Daniel Goleman | Emotional Intelligence | Full Audiobook | SUPERBbooks

Daniel Goleman | Emotional Intelligence | Full Audiobook | SUPERBbooks

Emotional Intelligence
Summary of 10 key ideas

1) WIIFM - What is in it for me?
Some people think emotions play a role only in romantic situations or in the heat of a physical fight. Yet in fact, emotions are everywhere: they form our decisions, help us understand the world and are crucial in any interaction with others.

This book explains in detail what impact emotions have on your everyday life. It shows how they can help you, but also how they lead you astray. It also highlights the role that emotional intelligence plays in allowing us to use emotions to create positive outcomes and avoid situations where they can harm us.

It explains how emotional intelligence makes it possible to create a balanced interaction between the emotional brain and the rational brain. It also shows us how this capacity can be acquired and expanded.

Finally, it answers these interesting questions: How does emotional intelligence develop in individuals and why is this capacity so important for society as a whole?

Key idea 2 of 10
Emotions are important; they help us learn new things, understand others and push us to take action.
Do our emotions hold us back? Would we do better if our emotions were removed and we became unfeeling, logical creatures?

In fact, emotions are vital to us as they provide us with advantages that help us to lead fulfilled lives.

Key idea 3 of 10
Sometimes our emotions can impede our judgment or make us act irrationally.
Our emotions are important tools for understanding and interacting with our environment. However, they are also flawed and can lead us to make mistakes.

One such mistake occurs when we become overly emotional. In order to make sound judgments we need to think clearly. Like a juggler, our minds can handle only so many items at once. And when we’re in a state of heightened emotion, our minds are bombarded with alarming thoughts and disturbing images. Thus, there is no room for rational thought and our judgment is clouded.

Key idea 4 of 10
Emotional intelligence enables you to manage your emotions and leverage them to reach your goals.
So how can you use the power of your emotions without them overwhelming you?

You need emotional intelligence (EI), as it allows you to recognize and manage your feelings without being controlled by them.

Key idea 5 of 10
Emotional intelligence is the capacity that helps you navigate the social world.
Unless you live on an island, it is unlikely that you’ll develop a happy life just by managing your own mind. Other people play a large role in your existence and only by managing your social interactions with them can you hope to live a fulfilled life.

Once again, emotional intelligence can help in achieving this.

Key idea 6 of 10
Emotional intelligence requires a balance between the emotional "feeling brain" and the rational “thinking brain.”
The way that we think and feel are intertwined. This is because the thinking brain – where we develop our rational thoughts – and the feeling brain – the birthplace of our emotions – are linked. They are connected by strong neuronal pathways.

Our emotional intelligence is dependent on these connectors between the thinking and feeling brains, and any damage to these neuronal pathways can elicit emotional intelligence deficits.

Key idea 7 of 10
Emotional intelligence makes you healthier and more successful.
What is the key to leading a successful and fulfilled life?

You may think it’s high IQ – that the brightest people will stand the best chance of leading happy lives. Yet emotional intelligence is just as important as high IQ in achieving this.

Key idea 8 of 10
The future of American society will depend on its children’s emotional intelligence.
While high emotional intelligence makes people happy and healthy, poor emotional intelligence can have society-wide negative effects. For example, the tripling of the US teen murder rate between 1965 and 1990 can be linked to diminishing emotional intelligence.

There is strong evidence that suggests that deficits in emotional intelligence can cause delinquency – a major factor in increasing crime rates.

Key idea 9 of 10
There are several ways to boost your emotional intelligence.
As we have learnt that emotional intelligence can lead to a fulfilled life, you may now be asking if it is possible to boost it.

The answer is yes, and a series of exercises can help you achieve this.

Key idea 10 of 10
You can use emotional intelligence in all kinds of settings, from the office to your love life.
You may now know quite a bit about emotional intelligence. But you may also be asking yourself – how can I use this knowledge practically?

Here is some advice that can help you use your emotional intelligence in your everyday life.