Smarts: The Hidden Power of Multiple Intelligences

In the tradition of Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence and the work of Adam Grant comes an invigorating journey through the full range of intelligences that exist—from humans to animals to plants and beyond—arguing that, in the age of AI, understanding the unique smarts within us, and around us, has profound implications for business, education, parenting, and life.

Most people think they know what intelligence looks like. A high SAT score, a genius IQ, the kids who raise their hands in every class, the colleague whose eloquence never seems to fail. And yet as humans grapple with the destabilizing effects of artificial intelligence, how we define and evaluate intelligence has never been more important—or hotly debated. Indeed, our collective sense of what makes someone, or something, intelligent is evolving rapidly, and as science writer Matthew Hutson contends, we all possess an intelligence that is uniquely our own—the trick is knowing how to appreciate it.

Now in this mind-bending work of science journalism, Hutson, who has written for The New Yorker, Wired, and The Atlantic, examines the full landscape of diverse intelligences on earth—and beyond—pushing us to embrace intelligence in all its forms. Looking at a range of intelligences—human, animal, brainless, machine, group, alien, and future—Hutson argues persuasively that everyone and everything has untapped intelligence, a mental skill set uniquely their own. Find the right niche, and that intelligence, no matter how esoteric, can thrive.

From the incredible intelligence that emerges from neurodivergent humans, to the shocking smarts of slime mold, Hutson presents a fascinating journey through the landscape of the brainy and brainless alike, offering valuable lessons for managers, parents, and educators, including how to:

• Identify and exploit your own hidden intelligence
• Understand when (and when not) to trust cognitive assessments
• Assemble teams with diverse, complementary intelligences

Reminiscent of Quiet and Hidden Potential, Smarts shows the intelligence all around us—not just in the qualities and places that mainstream culture has deemed worthy or learned how to evaluate. The result is a work that encourages us to see intelligence not as the domain of a select few but as something innate to us all. Intelligence, it turns out, is for everyone, not just the smart kids.