How helpful are IQ (intelligence quotient) tests? Well, these tests might show how smart you are, how likely you are to succeed in life. This is where the idea of EQ comes in, which is the measurement of a person's emotional intelligence. To help get a c1earer picture of an individual's abilities and potential, psychologists have come up with the concept of EQ.
Emotional intelligence inc1udes your outlook on life, how much you understand your own and other people's feelings, and your ability to control your emotions. Certain characteristics such as optimism, feeling for others and self-awareness, are seen as indicating success at school, at work or in personal relationships.
Several important research studies have helped develop the theory behind EQ. One study was called the Marshmallow Test. A psychologist at Columbia University brought several four-year olds into a room. Each child was given a marshmallow and offered a choice: eat the marshmallow right away or wait until the researcher retumed after a short time. As a reward for waiting, the child would get two marshmallows instead of one. Some of the children waited patiently for the researcher to retum, but some couldn't resist the temptation, and ate the marshmallow as soon as he had left the room. The research continued when the children were at high school. The children who had shown the patience and willpower to wait were found to be more popular and confident, and were better students. The others were generally lonelier and had problems dealing with challenges and coping with pressure.
Another study investigated how optimism and feeling for others affected people's success. One psychologist developed a test to measure optimism among people who were about to become insurance salesmen. The ones who scored best went on to sell over 50% more insurance than the other people tested. A test was also created to measure people skills (the ability to recognise emotions such as love, anger and jealousy in other people). Once again, people with higher scores tended to be more successful in their work and relationships, and children who scored well were more popular and successful at school.
In 1995, a book called Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman of Harvard University, became a bestseller. Goleman believed that the study of people's EQ could be useful in many different areas. For instance, it could help companies decide whom to employ and it could change the way parents and schools educated children to prepare them to face life's challenges.
So how can we become more emotionally intelligent? People often say, "1was so angry that 1 couldn't think straight." Daniel Goleman believes that being aware of our feelings gives us control over them. He suggests that children can be taught to become aware of their feelings and to deal with them, thereby increasing their EQ.
Anxiety, too, can be useful, up to a point. Worrying focuses the mind on a problem so that it can search for solutions. But when we worry too much, the thinking process may become blocked. We may give up instead of trying to solve a problem. When we feel over-anxious or depressed, Goleman suggests doing something like going for a run, which can apparently improve your mood and ability to concentrate, so you are able to "think straight" again. So remember: your IQ might get you a job, but it will probably be your EQ that gets you promoted.