Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI), originally defined by Mayer and Salovey in 1990 and popularized by Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book, is considered by many to be a novel form of intelligence that measures one’s ability to identify, understand, manage, and cope with the all the various emotions encountered in daily life. Some, like Goleman, prefer to define emotional intelligence to include a broader array of skills—such as competence in social interactions, empathy, and self-control.
While the concept of emotional intelligence is still relatively new, and the research community continues to pinpoint an exact definition of emotional intelligence, everyone agrees that having high emotional intelligence matters as much as, or more than, having a high IQ. Moreover, possessing low emotional intelligence could hamstring even the smartest of us in both our business and personal lives–in our pursuit of success and happiness.
Continue reading to discover more about emotional intelligence, and how developing it could change your life forever.
The current wisdom gloms emotional intelligence into two categories:
- Ability models
- Mixed models
Ability Model of Emotional Intelligence
As defined by Mayer and Salovey, Emotional Intelligence is an ability “to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate thought, understand emotions and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth.” Emotional intelligence defined by this model is assessed using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), which utilizes performance measures that have specific right or wrong responses. When an emotional intelligence test is administered under this model, the test takers are presented with pictures that portray imaginary scenes. They are then asked to answer a series of questions related to each picture–to identify which emotions the depicted characters show or feel. Next, they are judged on the accuracy of their identifications. How well they did determines their emotional IQ (EQ).
Mixed Models of Emotional Intelligence
As defined by Goleman, emotional intelligence is not merely an ability to manage emotions, but a wide-ranging skill set that includes command and mastery over traits such as temperance and persistence as well as the ability to delay gratification. Emotional competencies in this model are said to be malleable through programming or learning, meaning one can be trained to have a high EQ. The emotional intelligence test for this model is mainly a self-report questionnaire. As opposed to the ability model test, this questionnaire is made up of more ambivalent questions that don’t necessarily have a right or wrong answer; for instance, an individual might be prompted to respond to a statement like, I am effective at identifying emotions. Possible answers are based on the Likert scale (e.g., strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree). Some argue the assessment of EQ for this model of emotional intelligence testing is too prone to an individual’s tendency to exaggerate their responses in these self-report questionnaires, so emotional intelligence tests for mixed models might need refinement.
Can You Get Ahead Without High Emotional Intelligence?
Mastering the identification and manipulation of emotions is no easy task for many of us, but it sure is critical for success. Imagine if you could spot the subtlest facial expressions (called micro-expressions). You could instantly harness the adage, A picture is worth a thousand words. You could take one quick glance and immediately recognize how a person is feeling (or what they are holding back) without a single word of verbal communication. Some people are more adept at this than others–the ones with high emotional intelligence.
They know a secret. But you can learn it too.
Imagine if you could take advantage of this power in your business life.
High IQ gets you the job, but high EQ lands you that promotion. After all, who is the boss more likely to pull up the corporate ladder between two candidates of similar caliber–a gruff lone wolf type, or an amicable worker who relates well with others? Would a boss, in fact, promote a less qualified employee to avoid the conflicts that might arise with someone of low emotional intelligence? It’s no wonder millions of people bought into the wisdom of Carnegie’s 1936 emotional intelligence book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Emotional intelligence is not rocket science.
Imagine if you could take advantage of this power in the pursuit of your life’s dreams and goals?
Once you have high EQ, you’ll be able to identify and manage your emotions, and the emotions of others, in supremely productive ways. Low emotional intelligence can cause you to feel pessimistic or anxious, among a slew of other undesirable feelings, when faced with the prospect of a setback or failure. But once you develop high EQ, you can see the world through an optimist’s rose-colored glasses. If you have low EQ, you might understand you’re feeling pessimism or anxiety, but you don’t possess the tools to regulate these emotions, to view the situation in the grander scheme of things–you don’t see failure as an opportunity to change, or to take a better course. Instead, you dwell on the failure and lay the blame on some supposed innate lack of ability. Don’t be a slave to your emotions. Develop a high EQ and learn to command them.
People with low EQ find excuses to quit.
People with high EQ find excuses to persist.
If you fall short of reaching your dreams and goals, it stands to reason some factor, or combination of factors, is blocking you — because success is not only possible, but with the right tools, it’s inevitable. Low EQ could very well be your last hurdle. Let Uplifter help you clear it.
The Science Behind How Uplifter Will Increase Your Emotional Intelligence
As Goleman points out, IQ only accounts for about 20% of a person’s success. Close your eyes and take a minute to consider this. Begin to question why you have failed to live up to your own definition of success. I’m sure you can think of a number of excuses off the top of your head. I’m not smart enough. I don’t get the breaks like other people. Maybe you even have the determination and drive, but deep down you doubt yourself. It hasn’t happened yet, so it never will.
Enter the power of Positive Psychology; enter the development of your emotional intelligence. Use Uplifter to nonconsciously persuade yourself to control the very same emotions that, at present, are the manacles of your success.
Consider a scientific study by Bargh, Chen, and Burrows. In the experiment, participants were primed to think about either politeness or rudeness by cleverly and subtly exposing them to a list of words associated with either concept. The study showed that those primed with rude words would later interrupt a busy experimenter quicker and more frequently than those primed with polite words. Another experiment in the study primed participants with words associated with the elderly. Then, the participants were timed as they walked down the hallway as they left the laboratory. Amazingly, those primed with the words associated with the elderly actually adopted behavior associated with the elderly–they took longer to exit, they physically walked slower, than did those in the control group!
Consider a 2007 experiment by Mauss, Bunge, and Gross that aimed to study the effects of priming on Automatic Emotion Response (AER)–or emotional responses you cannot control, like when you grip the steering wheel and clench your teeth if stopped by a red light when you’re in a hurry. When primed with emotion expression words, participants were more likely to express anger when provoked in comparison to those primed with emotion control words.
Even these automatic responses could be controlled through priming!
These experiments perfectly illustrate the power of priming. Uplifter blends this technique of nonconscious exposure with the powerful scientific method of evaluative conditioning to fuse positive, uplifting messages into your unconscious thought, thereby improving your emotional intelligence. Use Uplifter’s Online Inspiration Engine, and you’ll be positively hard-wired for high EQ.
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