Recent research is showing that emotional intelligence (EI) has significant impacts on good judgement. Some studies even suggest that having high EI can help you make better decisions, potentially improving your career and life success.

Emotional intelligence was first identified in the 1990s as “the ability to recognize one’s own emotions and those of others, to distinguish between internal feelings and external behaviors, and to control oneself in ways that take into account one’s emotions.”1

Since then, researchers have studied the link between emotional skills and decision-making. They have found that people who are highly emotionally intelligent tend to make more rational choices than individuals with lower levels of emotional skill.2

In fact, some studies suggest that having low emotional intelligence may actually contribute to poor choice making because it makes it difficult for someone to evaluate whether what they are thinking or saying is believable.3

It may also interfere with their ability to process negative information about other people, which could influence how much trust they place in them.4

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Overall, this means that people with higher levels of emotional intelligence are less likely to make impulsive decisions and choose alternatives that use reasoning rather than emotion.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and good judgement

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in what is now referred to as ‘emotional literacy’ or'social-intelligence training'. This concept focuses on helping you understand your own emotions and those of others so that you can regulate them and use them effectively.

Research suggests that people who are more emotionally intelligent are better at understanding other people's emotions and how these affect their interactions with others.

They also tend to be happier due to this ability to relate to and understand other people. In fact, some studies suggest that being able to identify and describe one's own feelings and those of others is actually linked to higher levels of happiness.

However, while many believe that having high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) makes you feel happy and comfortable around other people, research does not support this claim.

In fact, there are several theories about why someone with high EI may be less happy than someone with lower scores on EI tests.

Ways to improve your emotional intelligence

Developing your emotional quotient (EQ) is a process that requires you to recognize how you feel about things, and then work on changing or improving those feelings.

This can be difficult if you're not aware of what makes you feel certain ways. It also takes practice, repeat action-reaction cycles over and over again to get better at it.

You will probably find that there are different strategies that work for you in different situations, depending on what's making you feel uncomfortable.

There are several tools available to help you develop your EQ. Some are more effective than others, so try out some of them to see which ones work for you.

Making changes to how you manage your emotions can be tricky at times, but don't give up! There are many resources online and through charities and groups who can help you along the way.

Become a good listener

Being able to listen is one of the most important skills you can develop because it impacts your relationships in many ways.
You will find that as your emotional intelligence increases, you’ll be better at letting go of distractions and focus only on what matters to you.

Good listeners are also more aware of their surrounding environment, paying attention not just to the speaker but to the context and atmosphere as well.

They understand how emotions influence speech and other behaviors and avoid adding fuel to arguments or conversations.

By being aware of these effects, they can effectively control their own emotions and responses.

Becoming a good listener takes practice, but with time, you will get there.

Be honest with your peers

As we have discussed, good judgement is being able to recognize what things are worth having and how to get them. Being able to identify emotions in your surroundings and be aware of their effects is an important part of this.

We all have our own personal strengths and weaknesses when it comes to feeling and reading others’ emotions. Some people are very familiar with other people’s emotions, while some are not.

People who are highly emotionally intelligent can tell when someone else is experiencing something emotional like happiness, sadness or anger. They may even be able to describe why they are feeling that way.

This ability to read and understand emotions makes it easy for them to know whether someone is telling the truth or not.

Since honesty is a key ingredient in most relationships, being able to assess if another person is being truthful is a valuable skill.

Don’t be egotistical

One of the most important things about being good at judging is not having an ego. If you feel that your skills as a judge are better than someone else’s, then don’t act like they are!

If you win every single contest that you enter, then people will avoid you because they don’t want to be outdone. If you always manage to talk more during meetings, then others will keep their thoughts to themselves in case they seem boring compared to you.

By having too big of an ego, you can hurt those around you. You must understand that other people may do things that are less intelligent, but still worthwhile. A small amount of humility is needed to succeed in life.

Be honest with your boss

As mentioned earlier, emotional intelligence (or EQ as it is popularly known) can play an important role in good judgement. This includes being able to identify emotions in others and understand what other people are feeling at this moment.

Emotions seem to influence how we perceive things around us, which can have positive or negative effects. For example, if someone else is having a bad day, you may want to avoid them so that they do not feel even more down. Or, if someone just got promoted, then you could celebrate their success for them!

By understanding why someone is acting like they are, you will be better equipped to help them get through the situation and/or change their mood. And hopefully achieve some of those higher level thoughts along the way!

Your colleagues and superiors will likely appreciate your use of emotional intelligence when trying to improve their leadership skills.

Be realistic

We tend to evaluate situations according to our own internal standards or beliefs. If you believe that something is good, then you will consider it to be good. If you think something is bad, then you will view it as bad.

This isn’t a big problem unless your expectations are too high or too low. When your expectations are too high, you can become disappointed when things don’t turn out the way you thought they would.

On the other hand, if your expectations are too low, you may not feel satisfied with what happens because you set yourself up for failure.

Both of these outcomes occur more frequently when someone has poor emotional intelligence.

Someone with low emotional intelligence might have overly optimistic expectations, which contribute to them being let down later on. Or, they could put themselves under excessive pressure to achieve their goals, which also detracts from enjoyment of the activity.

Judging is an integral part of life. Whether we are judging others for making mistakes, ourselves for failing,or both, having adequate levels of emotional intelligence can make differences.

But, remember, those with lower EI won’t always agree with each other or with us! There are times when people’s views will differ sharply from ours, and this is okay!

Emotions exist to help us connect with one another, so there is no reason to get annoyed by them.

Understand your peers

As discussed earlier, understanding other people is an important part of good judgement. This includes not only their internal processes but also how they are interacting with others around them.

Knowing what makes someone else happy or unhappy can help you determine whether it’s better to try to change that person, or just avoid getting in their way by changing yourself.

For example, if someone else’s success seems to make you very uncomfortable, then maybe you should consider altering your own level of success before trying to convince that person to succeed.

If you want someone to like you, then be sure to put in some effort into showing interest in theirs. If they seem distant, try to understand why that is and work to fix it.

Similarly, if someone else’s failure is causing you pain, don’t take it personally. Perhaps you were invested too much in their dreams and failed to realize this was going to happen until it had.

Keep learning about psychology so you know what factors influence emotional behavior and how to reduce stress when necessary.

Emotional intelligence isn’t always easy to achieve, but investing time in developing yours will pay off. And while you may never be able to fully control how another person feels, you can manage your own emotions and thus contribute more to good judgement.