Emotional intelligence

When Daniel Goleman published Emotional Intelligence in 1995, he sparked a revolution in the way the world of work and psychology thought about human performance. Its central message: the emotional quotient (EQ) predicts professional success, the quality of relationships and well-being better than the intelligence quotient (IQ). Since then, hundreds of studies have refined and nuanced this observation. A meta-analysis published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior (2010) of 65 studies shows that emotional intelligence is a significant predictor of job performance, life satisfaction, and mental health. Understanding what emotional intelligence really is, and how to develop it, is one of the most profitable investments in my health and my career.

1. What is emotional intelligence? Scientific models

Emotional intelligence (EI) was scientifically formalized by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990, before being popularized by Goleman. The most rigorous academic model, called the capabilities model, describes EI as a set of 4 hierarchical capabilities:

• ●Perceiving emotions: accurately recognizing emotions in my own body, in my face and in that of others. This is the most fundamental ability, without it the other three cannot be deployed.

• ●Use emotions: mobilize my emotions to facilitate thought and action. Certain emotions optimize certain cognitive tasks, mild anxiety improves attention to details; good humor promotes creativity.

• ●Understand emotions: know emotional vocabulary, understand how emotions evolve over time, how they combine and how they influence behavior.

• ●Regulate emotions: manage my own emotions and positively influence those of others. This is the most complex ability, it relies on all the others.

  Domain	Documented effect	Source
  Mental health	Reduction in perceived stress, lower risk of depression and anxiety, better emotional regulation	Zeidner et al., 2012
  Work performance	Better conflict management, more effective leadership, job satisfaction increased	Joseph & Newman, J. Organizational Behavior, 2010
  Interpersonal relationships	Increased empathy, more authentic communication, more constructive conflict resolution	Brackett et al., 2011
  Physical health	Better immune response, faster recovery from stress acute	Salovey et al., 2000
  Resistance to burnout	EI moderates the effect of work stress on emotional exhaustion	Augusto Landa et al., 2008

2. The effects of emotional intelligence on my health and my performance

The benefits of high EI are documented in several areas:

3. How do I assess my level of emotional intelligence?

EI is not accurately measured by introspection alone, we all tend to overestimate our own level. The most valid tools are:

The MSCEIT (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test): the most scientifically validated performance test. It measures the 4 capabilities of the Mayer-Salovey model through concrete tasks, not through self-assessment.

The EQ-i 2.0: self-assessment questionnaire widely used in a professional context, measuring 5 dimensions: self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, stress management.

Informal indicators of developing EI: reacting disproportionately under stress, having difficulty naming precisely what I feel, finding it difficult to put oneself in the place of others, tending to avoid or repress difficult emotions.

4. Develop your emotional intelligence: validated strategies

Enrich my emotional vocabulary. Lisa Feldman Barrett's research shows that the more precise words I have to name my emotions (emotional granularity), the better I regulate them. I go from “I’m stressed” to “I feel worry mixed with excitement”, precision changes regulation.Develop the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness measurably improves the ability to perceive and regulate emotions, the two most important branches of EI. 8 weeks of regular practice produces documented brain changes.

Practice empathetic listening. In my conversations, I practice listening to understand (not to respond), to rephrase what I have heard, to ask questions about the other's feelings. These daily micro-practices strengthen perceptive and interpersonal capacity.

Analyze my emotional reactions after the fact. Keeping an emotional journal, writing down the situations that affected me, how I felt, how I reacted, and what I could have done differently, is one of the most effective practices for developing emotional awareness.

Train myself in emotional regulation. Specific training in emotion management (in CBT, in NVC, in applied emotional intelligence) makes it possible to develop concrete and measurable strategies in a few weeks.

5. Emotional intelligence and work environment

EI is not just an individual issue. Organizations that develop collective emotional intelligence, through training, constructive feedback, psychological safety, obtain measurable results: reduction in absenteeism, improvement in climate and cooperation, organizational resilience in the face of crises.

At the individual level, a health assessment including an assessment of the level of perceived stress, quality of sleep and indicators of emotional regulation (irritability, reactivity to stress) makes it possible to identify a deficit of emotional resources early before it transforms into exhaustion.