Why Emotional Intelligence is So Important Right Now

Now, more than ever, understanding how your brain and body respond to stress is vital for facing the chaos we find ourselves in.

The word “Emotional Intelligence” has been a bit of a buzzword in the world of business ever since Daniel Goleman’s book of the same title burst onto shelves in 1995. More often than not, it is a skill taught to managers by well-meaning coaches with the promise of making them more successful, likeable, and perhaps boosting sales and reducing their staff turnover. But is Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, more than just a scientific-sounding method of “winning friends and influencing people”? And how can understanding it help us in times of crisis?

EQ can be defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically” (Oxford Dictionary). To break it down more concretely, EQ relates to your self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills (Akers & Porter, 2018). It’s understanding how your brain and body works so that you can take greater control of your life.

So what’s so important about EQ? According to heaps of studies, it predicts life success far more accurately than traditional ‘intelligence’— some research even claims that our success in life is 80% down to our EQ and only 20% to IQ. Well, think about it — we all know that one guy who’s a super genius but is so weird and socially awkward that nobody wants to be around him. At the same time, we all know a fair few leaders who didn’t get where they are through actual skill or competence, but through their ‘gift of the gab’ (well, and probably a whole bunch of white/male privilege, let’s not fool ourselves).

But forget traditional “success” — what else does EQ do? Well, our ability to regulate and recognise our emotions may just improve our social relationships and our mental and physical health. In fact, a meta-analysis conducted at the University of New England, Australia, looking at 7898 participants found that EQ was significantly correlated with mental and physical health.

A skill that you can learn that can boost your mental and physical health, that can take you away from spiralling into worst-case scenarios and bring you to a place of peace and calm? A skill that will help you make rational decisions rather than acting on impulse? Doesn’t that sound like exactly what the world needs right now?…

Read the full article at Medium.com…