How does emotional intelligence work?
Do you like the sound of emotional intelligence, but aren’t quite sure how it works? Does it feel like a new fad and all a bit wishy washy?
As we are who we are right, how can we change what’s already wired in?
Thankfully that’s wrong!
Early psychology examined the direct link between stimulus and effect of human behaviour, without much thought to what might go on in between. More recent work has acknowledged that thoughts travel through several filters in the brain before you act on them. This is where emotional intelligence comes in, acknowledging those filters and actively engaging and examining your responses to them is something that can be trained over time.
Which filters can emotional intelligence develop?
Recent neurological studies have shown that human behaviours are a lot more complex than the simple stimulus to action link. In fact the stimulus your brain receives is processed through several filters:
· Attitude
· Feelings
· Emotions
· Thoughts
This all happens before you then act on it and then observe the outcome. Your own human experiences and conditioning throughout your life will radically affect how you might filter and respond to a situation Vs how you would have done at a different point in time. Similarly, these experiences will also affect how you respond Vs someone else.
Emotional Intelligence helps build new pathways
Neuroscience also shows that the filters are in different parts of the brain, therefore may have conflicting agendas when applying logic to your decision making. Your reptilian brain may automatically try and protect you from something, your primate brain may initiate a fear fog that stops you from responding and your mammalian brain may spend so long trawling through old memories to try and work out what the best option is that the moment passes and you have lost an opportunity to make an impact. All the while your heart may be leading your feelings through to something else entirely.
Your brain makes connections and forms patterns over time based on situations, feelings, emotions and outcomes that you experience. You can control your experiences therefore you can control the development of future patterns that your brain uses to make decisions. Emotional Intelligence is about learning to spot your signs from each of the different filters, reading them and using that information to better manage yourself and your relationships with those around you.
How do I find out my EQ?
Emotional intelligence coaching is a deep dive into the 16 areas of emotional intelligence and your current state within them. It helps identify patterns in your behaviours, feelings, and attitude, causing you to operate at a sub-optimal level. The emotional intelligence test is based on an underpinning of neurological evidence and can have the effect of radically improving your effectiveness at work, enriching personal relationships or even sparking a complete career change.
Ready to book yours?
Emotional intelligence testing will help you get a read on all of these measures and more, as well as set out a detailed guide for how you map against your peers and what you can do to build on each measure.
book an Emotions Equaliser if you’re ready for a clear path to more resilient days!