Develop Your Emotional Intelligence to Help You Succeed

work—and even a bigger paycheck—wasn’t your IQ, but something else entirely? A kind of intelligence that doesn’t show up on a report card or standardized test, but quietly determines how well you navigate life’s daily challenges. It turns out this often-overlooked mental asset might be your brain’s most powerful tool. Curious what it is—and how to get more of it? Read on to uncover the surprising science behind emotional intelligence.

Key Takeaways

• Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a critical role in academic success, workplace performance, and overall life satisfaction—sometimes even more than traditional IQ.

• Higher EQ is linked to higher income, as emotionally intelligent people are better at managing relationships, interpreting others’ feelings, and influencing outcomes.

• Improving your EQ is possible through mindfulness, deep listening, empathy-building practices, better sleep, and cutting down on digital distractions

Why Emotional Intelligence Might Be Your Superpower

Maintaining your brain’s intellectual abilities is important for coping with today’s complicated world – and keeping your mind and memory sharp into your senior years.

But there’s another kind of intelligence that’s crucial for improving your cognitive performance and your overall satisfaction in life.

I’m talking about emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to rein in your emotions, understand how other people are feeling and, with that knowledge and control, make better decisions in your daily life.

If that’s not enough to interest you in your own emotional intelligence, researchers have found an unexpected benefit to increasing it – folks with more emotional moxie tend to enjoy higher incomes, too!

So how do you measure your emotional intelligence? What’s more, how do you increase it? Let’s take a look...

The latest science shows that people who are well-versed in understanding the emotions of the people around them, as well as their own spectrum of feelings, have a higher EQ—or emotional quotient.

EQ is usually measured by examining a series of behavioral factors, such as emotional literacy, intrinsic motivation, pursuit of noble goals and optimism. One such test is called the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment (SEI™).

Your EQ is as Important as Your IQ

Studies show that students with a higher EQ—specifically a higher ability to grasp and manage their emotions—perform better in school.

Researcher Carolyn MacCann at the University of Sydney reported, “Although we know that high intelligence and a conscientious personality are the most important psychological traits necessary for academic success, our research highlights a third factor, emotional intelligence, that may also help students succeed. Students must also be able to understand and manage their emotions to succeed at school."

Dr. MacCann’s research, which reviewed a group of studies involving 42,000 students, shows that when you can manage negative emotions like boredom and anxiety, and form better relationships with your family and teachers, it leads to a higher level of academic achievement.¹

High EQ Boosts Income

An added benefit to having more emotional intelligence is having a higher income. Which is not really surprising. If you’re good at reading other people’s emotions and understanding how to influence them, then you probably have the tools to be a better sales person or more talent for managing the work of others.

For this study, researchers in Germany measured people’s ability to interpret the emotions on other people’s faces. Those who scored highest did, in fact, tend to make more money than folks who scored poorly.

According to researcher Blickle Gerhard of the University of Bonn, the subjects in the study with increased emotional intelligence "are considered more socially and politically skilled than others by their colleagues. Their supervisors also attribute better social and political skills to these people. And, most notably, their income is significantly higher."²

Sharpening Your Emotional Intelligence

If you want to develop a higher level of emotional intelligence, one tool is to spend less time online and avoid being mentally consumed by the digital distractions of cyberspace.

Again, this finding shouldn’t be a surprise.

An investigation by American and Canadian scientists shows that those of us who excessively use our phones and are forever engaged with social media are emotionally more distant from our friends and relatives and display less sensitivity to their feelings.³

These researchers won’t commit to definitively concluding that our online obsessions lower emotional intelligence, but they believe it’s probably the case. As researcher Sara Konrath says, “Perhaps frequently using social media can impair empathy and emotional intelligence. We cannot determine causality with this study. We need more research to better understand how online digital technology affects people, for better or for worse."

We can see the likely bad effects of digital tools in the tone of emails, social posts, and comments on websites. Many of us have observed that people say things in these media they would not say if they had to look at the other person’s face. The level of frankness and outright rudeness can be shocking.

Ways to improve your emotional intelligence include:

• Meditation: Research shows that when you use meditation to relieve stress, it can also help you to better identify your own emotional states as well as sensitize you to the emotions of others.⁴

• Focus on listening to people: A study at Yale demonstrates that paying more attention to the inflections of other people’s voices can help you tune in better to what they’re feeling. “People are paying too much attention to the face – the voice might have much of the content necessary to perceive others' internal states accurately,” says researcher Michael Kraus.⁵

• Picture yourself in somebody else’s shoes: A study in Spain shows that imagining other people’s points of view can increase your empathy for other people’s emotional states.⁶

The Importance of Sleep

It’s also helpful to ensure you’re getting enough rest. Studies show that sleep can reset your emotional intelligence to a higher level.

When researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research kept study subjects awake for about two days without any sleep, they found that their emotional perceptions went kaput.⁷That’s not news to me. Anybody who’s ever pulled an all-nighter knows how sleeplessness affects attention to detail, mental recall, as well as your ability to communicate kindly and patiently with others.

Summary

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of cognitive health that affects everything from school performance and career success to income and social skills. Research shows that people with high EQ manage stress better, relate to others more effectively, and even earn more money. The good news? EQ isn’t fixed—you can boost it through practices like meditation, empathy exercises, mindful listening, and sleep. In a world full of digital distractions, enhancing your emotional intelligence might just be your biggest advantage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is emotional intelligence (EQ)?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions while also effectively interpreting and influencing the emotions of others.

Is EQ more important than IQ?

In many areas—especially relationships, academic performance, and job success—EQ can be just as important, if not more so, than traditional IQ.

How can I improve my emotional intelligence?

You can raise your EQ through practices like meditation, active listening, empathy training, reducing screen time, and getting adequate sleep.

Does emotional intelligence affect income?

Yes, studies show that people with higher EQ often earn more, as they tend to excel in leadership, communication, and interpersonal relationships.

Can too much screen time lower emotional intelligence?

Excessive use of digital devices and social media may reduce emotional sensitivity and empathy, potentially lowering your EQ over time.