“In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels “
-Daniel Goleman
Remember ‘ Maksood bhai’ from our favourite childhood Bollywood film “Munna bhai M.B.B.S” ? The old sweeper who was frustrated over everyone who walked over the freshly mopped O.P.D floor as soon as he finished cleaning It and how a mere ‘Jadoo ki jhappi’ and “tum kya mast kaam karte ho Maksood bhai” by Munna distracted the old man from the people passing by and calmed him enough to continue with his work without getting frustrated any further. Now imagine what would have been the case if instead of hugging Maksood , Munna had slammed his mark sheet on his face or tried to make him understand the need to kill germs by mopping? Do you think Maksood would have got irritated even more?
The given scene is a perfect example of Emotional Intelligence at play. Emotional Intelligence refers to a person’s ability to perceive, control, evaluate, and express emotions. Man is a social being- the ability to think and express setting them apart from the animals. Emotions stick by us in every waking moment of our life, from feeling sad over a death, feeling happy about a success story to getting angry over injustice to being smart enough to sail through a group task with each member having a different personality.
The flip aspect of EQ is Intelligence Quotient (IQ). IQ refers to the ability of visual and spatial processing, knowledge of the world, fluid reasoning, working memory, short-term memory, and quantitative reasoning. IQ only measures our intelligence potential, which doesn’t depict the actual vastness of human intelligence. Even with a high IQ, success isn’t guaranteed. Researchers have shown that our success at work or in life depends on Emotional Intelligence 80% and only 20% of intellect. For a very long time IQ was considered the dominant trait to lead a life of accomplishment and achievement but the exceptional role that emotional intelligence plays couldn’t be ignored in the long run.
Moreover, in my opinion, it’s easy to fake high IQ scores if you study the appropriate material but EQ can’t be faked for it will be evident in what all you have earned as a human being rather than just an employee or boss. Making genuine, lasting friendships is much more difficult, and the results are far more rewarding than a few letters after your name. If one was simply intelligent, but could not get along with others, achieving success would be a huge struggle. EQ and IQ are the difference between being able to function well and being able to function well enough to succeed. Having a high IQ is an advantage but being emotionally intelligent can make all the difference to your studies and future career.
Can EQ be learned?
To the readers who are wondering that if EQ is so important as an influence on one’s career, can it be learned or strengthened? Or is it something you are born with? The answer to the latter is YES. People often have a misconception that just like IQ, EQ too is inbuilt or depends on genes, which definitely is not the case. It all depends on the proficiency and efforts one is ready to put in, the same way that we do in academics.
According to VeryWellMind, a study found that approximately 50% of kids enrolled in SEL programs had better achievement scores and almost 40% showed improved grade-point-averages. These programs were also linked to lowered suspension rates, increased school attendance, and reduced disciplinary problems. A deep glance at character education, modeling positive behaviors, encouraging people to think about how others are feeling, and finding ways to be more empathetic toward others are a few steps to commence with, in order to maintain a pace with ever-rising need of emotionally intelligent humans.
