By: Emma Shandy Anway
This semester I am teaching a psychological assessments class at Sacramento State University. A few weeks ago, I was covering how schools use aptitude and achievement testing to measure intelligence, and realized that while intelligence testing has come a long way, none of the exams we use in public schools assess emotional intelligence (EQ).
Most focus on teaching and assessing a person’s IQ, with little emphasis on their EQ.
Emotional intelligence, a term coined in the early 1990s by researchers John Mayer and Peter Salove, is the ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of those around you.
Since being identified, emotional intelligence has become one of the more popular areas for psychological research. The definition has broadened to include four core components: self awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
Developing these skills is beneficial to overall well being because high EQ correlates with high levels of relational and life satisfaction.
In addition to a positive impact on the self, more work places are starting to look for candidates who do not just have the perfect resume—but who demonstrate having high EQ.
According to a study by Harvard Business review, “71-percent of employers value emotional intelligence more than technical skills when evaluating candidates.”
Despite there being clear data showing how high levels of EQ align with life satisfaction and career building, there has been no cultural shift to find a way to implement teaching these skills.
The good news is that the skills needed to raise your emotional intelligence can be learned at any age.
Increasing self awareness is a great place to begin, and doesn’t have to take a huge amount of time. For example: when you find yourself feeling upset, see if you can pause and label your feelings (sad, angry, etc.), then find a way to express them (talk to someone about it, journal), and lastly find a way to regulate (mindfulness, exercise), which will help your nervous system settle and bring you to a place where you can rationally think about what you need in that moment.
Developing emotional intelligence helps people have more fulfilled and happy lives, and is something everyone deserves the opportunity to have.
