Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others and use this awareness to manage behavior and relationships. Research shows that emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of job performance and top performers are high in emotional intelligence. People with high emotional intelligence earn on average $29,000 more per year than those with low emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can also save your life by making stress more manageable and reducing susceptibility to disease as stress suppresses the immune system. Teaching emotional intelligence skills has been shown to reduce recovery times and lower death rates for illnesses like cancer and heart disease.

1. Emotional Intelligence Will Turbocharge Your Career and Just Might Save Your Life
Emotional intelligence(EQ) isthe “something” ineachof usthat is a bitintangible.Itaffectshow
we manage behaviour,navigate socialcomplexities,andmake personal decisionsthatachieve
positive results.Emotional intelligence isyourabilitytorecognize andunderstandemotionsin
yourself andothers,andyourabilitytouse thisawarenesstomanage yourbehaviourand
relationships.
Emotional Intelligence CanMake Your Career
Decadesof researchnowpointto emotional intelligence asthe critical factorthat setsstar
performersapartfromthe rest of the pack.It’s a powerful waytofocusyourenergyinone direction
witha tremendousresult.TalentSmarttestedemotional intelligence alongside 33otherimportant
workplace skills,andfoundthatemotional intelligence isthe strongestpredictorof performance,
explainingafull 58%of successinall typesof jobs.
Of all the people we’ve studiedatwork,we’ve foundthat90% of top performersare alsohighin
emotional intelligence.Onthe flipside,just20% of bottomperformersare highin emotional
intelligence.Youcanbe a topperformerwithoutemotional intelligence,butthe chancesare slim.
Naturally,people withahighdegree of emotional intelligence make more money—anaverageof
$29,000 more peryear thanpeople withalow degree of emotional intelligence.The linkbetween
emotional intelligenceandearningsissodirectthateverypointincrease inemotional intelligence
adds $1,300 to an annual salary.These findingsholdtrue forpeople inall industries,atall levels,in
every regionof the world.We haven’tyetbeenable tofindajobin whichperformance andpay
aren’ttiedcloselytoemotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence CanSave Your Life
Whenyoustuff your feelings,theyquicklybuildintothe uncomfortablesensationsof tension,stress,
and anxiety.Unaddressedemotionsstrainthe mindandbody.Youremotional intelligence skillshelp
makesstressmore manageable byenablingyoutospotand tackle toughsituationsbefore things
escalate.
People whofail touse theiremotional intelligence skillsare more likelytoturnto other,less
effectivemeansof managingtheirmood.Theyare twice aslikelytoexperience anxiety,depression,
substance abuse,andeventhoughtsof suicide.
Scoresof researchstudieshave come forthlinkingemotionalintelligence andsusceptibilityto
disease.Stress,anxiety,anddepressionsuppressthe immune system, creatingavulnerabilityto
everythingfromthe commoncoldtocancer. The potencyof your immune systemistiedtoyour
emotional state vianeuropeptides:complex chemicalsthatactas messengersbetweenthe mind
and body.Whenyourmindisfloodedwithtensionordistress,itsignalsthe bodytodecrease energy
directedtowardsfightingdisease.Thischange increasesyourvulnerabilitytoanattack.
Researchevenshowsadefinitivelinkbetweenemotional distressandseriousformsof illness,such
as cancer. One of the firstlong-termstudiesmeasuredwomen’sstresslevelsovera24-year period.
Researcherstrackedthe degree towhicheachwomanexperiencedtension,fear,anxiety,andsleep
disturbances—all formsof emotionaldistressresultingfromunresolvedconflictandunmanaged
emotion.Womenwhoexperiencedhigherlevelsof stressduringthis24-yearperiodwere twice as
likelytodevelopbreastcancer.
Emotional intelligence skillscanalsobe taughtto speedthe body’srecoveryfromdisease.People
whodeveloptheiremotionalintelligenceskillsduringtreatmentrecoverfasterfromavarietyof

2. ailments,includingthe twobiggestkillersinAmerica:heartdiseaseandcancer.Teachingemotional
intelligence skillstopeoplewithlife-threateningillnesseshasbeenshowntoreduce the rate of
recurrence,shrinkrecoverytimes,andlowerdeathrates.
ResearchersatOhioState Universitystudied227 womendiagnosedwithbreastcancerandsaw
remarkable effectsfromteachingemotionalintelligence skillsduringrecovery.Womenwhowere
randomlyassignedtothistreatmenthadreducedlevelsof stress,keptabetterdiet,andbuilt
strongerimmune systems.Researchpresentedtothe AmericanHeartAssociationrevealedasimilar
outcome formenand womentaughtemotional intelligence skillswhilerecoveringfromaheart
attack.
Emotional intelligence hasastrong influence onhealth-relatedoutcomesbecauseitreducesthe
perceptionof stressinresponse totryingsituations.Emotional intelligence skillsstrengthenyour
brain’sabilitytocope withemotional distress.Thisresilience keepsyourimmune systemstrongand
protectsyoufrom disease.