Emotional intelligence

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Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. High emotional intelligence includes emotional recognition of emotions of the self and others, using emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discerning between and labeling of different feelings, and adjusting emotions to adapt to environments.

The term first appeared in 1964, gaining popularity in the 1995 bestselling book Emotional Intelligence by psychologist and science journalist Daniel Goleman. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim that it is innate.

Various models have been developed to measure EI: The trait model focuses on self reporting behavioral dispositions and perceived abilities; the ability model focuses on the individual's ability to process emotional information and use it to navigate the social environment. Goleman's original model may now be considered a mixed model that combines what has since been modelled separately as ability EI and trait EI.

While some studies show that there is a correlation between high EI and positive workplace performance, there is no general consensus on the issue among psychologists, and no causal relationships have been shown. EI is typically associated with empathy, because it involves a person relating their personal experiences with those of others. Since its popularization in recent decades and links to workplace performance, methods of developing EI have become sought by people seeking to become more effective leaders.

Recent research has focused on emotion recognition, which refers to the attribution of emotional states based on observations of visual and auditory nonverbal cues.^[1] In addition, neurological studies have sought to characterize the neural mechanisms of emotional intelligence.^[2] Criticisms have centered on whether EI is a real intelligence, and whether it has incremental validity over IQ and the Big Five personality traits.^[3] However, meta-analyses have found that certain measures of EI have validity even when controlling for IQ and personality.^[4]