Emotional Intelligence & its Real Life Benefits

When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion. -Dale Carnegie

Most of us know “Emotional Intelligence” as gut feeling. This is more or less like your IQ. While your IQ tells what your capacity to learn and comprehend is, EI or Emotional Intelligence identifies your own emotions and emotions of others. Scientists say that people who have a high EI tend to have certain behaviors. Here’s a quick list of some along with their benefits -

1. Adaptation- EI allows an individual to comprehend the emotions or intentions of others rather easily. This helps them adapt to a situation more willingly than a person who can only understand their own sentiments and feelings. 
2. Managing Others’ Emotions- Understanding what emotion a person is going through in a particular situation is a key trait that allows high EI person to influence others. This intelligence not only fulfills the needs as expected, but also leads to attaining accomplishment then and there. 
3. Emotional Mechanism- People who have good EI can analytically and rationally understand their emotions better. Therefore when they face any frustration, anger or fear, they are more likely to react in a controlled and informed manner instead of becoming instinctive. They are also less impulsive and make rational decisions.
4. Optimistic Approach- Let’s face it! The culture, in which we thrive, looks at the half empty glass rather than half filled. A person with elevated Emotional intelligence develops high self-esteem that generates confidence in the person to see the greener side even in testing situations.
5. Stronger Bond in Relationships- Maybe one of the greatest advantages of higher EI is the skill to be able to endure strong bonds thereby making fulfilling relationships. To be able to appreciate the sentiments of others can result in more nourishing and less conflictive interactions with the people around you.
6. Stress Management Skills- For the sheer reason that people with developed EI have more confidence, self-esteem and an optimistic point of view, they can manage their stress better than others. They handle stressful situations by taking them up as challenges to-be-met and not as threats. And this approach changes the nature of stress to an adaptable and more manageable situation.
   
   There certainly are distinguishable rewards to developing emotional intelligence. However, there are also various point of views over how this can be done. While some believe that it is an inherent skill and one is born with it, others say that with practice and training programs one can acquire the same. Whatever the answer is, the underlying fact is that recognizing ourselves and the emotions of others has distinctive advantages in all fields of behavior, relationships and communication.