-
Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Five
Key Skills for Raising Emotional Intelligence
When it comes to happiness and success
in life, emotional
intelligence (EQ)
matters just as much as intellectual ability (IQ).
Emotional intelligence helps you build
stronger relationships, succeed at
work, and achieve your career and
personal goals. Learn more about why
emotional intelligence is so important
and how you can boost your own
EQ by
mastering five core skills
What is
emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence (EQ)
is the ability to identify, use, understand,
and
manage emotions in positive ways to relieve
stress, communicate
effectively,
empathize with(
有共鸣
) others,
overcome challenges, and
defuse
conflict
. Emotional intelligence
impacts many different aspects of
your
daily life, such as the way you behave and the way
you interact with
others.
If
you have high emotional intelligence you are able
to recognize
your own emotional state
and the emotional states of others, and engage
with people in a way that draws them to
you
. You can use this
understanding of emotions to relate
better to other people, form healthier
relationships, achieve greater success
at work, and lead a more fulfilling
life.
Emotional
intelligence consists of four attributes:
?
Self-awareness
–
You recognize your own
emotions and how they
affect your
thoughts and behavior, know your strengths and
weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
?
Self-management
–
You’re able to
control impulsive feelings and
behaviors, manage your emotions in
healthy ways, take initiative,
follow
through on commitments, and adapt to changing
circumstances.
?
Social
awareness
–
You
can understand the emotions, needs, and
concerns of other people, pick up on
emotional cues, feel
comfortable
socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a
group
or organization.
?
Relationship
management
–
You
know how to develop and
maintain good
relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and
influence others, work well in a team,
and manage conflict.
Why is
emotional intelligence (EQ) so important?
As we know, it’s not the smartest
people that are the most successful or
the most fulfilled in life. You
probably know people who are
academically brilliant and yet are
socially inept and unsuccessful at work
or in their personal relationships.
Intellectual intelligence (IQ) isn’t
enough on its own to be successful in
life.
Yes, your IQ can help
you get
into college, but it’s your EQ
that will help you manage the stress and
emotions when facing your final
exams
.
Emotional
intelligence affects:
?
Your performance at work.
Emotional intelligence can help you
navigate the social complexities of the
workplace, lead and
motivate others,
and excel in your career. In fact,
when
it comes to
gauging
（测定）
job candidates, many companies now view
emotional intelligence as being as
important as technical ability
and
require EQ testing before hiring.
?
Your physical
health.
If you’re unable to
manage your stress
levels, it can lead
to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress
can raise blood pressure, suppress the
immune system, increase the
risk of
heart attack and stroke, contribute to
infertility, and speed
up the aging
process.
The first step to improving
emotional
intelligence is to learn how
to relieve stress.
?
Your mental health.
Uncontrolled
stress
can also
impact your
mental health, making
you
vulnerable to anxiety and
depression.
If
you are
unable to understand and manage your emotions,
you’ll
also be open to
mood
swings
（心境不定）
, while an
inability to
form strong relationships
can leave you feeling lonely and isolated.
?
Your relationships.
By understanding your emotions and how
to
control them, you’re better able to
express how you feel and
understand how
others are feeling
. This allows you to
communicate more effectively and forge
stronger relationships,
both at work
and in your personal life.
How to raise your emotional
intelligence
To improve your emotional
intelligence
—
and your
decision-making
abilities
—
you
need to understand and control the emotional side
of your
brain. This is done by
developing five key skills. By mastering the first
two skills, you’ll find skills three,
four, and five much easier to learn.
Developing emotional intelligence
through
five key skills:
Emotional intelligence (EQ) consists of
five key skills, each building on
the
last:
?
?
?
?
?
The ability to quickly reduce stress
The ability to recognize and manage
your emotions
The ability
to connect with others using nonverbal
communication
The ability to use humor
and play to deal with challenges
The
ability to resolve conflicts positively and with
confidence