There are basically two kinds of intelligence. While psychologists have better definitions, I believe people are possessed to one degree or another with both cerebral and instinctive abilities. The first is of the mind and the second, the heart.

Cerebral is studious, analytic, introspective, cautious, and curious; it’s comfortable in the world of ideas but wary of power. Instinctive is savvy, empathetic, manipulative, and engaged; it’s comfortable in dealing with others and using power.

Different professions emphasize one or the other. For example, engineers, college professors, scientists, planners, and accountants tend to be cerebral while nurses, police officers, school teachers, firefighters, and social workers are more instinctive.

By nature and experience, Mayor Thomas Menino was an instinctive politician. He understood and cared about people. Just caring is not enough – he showed he cared. A doer not a theorist, he was a different kind of “visionary.” They normally work from the top down; he did it from the bottom up. By lifting the neighborhoods, the poor, the neglected, the marginalized, he believed the city would prosper, and it did. Thankfully, Mayor Walsh seems to have some of these same qualities.

President Obama is often criticized for being too cerebral. His thoughtful, analytical approach to problems frustrates those who believe more could be accomplished with a more instinctive drive. He appears uncomfortable in the often contentious, hard-scrabble world of political infighting. It is not in his nature to cajole, threaten, or charm the often- obstructionist opposition. For him, there is no joy in politics; it is a means to an end.

Lyndon Johnson, on the other hand, was an instinctive politician who would do whatever it took to “convince” recalcitrant senators or representatives that they should support legislation like the Civil Rights Act and his War on Poverty. However, he was unable to apply his natural instincts to Vietnam and so fell victim to more cerebral advisors.

Bill Clinton was unusual in that he balanced both qualities; he is a highly successful down-home politician who knows how to use power and be equally comfortable discussing theory and policy. Rarely do you find someone so skilled in both the art of politicking and the science of governance.

Obviously cerebral, Jimmy Carter was unable to perfect the country-boy persona he adopted during his campaign. Although his heart was in the right place, his inability to connect with people was instrumental in his defeat. Richard Nixon was another cerebral politician. He so lacked people skills that it’s a wonder he ever got elected.

Ronald Reagan was the consummate instinctive politician. He obviously liked people and they liked him. A buoyant personality and more than his share of good luck made up for cerebral deficits. Reagan’s instinctive skills were evident in the warm and productive relationship he had with then-Speaker Tip O’Neill, another instinctive politician who appreciated the importance of retail politics, of displaying your interest in people, and your concern for them.

Franklin Roosevelt also struck a balance between the cerebral and instinctive. He enjoyed the game and was a masterful player. At times charming, cunning, deceptive, and manipulative, he was also compassionate and understanding. A complex blend of those qualities that make a leader both popular and effective, FDR reveled in the exercise of power. For him, like Reagan, Clinton, Tip O’Neill, and Tom Menino, politics was fun.

To a politician, instinctive qualities are more important. You can always find smart people to advise you but you can’t change your personality. As talented and personable as Obama is, he has been unable to make the all-important “connection” that marks the difference between great and ordinary. You’ve got to love the game, the way Ted Kennedy did and the way Joe Biden does, to be effective.

James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge who now practices law.