TransitionTimes: There's more than one type of intelligence, according to the psychologist Howard Gardner. What kind is yours? No 3: Interpersonal intelligence

Last week we looked at the bodily intelligence that makes sports stars, actors and dancers shine. This week we examine a totally different intelligence, another in Howard Gardner's list of seven kinds of smart: interpersonal intelligence.

Everyone knows a people person, someone who can get on other people's wavelengths and put them at their ease. We are all comfortable in certain company, but interpersonal people can find a way to get along with almost anyone.

The key to interpersonal intelligence is an ability to "read" others, through what they say, how they act, their body language and their facial expressions. A people person will spot if you're in bad form even if you try to hide it.

It's a great skill to have if you plan to work as a social worker, psychologist or GP. In a business setting it's invaluable, especially if you work in customer service.

If your report cards often refer to your ability to work well with others, if you are as comfortable around adults as around your peers, if you have strong powers of persuasion and can draw people to you, you probably have a strong interpersonal intelligence.

You may never have analysed your ability before, but Gardner, an educational psychologist, describes interpersonal intelligence as the ability to "notice distinction among others; in particular, contrasts in their moods, temperaments, motivations and intentions."

In professional circles, this has always been described as a soft skill rather than an intelligence, but there is neurological evidence to suggest that interpersonal capacity is governed by a specific area of the brain. Damage to the frontal lobe changes the personality, specifically the ability to interact easily with other people.

This intelligence may have developed early in human beings as they tried to help their offspring to survive. An eye for human detail gives you the survival edge: you can spot that your children are ill or frightened and take action to protect them.

You might also be quicker at spotting a threat or negotiating your way out of danger.

Modern interpersonals use their skills in a much wider variety of settings. Teachers, politicians, psychologists and salespeople rely on interpersonal intelligence, as do chat-show hosts such as Michael Parkinson (left).

Students who work well in teams, notice and react to the moods of their friends and classmates and can negotiate easily with others to get what they want all display this intelligence.

Next week: linguistic intelligence