What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to notice and understand our emotion and other people's emotion. And use this information to guide our behaviour. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they're feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect other people.
According to Daniel Goleman , an American psychologist who helped to popularize emotional intelligence, there are five key elements to it:
- Self-awareness.
- Self-regulation.
- Motivation.
- Empathy.
- Social skills.
How is it different to IQ?
IQ is the measure of intelligence of a person. It includes problem solving skills analytical thinking, memory etc. EQ is a measure of a person's empathy, social skills etc. It is the person's ability to relate to others.
Your IQ usually refers to your intellectual ability. Some of the most common elements of your IQ include your ability to:
- use logic to solve problems
- plan and strategize
- understand abstract ideas
- learn and adapt to change
- grasp and use language
Your emotional quotient (EQ) generally refers to your ability to sense emotion in yourself and in other people. It also refers to how you use that awareness to guide your behavior. In general, if you have a high EQ, you may find it easier to:
- identify emotions in yourself and others
- empathize with other people
- adapt your feelings and behavior to different situations
- control your impulses
- withstand temptations and delay gratification
- resolve conflicts with others
- communicate effectively
Why is it important?
Knowing about our own and other's emotion will help to do the right things. A good EQ is important to have a happy life both personally and professionally. Since we live in a society with other people having emotions as us, it is important to have a good EQ. EQ in my opinion is an important skill required for good people relationships.
Emotionally intelligent people are highly conscious of their own emotional states, even negative ones—from frustration or sadness to something more subtle. They are able to identify and understand what they are feeling, and being able to name an emotion helps manage that emotion. Because of this, the emotionally intelligent have high self-confidence and are realistic about themselves.
The good news is that we can develope our EQ by practicing. We can start by learning to identify the emotions we are feeling as well as understanding them. If we are able to name the emotion we are feeling, we have a better chance of understanding what we are feeling. We can also learn to better regulate our emotions just by stopping and thinking before we act and judge. These skills will help you martial inner resolve and stick to what really matters in life.