter thinking is the ability to move fluidly between concrete details (ground level) and abstract concepts (high altitude). Concrete ideas engage the senses, while abstract ideas are symbolic categories. This skill allows for both detailed understanding and broad perspective.

Visionaries and actionaries. Society needs both visionaries (abstract thinkers who see the big picture and future possibilities) and actionaries (concrete thinkers who turn ideas into reality). Effective teams and organizations often pair these complementary styles, ensuring that big ideas are grounded in practical execution.

Connecting the dots. Helicopter thinking enhances relational thinking – the ability to see connections between seemingly unrelated elements. This involves not only connecting existing "dots" (information points) but also noticing more dots than others do. Tools like mindmapping visually facilitate this process, allowing for a holistic view of complex issues.

9. Integrate Intulogical Thinking: The Power of Logic and Intuition.

The biggest obstacle to learning something is the belief that you already know it.

Beyond either/or. Western culture often pits logic against intuition, but intulogical thinking recognizes them as complementary and equally valuable ways of knowing. Logic is sequential and systematic, while intuition is holistic and arises from non-conscious processing.

Thinking styles. Individuals tend to favor different thinking styles based on their preference for logical/intuitive and concrete/abstract processing (e.g., Blue Earth, Red Sky). Understanding your own style and those of others improves communication and collaboration. Neither style is superior; they are simply different modes of operation.

Cultivate both. Re-owning your intuitive abilities involves trusting hunches and practicing non-verbal perception, like the Zen concept of "mindfulness" or "flow." Re-owning logical abilities involves keen observation and systematic deduction. Integrating these allows for a richer, more comprehensive understanding of problems and opportunities.

10. Embrace Viscerational Thinking: Understanding Emotion's Role.

The main cause of bad feelings is the fear of bad feelings.

Emotion is information. Viscerational thinking integrates rational thought with visceral, emotional responses. Emotions are not irrational disruptions but valuable signals from our biocomputer, providing cues about our needs, values, and reactions below the conscious level.

Rationalization explained. We often rationalize our behavior when we disapprove of the real, often ignoble, motive behind it. This process, driven by cognitive dissonance, involves creating socially acceptable explanations to resolve the conflict between our actions and our conscious values. Understanding this helps us see through our own and others' justifications.

Disarm emotional triggers. Our amygdala, an early warning sensor, can be triggered by non-life-threatening cues ("grabbers"), leading to automatic, irrational signal reactions. Identifying these triggers and practicing techniques like the "one heartbeat pause" allows rational processes to intervene, giving us more control over our emotional responses.

11. Problem Solving is a Heuristic Journey Through Mindzones.

Effective problem solving is not a series of steps; it’s an adaptive process that unfolds based on the nature of the problem that’s being solved.

Beyond the five steps. Traditional step-by-step problem-solving models are often too rigid for real-world complexity. Effective problem solving is a heuristic, adaptive learning journey, where you gather information, explore options, and refine your understanding as you go.

Navigate mindzones. High-Speed Problem Solving (HSPS) involves consciously navigating five key "mindzones": the Neutral Zone (central processing), the End Zone (desired outcome), the Data Zone (information), the Ozone (idea generation), and the Judgment Zone (evaluation).

Process matters. The key to effective group problem solving is keeping everyone in the same mindzone at the same time and moving fluently between them as needed. This avoids the confusion and wasted energy that occurs when individuals are in different zones simultaneously.

12. Program Your Success by Designing Your Life's Movies.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. . . . It is too bad that more people will not accept this tremendous discovery and begin living it.

You are the producer. Your life is like a movie, recorded on visual, auditory, and kinesthetic channels. Most people are just camera operators, passively recording what happens. Success programming involves becoming the producer, consciously designing the "mindmovies" of the future you want to experience.

Alpha programming. Mindmovies, or future pacing, involve creating vivid, multisensory mental rehearsals of desired outcomes. By repeatedly experiencing these success scenarios in your imagination, you program your biocomputer and increase the likelihood of those events unfolding in reality.

Design your life. Tools like the Life Wheel help you take stock of key areas in your life (career, health, family, etc.), set priorities, and define specific goals. By focusing your energy on these chosen areas and using PI skills like mindmovies and affirmative thinking, you can proactively shape your future and cause the outcomes you want.

Last updated: May 22, 2025