Blog

8 Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence Matters More Than Intelligence Quotient.

BY DEORAO K.

Have you ever wonder why some people easily break down in stress and pressure situations while some people can stay dead calm? Why performance of some people don’t fade even in an extremely tense situation while some peoples’ performance goes to zero? Why some people are impulse driven while others are calm, composed, and reasonable? How some people are good at managing anger and rage while others end up doing something terrible thing? How some people are able to stay calm and focused in any amount of emotional pain while others have an emotional breakdown?

If you are having this question in your mind lately or for several days, let me tell you the answer to all these questions is Emotional intelligence

Now day Intelligence is typified into many forms to increase its specificity. For example, Social and Interpersonal Intelligence (S.Q.), Intrapersonal Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence, Analytical Intelligence, Logical Intelligence, and the list goes on.

Emotional intelligence is also known as Emotional Quotient (E.Q.). Though underrated by the majority of people it is more of the most important type of intelligence to lead a happy and prosperous life.

Emotional intelligence is a fairly newer term. To recent date, we were only aware of the Intelligent Quotient (I.Q.) until Gardener gave the theory of multiple types of intelligence in 1983. Daniel Goleman writes extensively about E.Q. in the book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than I.Q.”.  Researchers are agreed that emotional intelligence plays a pivotal role in happiness and success in personal and professional life.

There are multiple types of intelligence given by multiple researchers, here we only talk about Emotional intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is further typified into three Models as the Ability Model, the Trait Model, and the Mixed model. Daniel Goleman’s theory falls in the mixed model.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE(E.Q.)?

Emotional Intelligence aka Emotional Intelligence Quotient (E.Q.) means the person’s ability to understand manage and execute or manipulate the emotions of self as well as others emotions in positive and constructive ways.

This means people with higher emotional intelligence have the ability to keep calm in a highly emotional state such as pain, anger, stress, and, in do or die situation. They can perform without fear and without losing productivity.

While people with low emotional intelligence get intimidated easily with tough and difficult situations. They get nervous, scared, withdrawn, anxious, depressed, and try to run away from the conflict.

Emotionally intelligent people are good at with empathizing people. They understand other peoples’ emotion and behave accordingly that make them emotionally smart with the people.

You may find several definitions of emotional intelligence on the internet and in books today but all of them have the same meaning.

We can explain this with few examples, Mark was driving his car on the road like a normal day. Someone hit his car from behind, suddenly mark burst into anger and pick up the fight with the person in another vehicle. The other person got injured seriously and mark went to jail. Because his car was not damaged much it was possible to avoid the fight but his extreme emotion of anger hijacked his thinking brain and he ends up in jail. Now he has ample to regret about it.

Another example we can take John recently went through a difficult situation. He suffered a huge loss in business also lost his loved one. He is feeling an emotional breakdown. He feels sad, lonely, and depressed. He doesn’t know how to get out of this feeling and doesn’t have a bone to start over again.

In both cases, they are having low emotional intelligence that is why they are not able to identify, able and manage the high emotional situation. We can take several such examples but all the example shows how much important E.Q. is.

PHYSIOLOGY OF EMOTIONAL AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

In primitive animals like reptiles they don’t have a thinking brain (Neo-cortex) they can’t differentiate between good or bad emotions, they can’t understand love and empathy. Because they are programmed for emotions required for survival like anger and fear. That is why they attack us as soon as we approach them.

As time passes brain has grown from a primitive brain (Pons and medulla oblongata) to a fully develop thinking brain of today’s humans. We, humans, have the largest Neocortex than our distant relative in evolution. That makes it possible for us to think, understand, manage and execute the emotion.

We can differentiate between good and bad emotions. We can understand empathy. We can control our emotions. And this is what makes humans emotionally intelligent.

There is an emotion processing cascade inside our brain it includes several parts and units. As Limbic System includes Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, and Amygdala. Also Prefrontal Cortex, Cingulate Gyrus, and Substantial Nigra. It also includes several other smaller parts of the brain.

The amygdala plays a vital role in emotion processing and motor response especially in emergencies such as fight or flight response. It stores the memory of previous emotional incidences to initiate a response for similar incidents in the future. Hence called as Emotional Brain.

Understanding, processing, and producing required action is a complex process. Different people have different abilities to process emotions hence they have different emotional intelligence i.e. high or low.

People with a lower ability to understand and process the emotion find it difficult to manage the emotion. Like pain and anger and end up being heartbroken or committing a crime.

In children’s emotions, processing matures gradually as age increases. So henceforth if you find children with the anger of fear don’t label them low in emotional intelligence they are just young.

INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (I.Q.) VS EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT(E.Q.)

Much debate has happened in the past between researchers and scholars on what is more important among Intelligent Quotient (I.Q) and Emotional Quotient(E.Q.) and it is still going on.

