The Quick and Simple Guide to Learning What EQ Is Once and for All

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Last Updated on February 8, 2021 by

Emotional intelligence (EQ) involves understanding and managing emotions. It was discovered after researchers noticed that something was off.

Emotional intelligence is considered the #1 determinate of success.

Originally IQ was considered the #1 skill for success. But people with lower IQs were continually outperforming their higher IQ counterparts.

Researches set out to uncover why, they discovered emotional intelligence. It has since become a scientific area of study and is considered the #1 determinate of success.

Quick and Simple Guide to Emotional Intelligence

If you want to be successful you need to focus on building your EQ. With this guide you will learn:

EQ Names & Abbreviations

Emotional Intelligence Principles

Emotional Intelligence Overview

Emotional Intelligence Timeline

Guide Overview

Names and Abbreviations

Common abbreviations for emotional intelligence are:

EI – Emotional Intelligence; and
EQ – Emotional Quotient (more popular)

EI refers to the type of intelligence. EQ refers to the degree of intelligence (like an IQ).

Both abbreviations are used interchangeably to reference emotional intelligence.

So depending on the context, EQ could mean someone’s individual score on an emotional intelligence test or it could refer to emotional intelligence in general.

I used EQ instead of EI simply because EQ is more commonly used and I think it sounds better.

Emotional Intelligence Principles

Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of and manage emotions. It’s broken into two sections, each section having two parts:

Intrapersonal

Awareness of one’s emotions.
Management of one’s emotions.

Interpersonal

Empathy and awareness of the emotions of others.
The ability to influence the emotions of others.

Emotional Intelligence Overview

Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) describes our emotional capacity similarly to how intellectual quotient (IQ) describes our intellectual capacity. Remember “street smarts” and “books smarts”. Well, EQ would be “feeling & thinking smarts”.

“A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
Dale Carnegie.

A variation of EQ was discovered in the early 1900s and was referred to as “social intelligence”. With his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie was the first to teach it on a large scale. The book focuses on the interpersonal part of EQ but doesn’t reference EQ by name (the name was not introduced yet).

Two psychologists branded the name EQ in 1990, and EQ gained popularity in 1995 with Daniel Goleman’s book, “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ”.

Companies have caught on and are now hiring with EQ in mind. But EQ is definitely not just for work. EQ is important for every aspect of life, and those who focus on building their EQ will have greater success in achieving personal and professional goals.

The great news is that anyone can learn and improve their EQ!

Timeline of Emotional Intelligence

1909 – John Dewey (philosopher, psychologist) coins the term “social intelligence”.
1920s – E.L. Thorndike (psychologist) studies social intelligence by watching animals and humans. He defines it as the ability to act wisely in social situations and to understand and manage others.
1936 – Dale Carnegie (writer) popularizes the concept of social intelligence (without calling it by name) in his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People“.
1950 – Abraham Maslow (psychologist, Maslow hierarchy of needs) suggests that we can build emotional strength and the skills needed to control our emotions.
1977 – Howard Gardner (developmental psychologist) introduces the concept of multiple types of intelligence in his book “The Shattered Mind“.
1980s – Wayne Payne and Keith Beasley (psychologists) introduce the terms “emotional intelligence” and “emotional quotient.”
1990 – Peter Salovey & John Mayer (personality psychologists) create a framework of emotional intelligence as a scientific area of study with their published article titled “Emotional Intelligence“.
Now – EQ is considered the #1 determinate of success. Organizations are sending EQ tests to applicants. EQ is becoming mainstream within the self-help and betterment verticals.

Conclusion

Our emotions impact everything we do. And our thoughts impact how we perceive the world and our place in it. No matter your current situation or goals, it is imperative to focus on emotional intelligence.

When you increase rour emotional intelligence you are better able to understand the world and how you connect to it. You also better connect with others and create more fulfilling relationships. Oh yeah, and people with higher EQ make more money, learn more about that here.