What is Emotional Intelligence?

'Emotional intelligence' (EQ) is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. EQ can be improved with training.

Sub-skills of emotional intelligence include the ability to recognise and categorise emotions, to respond to them in an appropriate manner, and make the best use of them in a particular context.

An example of emotional intelligence would be recognising a coworker is feeling frustrated, then being tactful and communicative enough to find out what made them upset. Someone with high emotional intelligence would be more likely to resolve the situation positively than someone who ignored the frustration, or responded to it without understanding its source.

How is it different to IQ?

'IQ' stands for 'Intelligence Quotient', and it is a measure of your ability to learn and understand new things, problem solve, and reason through ideas.

Under some models, IQ has two subcategories: crystallised and fluid intelligence. Crystallised intelligence refers to the knowledge, facts, and skills you have acquired throughout your life, while fluid intelligence refers to the ability to solve problems in various cognitive domains. Colloquially, most people mean 'fluid intelligence' when they refer to IQ, and this is the kind of intelligence most IQ tests measure. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale is one of the most commonly-used modern IQ test today.

IQ tests have existed for over 100 years as a measure of 'global cognitive ability', but they do not capture other characteristics of human ability we care about as a society - including social and emotional awareness. In response to this, in the last 20 years the concept of 'Emotional Intelligence' was developed.

EQ and IQ scores are moderately correlated. However, there is variance between them, as the concept of EQ captures ideas IQ does not cover, and vice versa. IQ measures global reasoning ability (g), whereas EQ measures emotional awareness, control and responsiveness.

Why is it important?

Many business and workplace problems are social problems, so they require social and emotional skills to solve. The impact of EQ is felt in how well a team works together, how clearly documentation is written, how well a product fits a user's needs, and many other core business functions.

EQ also plays a huge role outside of the business world, where it facilitates healthy relationships, gives you the tools to resolve conflicts amicably, and helps with self-understanding and emotional regulation.