Is Emotional Intelligence More Important Than IQ?

Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com – Having a high IQ is a great thing, but there is more to life than intellectual ability.

Recently there has been talks about emotional intelligence, and some say it’s more important than IQ. What is the difference and how can emotional intelligence help us create a better life?

Is Emotional Intelligence More Important Than IQ?

It’s time to press the “emotional intelligence” button. Credit: Public Domain

People with high IQ such as for example Albert Einstein and Kim Ung-Yong have often focused on tasks that do not involve intellectual challenges. Both said that one mustn’t neglect ordinary happiness.

Kim Ung-Yong, who was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ” said he often missed those special moments that make childhood precious.

“People always try to be somebody special by neglecting their ordinary happiness. But they should know happiness means ordinary things that we take for granted, such as nourishing friendships, sharing memorable moments with friends at school and so on…I couldn’t have these things even if I wanted to. This is why I know that what I’m saying is important,” Kim said.

Kim’s message is simple and clear: “Being special is not as important as living an ordinary life.”

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Albert Einstein (1879-1955) made it clear that life is more than ambition. Some years ago, two of his handwritten notes were brought to life. They contained his secrets to a happy life. On one of the notes Einstein wrote: “A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.”

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he wrote on another sheet.

What Is Emotional Intelligence?

The difference between emotional intelligence and IQ is easy to understand. Emotional intelligence can be defined as your ability to manage emotions and connect with other people. People who have a high IQ are naturally academically brilliant, but sometimes they can be unsuccessful in social and private life. Emotional intelligence helps you to build stronger relationships, handle stress, and take control of your life. If you are not in control of your emotions than you can never experience inner peace.

The great ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said: “Anyone can become angry —that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way —this is not easy.”

Do you recognize yourself when you hear this? These ancient words still apply to most of us.

The four keys to mastering emotional intelligence are:

Emotional intelligence is commonly defined by four attributes:

  1. Self-management – The fact that you can control impulsive feelings and behaviors.
  2. Self-awareness – The ability to know your strengths and weaknesses. Once you know what you can and cannot do, you can have better self-confidence. A study shows that an average brain has up to 50,000 daily thoughts and 70% of them are negative. When you think good thoughts and stay positive, no matter how hard it can sometimes be, your well-being improves.  control of your thoughts,
  3. Social awareness – Understand other peoples’ emotions is crucial to developing good social relationships. Show empathy but remember that it may have very negative and harmful effect on your own health, if you overdo it. So,  keep balance when you show empathy.
  4. Relationship management – All relationships are based on good communication and mutual understanding. Talk and listen to your friends, and colleagues.

Is Emotional Intelligence More Powerful Than IQ?

Daniel Goleman, author of the book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ writes that “there are widespread exceptions to the rule that IQ predicts success—many (or more) exceptions than cases that fit the rule. At best, IQ contributes about 20 percent of the factors that determine life success, which leaves 80 percent to other forces.

As one observer notes, “The vast majority of one’s ultimate niche in society is determined by non-IQ factors, ranging from social class to luck.”

Is Emotional Intelligence More Important Than IQ?

Image credit: theimportanceofemotionalintelligence.weebly.com

As Goleman points out, there is still much we don’t know about emotional intelligence because it’s a subject that hasn’t been of great scientific interest, until recently. Yet, Goleman thinks emotional intelligence can be much more important than IQ.

“Unlike IQ, with its nearly one-hundred-year history of research with hundreds of thousands of people, emotional intelligence is a new concept. No one can yet say exactly how much of the variability from person to person in life’s course it accounts for. But what data exist suggest it can be as powerful, and at times more powerful, than IQ,” Goleman writes.

So, if you are facing difficulties in social and/or private life, maybe there is nothing wrong with your IQ, but it’s rather emotional intelligence you still haven’t developed.

Written by Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer

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