Emotional Intelligence
The ability to identify and manage emotions.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, understand and manage your own emotions. It includes the ability to recognise and respond effectively to the feelings of others.
Where does the term Emotional Intelligence come from?
The term ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (EQ) was first referred to by two psychologists, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer, in 1990.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman later popularized it in his 1995 book Emotional Intelligence.
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Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?
It’s a scientific fact that emotions precede thought.
When emotions run high, they change our brain’s function and diminish our cognitive abilities, decision-making powers, and interpersonal skills.
A person with high emotional intelligence is patient and takes care not to act impulsively or recklessly. They think before they do.
Understanding and managing our emotions helps us succeed more in our personal and professional lives.
Can I increase my emotional intelligence?
Yes, you can!
Unlike our IQ, having a high level of emotional intelligence (EI) or a high emotional quotient (EQ) is not something set in stone.
With the proper guidance, you can develop and increase your emotional intelligence at any age.
Emotional intelligence includes several skills
- Emotional awareness – the ability to identify one’s emotions.
- The ability to manage one’s emotions and help others do the same.
- The ability to reduce how overwhelming an emotion feels.
- The ability to harness emotions and apply them to thinking and problem-solving tasks.
At work, it helps us
- Resolve conflicts between ourselves and others.
- Motivate others.
- Encourage collaboration.
- Create an environment where everyone feels at ease to share their input.
At a personal level, it helps us
- Improve relationships with the people we care about.
- Have difficult conversations without hurting feelings.
- Manage our emotions when feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
What are the advantages of being emotionally intelligent?
- Emotionally intelligent people have high self-confidence and are realistic about themselves.
- They find it easier to empathize with others – seeing the world through their eyes.
- They can change their emotions to match the mood of the person they’re talking to.
- They navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and grace.
What can people with high emotional intelligence do?
2. They can use emotions
Using emotions to help with various cognitive activities, such as thinking and problem-solving, is an important skill.
Emotionally intelligent people can capitalize on their changing moods to best fit the task at hand.
1. They can perceive emotions
Perceiving emotions represents a fundamental aspect of emotional intelligence.
The ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces, pictures, and voices makes all other processing of emotional information possible.
3. They can understand emotions
The ability to comprehend emotional language and to appreciate complicated relationships among emotions is crucial for success in life.
Without this ability, we would be unable to understand human interaction’s nuances and be disadvantaged in personal and professional settings.
4. They can manage emotions
The ability to remain calm and in control during emotionally charged situations – in ourselves and others.
An emotionally intelligent person can harness their emotions, even the negative ones, and manage them in a way that leads to achieving their goals.