What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage and evaluate your own emotions; to recognize and understand emotions in others; and to use that skill to maintain strong relationships and manage difficult situations calmly and effectively.
How is it different to IQ?
IQ is called “Intelligence Quotient” and it measures people’s relative intelligence. Merriam-Webster defines IQ as “a number used to express the apparent relative intelligence of a person. Determined by either the ratio of the mental age (as reported on a standardized test) to the chronological age multiplied by 100 - or a score determined by one's performance on a standardized intelligence test relative to the average performance of others of the same age.”
IQ looks at problem-solving, short and working memory, knowledge of the world, spatial and visual processing and logic reasoning.
EQ on the other hand looks at identifying emotions, evaluating other’s feelings, controlling your own emotions, perceiving how others feel, empathizing with others and using emotions to help with social communication.
Both these play an important part in our overall success, happiness and health.
Why is it important?
The ability to honestly express your emotions and control them, and to understand and effectively respond to emotions of others is essential in not only the workplace but in all other avenues of life as well.
Emotionally intelligent people are more self aware, they think before they react and they are able to better empathize with how other people are feeling. People with a higher EQ are also better at managing challenging situations and complex relationships. They are great communicators and have incredible social skills.