People with high emotional intelligence are able to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions as well as others’. They also use emotion to motivate themselves and others in productive ways. In other words, they know how to apply emotion for your personal growth and happiness.

With increasing rates of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, it is important to develop your emotional intelligence (EI). This includes understanding yourself, other people, and situations more clearly so that you can better regulate your emotions, promote self-confidence, and help others do the same.

Emotional intelligence has been linked to several positive personality traits, such as kindness, empathy, and responsibility. Also known as ‘the skill of being emotionally intelligent,’ it helps us achieve our goals by motivating us and helping us relate to others.

This article will discuss some simple things you can do to increase your EI. However, first let’s talk about what makes someone have low emotional intelligence.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and happiness

Want to 10x your business's website traffic?

Look no further! Juice.ai puts your business in charge of its content strategy and gets you targeted clicks to your website. Check it out now!

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in what is now referred to as “emotional literacy or intelligent control of your emotions.” This concept was first discussed in depth by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his best-selling book The New Harvard Business Review Best Practices in Leading with Emotion.

Goleman defined emotional intelligence (EI) as the ability to recognize our own feelings and those of others, to be aware of your own moods, and how these affect other people around you, and to use this information to regulate your emotions and motivate yourself.

He also pointed out that we are all born with a certain amount of EI, but it can be improved through training and practice.

Research suggests that having high levels of EI helps us achieve higher income, enjoy better relationships, feel more self-confidence, cope better with stress, and get happier over time. On the other hand, low levels of EI may contribute to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

There are many theories about why some individuals seem to have higher than average levels of EI, but no one theory seems totally convincing.

Whatever the reason for individual differences in EI, researchers agree that it will probably remain a mystery until someone comes up with a way to test for it directly.

Relationships between emotional intelligence and others

In other words, people who have high levels of empathy are also often described as having strong social skills or being socially intelligent. They are more likely to understand what emotions other people may be feeling and how to use that information in your relationships.

People with higher EQs tend to be happier than those with lower EI scores. This is because they’re better at recognizing their own feelings and those of others which helps them work through issues more effectively.

They can also identify when someone else isn’t quite themselves and might be experiencing internal conflict.

Ways to improve your emotional intelligence

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in what is now referred to as “emotional literacy or intelligent”. This term was first coined by Daniel Goleman back in 2002 when he published his best seller book titled "Emotional Intelligence". Since then, it has become one of the most popular self-help books along with other titles such as The Secret Life of Wealthy People and Living With A Sense Of Purpose.

Many people have made significant changes in their lives due to this book. He would later go onto write another bestselling book called "Social Influence" which focused more on how to apply emotional intelligence to social situations.

Since those initial introductions, studies continue to link emotional intelligence to overall happiness, success, and wellness. It also seems to play a big part in creating relationships and experiences that are meaningful to you.

There are several ways to increase your emotional intelligence (EI). You can do this through practicing certain skills, reading about EI, educating yourself about emotions, giving and receiving feedback, and having conversations that emphasize empathy and understanding.

Taking care of your mental health

Overcoming emotional barriers in relationships is a good way to improve your relationship quality. If you struggle with anger, for example, it can be difficult to hold down a job or lead a productive life. On the other hand, if you avoid engaging with others due to fear, you may end up staying alone most of the time.

Many experts believe that people who are high in EI also tend to have better interpersonal skills. This could be because they use more effective strategies when dealing with others, or maybe because their personality traits make them choose to interact with others less, but just as intensely. Either way, improving your EQ will help you achieve your goals related to career and love!

Another area where both EQ and personal growth overlap is self-awareness. People who are higher in EI recognize and understand themselves more clearly than those who are not, which helps them identify what emotions apply to certain situations and how they feel about various things.

This can be tricky at times though, since everyone experiences emotion differently. While some may perceive a situation as very dramatic or important, this doesn’t necessarily match someone else’s view of the same thing.

Running away from your feelings may keep you from recognizing an episode as “emotionally significant”, for instance.

Seek emotional support

As we have seen, being emotionally intelligent means knowing how to identify and manage your emotions. This is related to another important part of emotional intelligence – seeking out and giving appropriate attention to other people’s emotions.

This way you are aware of what others around you are feeling and can respond in a helpful or motivating manner. You will also know when someone needs your help and whether they are able to get it themselves.

By showing empathy for others’ situations and feelings, you give them some motivation to change their behaviour or approach certain things more thoughtfully.

Having strong social skills is an integral part of emotional intelligence. This includes understanding different personalities and how to relate to each one. Your personality affects how you interact with other people, and having adequate emotional intelligence makes interacting more effectively and positively.

You would not expect someone who is very introverted to be good at encouraging conversation and interaction with many people, but they could if they practiced using effective strategies for changing conversations and approaching new people. Similarly, there are ways that some people seem to gain constant praise even from strangers, and this may make them feel overly-confident and self-assured. Having adequate EI helps you recognize such behaviours and apply lessons from these to improve your own confidence and body image.

How does emotional literacy play a role in developing emotional intelligence?

We all have various levels of knowledge about psychology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy.

Share your feelings

As we have discussed, emotional intelligence is related to how well you regulate your emotions. It also includes being able to recognize what emotion someone else is feeling and be able to give them appropriate feedback by saying or doing something that reflects that emotion.

However, emotional intelligence isn’t just about having good control of your own emotions; it also means knowing other people and being able to identify their emotions.

This way you can help them deal with their emotions and motivate them to do things because they feel happier when they do. You may even know how to bring out the best in someone else’s personality and capitalize on their strengths.

Overall, emotional intelligence is important because it helps us relate to one another and understand what makes others happy or unhappy. It also plays an integral part in social success and happiness.

Practice meditation

In addition to having skills in understanding emotions, people with high EI also practice self-awareness and are aware of their own feelings.

People who have higher EQs understand how they feel about things and can identify what is making them unhappy or excited. They may be able to explain why they’re feeling certain ways, which helps reduce emotional stress.

Meditation is a great way to develop your EQ by reducing anxiety and depression. There are many types of mediation, but all require you to focus on only one thing for some amount of time.

Some examples of meditations include focused breathing, thinking about something calm, repeating words or sounds, and imagining yourself doing something you like.

Overall, relaxation exercises help improve mental health and wellness. It has been shown to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as increase quality of life.

Emotional intelligence is an important part of overall wellbeing and it can be improved through practicing mindfulness.

Develop your self-confidence

People with higher EQs are typically described as having more ‘self-confidence’. This is not to say that they feel no fear or anxiety, but that these feelings don’t hold them back for long.

They are able to deal with their emotions more effectively and this helps them perform better in life. For example, someone who feels nervous before an important presentation can still go through the process without becoming too distracted by the feeling.

People with high emotional intelligence learn how to control their emotions so that they can focus fully on the task at hand.

There are many ways to develop your confidence. They include learning new skills, practicing assertiveness, and giving yourself compliments for your efforts.