Student: Aiya Zeinulla

Book: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ is a 1995 book by Daniel
Goleman.

Response Paper
In Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Coleman argues for the importance of emotional
intelligence (or EI) in all areas of life. To help us understand what happens when emotions arise, the
book begins by explaining emotions and neural circuits. As Coleman digs deeper, we'll learn why
emotional literacy is extremely valuable in our love, family, and work.
Most importantly, this book offers helpful approaches to improving your emotional abilities and
correcting negative emotions.
I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in psychology, health, or personal
development. Likewise, I believe this book will be very helpful for emotional people suffering from
chronic anger, anxiety, or depression who want to get better by understanding their emotions better
and managing them.

My summary of the book:

What is EI?
Coleman describes emotional intelligence as a person's ability to recognize, understand, and
manage emotions in themselves and others. EI has two aspects: internal and external. Internal
competencies include self-awareness, self-management, impulse control, mood regulation, and
more.
Brain
Coleman explains how strongly emotions are dependent on the nervous system; in particular,
the balance between your "feeling" amygdala and the "thinking" prefrontal cortex. The amygdala is
the part of the brain that triggers emotional impulses and fight-or-flight responses. The prefrontal
cortex is an emotional buffer that suppresses impulses while enhancing attention and working
memory.
An amygdala overloaded with emotions and unable to be regulated by the prefrontal cortex
can trigger what Coleman calls "neural hijacking." Neural abductions are the main causes of
emotional deficits such as fear, anger and depression. Some neural circuits are genetic, but Coleman
argues that temperament this not destiny.
The Emotions
Emotions are physiological reactions of the brain. Good mood and emotions help us to
remain purposeful, optimistic, cheerful and resourceful. They promote an ideal state or flow and
facilitate our flexible and associative thinking.
“Laughter, like joy, seems to help people think more fully and communicate more freely, to
perceive relationships that might otherwise elude them…”
On the other hand, negative emotions such as anger, fear and depression can drastically
affect our work. . memory, intelligence and productivity. Emotional Intelligence focuses on the most
common negative emotions: anger, fear, and depression. Each of these emotions represents a
specific type of emotional imprisonment in the brain. Coleman discusses in detail the treatment of
such problems in. In short, solutions include techniques such as self-awareness, cognitive rewiring,
and distraction techniques to combat toxic thought streams before they start thinking more.
“Anyone can get angry, it's easy. But getting angry at the right person, to the right degree, at
the right time, for the right purpose, in the right way is not easy.” In the real world a significant part
of Emotional Intelligence is devoted to the impact of emotional illiteracy on the most important
areas of our lives: relationships, family, work, school and health. These chapters include numerous
studies and examples of how emotional competencies affect a person's ability to be an effective
manager, teammate, spouse, and parent.
Most importantly, emotional states play a significant role in a person's physical and mental
health. Coleman discusses the correlation of negative emotional states such as stress and depression
with an individual's susceptibility to illness (and ability to recover). For example, social isolation
can affect mortality as much as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity!
EI > I.Q.
“Someone who is driven by impulses, who lacks self-control, has no moral guilt: the ability
to control impulses is the basis of will and character.” Without neglecting the fact that I.Q. very
important, especially for lower technical positions, says Coleman, E.I. it contributes significantly
more to overall success and quality of life, especially in soft areas such as health, love and
partnership. In a family, EI, not IQ, influences how long a marriage lasts or how a child copes with
adversity.
Don't forget that I.Q. really important, especially for lower technical positions, says
Coleman, E. And it contributes significantly more to overall success and quality of life, especially in
“soft” areas like health, love, and partnerships. In a family, EI, not IQ, influences how long a
marriage lasts or how a child copes with adversity. In work, everyone at the top of the ladder is
already filtered out by technical knowledge. So this is for example.I. Helps to identify the best and
most effective leaders. Socially, an emotionally intelligent community will create a moral culture in
which decisions are made under the influence of empathy and moral instincts, rather than
uncontrolled impulses.
“Academic intelligence is seldom prepared for the shocks—or opportunities—that life's ups
and downs bring. However, while a high IQ is no guarantee of wealth, prestige, or happiness in life,
our schools and culture are obsessed with academic ability. Ignore emotional intelligence, a set of
traits that some might call character that also have a big impact on our personal destiny."
If you found this resume interesting. You should definitely delve into this wonderful
informative book!