Known for a brilliant problem-solving mind and his genius, Langdon has an eidetic memory. As professor at Harvard University, he teaches religious iconology and the fictional field of symbology. As a hobby it is specifically mentioned that Langdon is a great swimmer and swam laps (50) daily, a "morning ritual," at Harvard's athletic facilities (hence the lap swimming scene in "Angels & Demons"). Langdon also mentions he was raised a Catholic, but that he will never understand God; in "A&D", he mentions to the Camerlengo that faith is a gift he has yet to receive.