Intelligence Quotient is nothing but academic intelligence. People with high I.Q. are good in academics, research and innovation, and complex problem solving but that doesn’t guarantee they are good in managing stress, frustration, emotional distress, pain and, managing anger and rage.

It is not rare in our society to find a person with a higher academic grade stay brock and miserable for whole life while dropout lives a lavish and successful life. Here I am not glorifying the dropping out of school or college, I just wanted to prove my point of view that Emotional Intelligence is anyhow the most important factor to lead a happy, prosperous and successful life.

IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.

Though underrated emotional intelligence has significance in day to day life. Those with a high emotional intelligence quotient are,

1. EMPATHETIC: –

As they are good at detecting the emotions of self and others. It easy for them to understand others’ current emotions and behave accordingly. That makes them behave with empathy with others which makes them approachable. People approach them to share their emotions, good or bad but they come and share them. Because he is the only person who can understand them and soothe them.

2. HAS GOOD MENTAL HEALTH: –

It is found in several studies that, people with high E.Q. have good mental health. Because they can identify and label the emotion. Which makes them able to not lose their cool in stress and distress.

They are self-motivated and don’t need any external source to motivate them. They are less likely to get frustrated, stressed, and depressed in difficult situations. Also, they are good at managing anger and rage, as they know perfectly when to get angry and how much to get angry.

3. GOOD AT SOCIALIZING WITH PEOPLE: –

They are good at maintaining the relationship with people. They are extroverted and good at socializing with known people as well as strangers.

4. HAPPIER: –

People with High E.Q. are happier than those with lower E.Q. Because of effectively managing distress and pain, the ability to keep oneself self-motivated in thick and thin, and have good mental health.

Because they are always happy and satisfied, they impart positivity. This makes them more attractive and magnetic personality. People feel positive about them.

5. SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE: –

Academic intelligence guarantees good grate, learning skills, and solving complex mathematical problems but It doesn’t guarantee success in life. Because achieving success is multifactorial such as, ability to manage distress, taking risks, communication, relationship, confidence, and ability to perform in a difficult time. That is why people with high E.Q. are more likely to achieve success in life instead of not being good in academics.

6. RELATIONSHIP: –

They are good at maintaining a relationship with spouse, children, parents, relatives, and friends. This makes them good husband, partner, father, and friend.

7. HIGH ACHIEVER AT JOB AND BUSINESS: –

Because they are confident in what they do, risk-taking capacity, and the ability to perform in stress. They are likely to achieve high success at the job and in business. Also, it is found that they are good in negotiation and sales.

Some companies are already giving priority to E.Q. while hiring the candidates.

8. GREAT LEADERS: –

I believe you must have heard a lot of things about the quality of leaders but in simple words, leaders are those who take all pressure, frustration, blame on themselves to make way for their followers. A leader must be sorted, confident, firm, stubborn, but kind and empathetic. And this is what people with high E.Q. are good at. 

You might also like to read, 11 HABITS CAN AFFECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH, HOW TO GET RID OF IT.

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCES THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.

There are several factors that influence Emotional Intelligence in and around us. Some important factors are as follows,

1. GENETICS: –

As per one scientific report published in “Nature”, most of our characters (70 to 90%) come from the genetic makeup of the individual including life’s satisfaction and emotional well-being. And 10 to 30% of character is governed by other factors such as Developmental issues, Diseases, Parenting, Society.

This suggests that genetics plays the primary role whether you are high or low in E.Q.

2. DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES: –

Pre and post-natal developmental issues have a significant effect on mental and emotional well beings.

Pre-natal issues like malnourishment of fetus inside the womb, prematurity, developmental problems, abnormalities can severely affect the emotional and mental health. Post-natal issues, malnutrition, toxic parenting, childhood trauma can cause fearful and pessimistic behavior.

3. PARENTING: –

Emotionally unavailable parents, Abusive parents, drug addict parents, single parents, constantly fighting parents, and no parents have a negative effect on children. Children grown under such parents are either become violent criminals or become fearful, socially withdrawn, self-doubting, confident, and desperate.

Good and rational parenting helps children to develop high emotional intelligence. And vice versa. I must mention here those children who do not get fathers masculine power and support are usually low in E.Q.

4. DISEASES AND DISABILITIES: –

Children and teenage people having some kind of chronic diseases and physical disabilities grown as anxious and self-doubting adults. Which makes them low in emotional intelligence. This may not be applicable to all but the majority will relate to this.

Some deficiency diseases affect directly the mental health of the person. e. g. Hypothyroidism, vitamin deficiencies.

5. SOCIETY: –

Society also has a significant influence on the emotional well-being of a person. Those grown up in poor and violent neighborhood are low in emotional intelligence. Sometimes contrast to this can happen, which mean those come out for hardship and form humble background are mature and emotionally sound.