Over the past few decades, emotional intelligence (EI) has become one of the most popular psychology theories. It was first described in 1995 by Daniel Goleman as “the ability to identify and manage your emotions and those of others”.1

Since then, many have argued that EI is an important factor in workplace success and overall quality of life.2-4 As such, there are now many different types of programs designed to improve individuals’ levels of emotional intelligence.

These include: working with family members3,5 teaching children6,7 or adolescents8 to be more emotionally intelligent,9 developing relationships10,11 and educating students12 about their own emotional skills.13

Overall, these strategies can help you be happier at work and home, which helps promote wellness and productivity.14,15

Given its growing popularity, it is our hope that this article will help you determine if emotional intelligence is relevant for your career and whether it is possible to develop your level of emotional intelligence.

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Factors that affect your emotional intelligence

How you manage your emotions is an important factor in determining how well you control your own moods and stress levels, as well as how successful you are in relationships and work.

People who have higher EQ tend to be happier than people with lower EQs, and they’re likely to achieve things because they use their skills to cope with difficult situations.

Research shows that around half of all deaths are due to chronic medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, so it makes sense to consider mental health when talking about cause of death.

Emotional quotients (EQ) can run low for several reasons, including genetics, early experiences, life events such as divorce or job loss, poor communication, financial problems, and physical illness. All of these factors influence what kind of emotions you're exposed to, how you process them, and whether you develop strategies to help you deal with them.

Ways to improve your emotional intelligence

People with higher EQ are more likely to consider how their actions will affect those around them, and they strive to put into action strategies that promote positive relationships. They also recognize when others are not being sincere or honest with them, and avoid engaging in conversations with these people because this is not a good environment for learning.

People with high EQ are aware of what makes other individuals feel valued and loved, and know how to use these skills when interacting with them. They understand that you can never truly trust someone else’s words, so instead focus on what you think you know about the person.

By putting in effort to learn more about other people, you show interest in creating meaningful connections with them. This is an important quality since we spend a lot of time together every day. In fact, according to one study, it takes only six minutes for us to form an opinion of someone!

So, whether you are talking to someone for the first time or having a conversation with them for many hours, there is still something you can do to prove who they are. By studying their behaviors and activities, you would get some clues as to whether they mean what they say or not.

Ways to be more emotional intelligent

Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in interest in what is now referred to as emotional intelligence (EI). Some experts believe that we can learn how to manage our emotions and achieve better overall happiness and success in life by developing our EI.

Many employers are looking for ways to test employees’ EI levels so they can determine if those skills have improved. This is particularly important given that over 70 percent of workplace disputes occur because of differences in emotion regulation.

Research shows that people with higher EIs tend to relate well to others, are more likely to stay in relationships, and are less prone to mental health issues like anxiety or depression.

So why not use your ability to regulate your own emotions as a way to improve your quality of life? Here are some tips to try on yourself or for someone you know.

Emotional quotient

One of the most important personality traits is emotional intelligence or EQ. This is also referred to as emo­tional literacy, self-awareness, and other terms.

Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize, understand, and control your emotions. It helps you achieve personal success by motivating you to perform certain actions and helping you motivate others to do the same.

There are several different tests that assess emotional intelligence, but none seem to be totally reliable or consistent across all versions. That’s why it can be hard to determine if you have high emotional IQ or not.

However, there are some things we can learn about how to increase our emotional intelligence. Here are eight ways to boost your emotional intelligence.

1. Use the ‘I’ word

This will take some practice, but try using the word “me” in place of the word “you” when talking about someone else. For example, instead of saying, “You never listen to me,” say, “I am never able to talk to him/her because they never listen to me.”

The difference here is that said person listened to you once, so now they are hearing what you want them to hear instead of what you wanted to get out of them earlier.

Practice this with people of all ages and stages to gain more insights into who has an emotionally intelligent relationship.

Definition of emotional quotient

The second element is your emotional quotient, or EQ for short. Your EQ is your ability to identify and manage your emotions. This can be done either directly, by learning how to recognize and control your own emotions, or indirectly, by helping others learn how to do the same.

Directly, you could teach yourself social skills like how to motivate someone else before asking them to do something difficult. Indirectly, you would help people learn these skills by watching how you handle relationships.

Your EQ also includes understanding why other people may feel some given emotion. For example, when someone says they are happy because their child just received a big gift, you should ask if they actually look happier than before.

If you have low EQ, it’s more likely that you will overreact to things due to lack of self-control. You might get angry too quickly without thinking about whether that was necessary.

The importance of self-awareness

A lot of people focus only on what they call “emotional intelligence”, which is really just called emotional quotient or EQ. You probably know some people who are very emotionally in control and regulate their emotions well, but that doesn’t make them have high EQ.

In fact, there are even tests to determine your EQ! There are several different types of tests, but most look at how you manage your own emotions and relate to other people.

Self-awareness is one of the biggest factors in having higher EQ. This means being conscious of yourself – not just thinking about yourself for an hour, but consistently every day.

You should be aware of at least three things when you wake up, and before you go to sleep at night. How you feel about yourself, how others perceive you, and what you want out of life.

This way you will never forget that you need to put in this effort to survive as human being.

The importance of self-control

A lot of people think that emotional intelligence is only about being able to recognize what emotions other people are feeling, and then matching those feelings with your own.

That’s half the battle though. The more important part is being able to control your own emotions so that they don’t get the best of you.

By this I mean things like staying in control during a argument, not letting anger or frustration take over, and keeping yourself level headed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who seem to be constantly overextending themselves physically and emotionally. They can’t stop talking, they never sleep, and they spend most of their time thinking about how much they need to make next pay period.

The importance of social awareness

Social awareness is one of the most important qualities in anyone’s emotional intelligence. You have to know what kind of mood people are in before you can help them feel better.

This includes knowing when someone needs a break or some time alone, as well as if they need your attention at this moment.

It also means being able to identify whether something seems normal or not for these individuals, such as when their friend suddenly got very close with her/his parents.

People don’t like admitting that they’re having trouble adjusting, so it can be tricky figuring out how to tell if they’re struggling. If you notice anything about their behavior that’s off, do whatever you can to let them know and talk to them about it.

If there’s somebody you think might be suffering from low social awareness, try doing things that increase your own EQ — practicing acceptance and letting go, saying hello to strangers, etc. – then see if that helps.