What Is Emotional Intelligence? 5 Signs That You Are Emotionally Intelligent
What really is emotional intelligence? What is the importance of emotional intelligence? Discover the facts about emotional awareness and how to learn this skill.
Have you ever encountered a person who is able to handle even the most uncomfortable social situations? Do you know someone who always makes others feel comfortable? Possibly, you are in front of an individual with emotional intelligence a much more important skill than it may seem at first glance.
Thanks to emotional intelligence People can improve their emotional awareness and management. In fact, according to experts, they point out that skills related to emotional intelligence play a very important role in success. So much so that some researchers point out that being emotionally intelligent is often more important than IQ itself.
The definition of emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. That is, it is an individual capable of having emotional self-awareness as well as the ability to be emotionally empathetic with others and with oneself.
There are researchers who point to this emotional psychology It can be learned and strengthened despite the fact that there are others who point out that emotional intelligence is an innate characteristic.
Daniel Goleman’s theory of emotional intelligence
One of the best-known authors and psychologists around emotional intelligence is Daniel Goleman who popularized the term with his book ‘emotional intelligence‘. Through his work he exposed a new perspective on the importance of having emotional competence.
According to Goleman’s research, collected in the aforementioned book, there is evidence that shows that success does not depend on levels of cognitive intelligence. So much so that his studies revealed that emotional intelligence It is twice as important as rational or cognitive intelligence in predicting personal and professional success.
Types of emotional intelligence
To know what we mean when we talk about the emotional intelligence, Goleman He explained that there are five types or components that characterize this type of intelligence. In this way, if you are aware of these types of emotional intelligence you can try to work on this great skill.
1. Self-awareness
When we refer to emotional self-awareness, we are pointing out the ability that people have to recognize and understand their own emotions. Beyond emotional awareness, people who have self-awareness are able to recognize the effect of their actions, moods and emotions of other people.
Examples of self-awareness emotional intelligence
These types of emotional intelligence It is synonymous with people being able to identify their own strengths and limitations, something that allows them to be open to new information and experiences. This emotional competence can be identified through the following traits:
How to improve emotional awareness or self-awareness?
To improve these types of emotional intelligence People can try the following.
To meditate
Pay attention to thoughts and emotions
Reflect on experiences
Have positive self-talk
Learn new skills
2. Self-regulation
Apart from the emotional awareness, people with emotional intelligence also have the ability to exercise emotional control. This involves the ability to regulate and manage emotions.
This emotional competence It does not imply blocking emotions and hiding true feelings, but rather people are simply capable of waiting for the right time and place to express them in the most correct way. Therefore, these types of emotional intelligence involve expressing emotions in the most appropriate way.
Examples of emotional intelligence on emotional management
When an individual has this emotional intelligence They tend to have a more flexible mentality that allows them to adapt to changes. In addition to this, people who are skilled in this emotional intelligence usually excel in the following.
They handle conflicts well
Awareness of how they influence others
They take responsibility for their actions
They know how to adapt to any situation
How to improve emotional management?
In order to gain the ability to emotional management people can carry out the following activities.
Become aware of the types of feelings and thoughts you have
Develop tolerance skills
Find ways to manage difficult emotions
Consider challenges as opportunities
Accept your emotions
Practice communication and social skills
3. Social skills
Another important aspect to highlight emotional intelligence It is the ability that individuals who possess it have to manage their relationships with others. Thanks to this emotional competence, people can build more meaningful relationships with others as well as develop a stronger understanding with others.
Examples of social emotional intelligence
Mainly a emotionally intelligent person In this aspect it has the following abilities.
Actively listen to others
Verbal and non-verbal communication skills
Leadership and persuasion skills
How to improve our social skills?
In order to improve this type of emotional intelligence people can try the following.
Pay attention to the management done by other people in the environment
Practice active listening
Take care of your body language
4. Empathy
Empathy also falls within one of the abilities of emotional intelligence When we talk about this emotional competence, we are not only referring to understanding how others feel but it involves learning to give good responses based on the emotion that others express.
Examples of empathic emotional intelligence
In addition to this, an empathetic person can perceive emotional meaning of certain actions. Among these skills the following also stand out:
Understand power dynamics
Perceive who has the power in different relationships
Understand how feelings and behaviors influence
How to improve empathy?
In order to learn one of these types of emotional intelligence people can practice through these actions.
Share feelings with others
Participate in a community project
Listen to others
Talk to new people
Put yourself in the place of others
5. Motivation
Motivation is another of the skills that fall within emotional intelligence When we talk about someone having this emotional competence, we usually point out people who are motivated by things that go beyond external rewards such as fame, recognition or money.
Examples of motivational emotional intelligence
Individuals who possess this emotional intelligence They seek the energy they need through their passions and internal goals. Therefore, instead of looking for a reward outside of themselves, what moves them is the feeling of fulfilling their own goals. In addition to these emotional control skills, the following also stand out.
They set goals
They always seek to do better
They are committed
They take the initiative
How to improve motivation?
In order to improve your motivation capacity through emotional intelligence you can perform the following actions.
Celebrate your results
Set small, measurable goals
Introduce challenges to keep things interesting
Share progress with a friend to support each other
Why is emotional intelligence important?
According to research on emotional intelligence, this ability has a lot to do with experiencing greater happiness. This happens since humans are social beings, therefore, when a person is more emotionally competent he can build more positive relationships with others as well as enrich his life.
Not only has it been proven that by having a greater emotional competence people develop better professionally and personally, but they also influence those around them to also be successful in their lives.
The emotional intelligence It is a skill so recognized today that today companies tend to focus more on this type of capabilities than on others more related to rational intelligence. That’s because different studies show that the more emotional intelligence a person has, the better they will perform at their job.
For this reason, the management and emotional awareness It has great relevance today. However, most people think that emotional intelligence is something natural to the individual themselves. This is an erroneous belief, since many researchers point out that we may be able to acquire this emotional competence. In fact, psychologists often help people learn emotional intelligence.
How to improve our emotional intelligence?
There are a series of exercises that we can do to improve the different types of emotional intelligence According to specialists, the key is to focus on the following aspects.
Recognize and name your emotions: One of the most effective methods to learn to have a emotional management Just as emotional awareness is precisely trying to name or label our emotions. In addition to this, you can also identify in which situation different types of emotions occur. By writing down this information you will have clues to know why they are triggered.
Ask others: Sometimes we are unable to see ourselves from another perspective. For this reason, in order to learn to have better skills around emotional competence A good initiative is to ask the people closest to you. In this way, you will be able to analyze how you respond to a conflictive situation and be more aware of your emotions.
Read literature: It has been shown that reading novels makes people learn to be more empathetic with others. Therefore, to be a most emotional person With others, starting to read more books can be a good initiative.
Analyze your strengths and abilities: In order to learn how to handle a good intelligence excites One of the first steps is to know what you are good at and what you fail at. In addition to this, in order to acquire better emotional competence you should try to look for opportunities to develop yourself in what you do not manage so well. For example, if you are an introvert, a good exercise would be to try to start a conversation with a shop assistant.
Use mindfulness: Mindfulness involves identifying how you feel in the present moment. This is not only focused on recognizing the different types of emotions, but beyond your emotional awareness you must focus on your body and mental awareness. Thanks to obtaining this second attention you will be able to identify and carry out better emotional management.
These are some of the steps you can take to increase your emotional intelligence Although they will be effective, the reality is that a person who is emotionally intelligent is someone who knows the importance of good mental health. For this reason, count on the help of a psychologist to improve your emotional intelligence. The key to identifying the different types of emotions that are in you is to spend more time getting to know yourself inside and out.
