intelligence

Sep

2022

Your EQ is More Important Than Your IQ

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Education is one of the important things that parents strive to be able to provide for their children. Schools reward children with praise and awards when they get high grades in their subjects. They are envied for their intelligence.

Intelligence is also highly valued in job applications. In fact, most job application exams have some form of an IQ (intelligence quotient) test. Because of the predominant value of having a high IQ, we often forget another important factor to our success in life: our EQ (emotional quotient) or emotional intelligence.

IQ is recognized as an important component of success especially in terms of academic achievement. The classroom and society as a whole puts a high premium on children with high IQ or intelligence. These children usually continue to do well in school and are expected to get higher pay in their jobs. Thus, they are able to live healthier lifestyles and remain respected by their peers throughout their lives.

IQ Isn’t Everything

Having high IQ is only half the story. Since intelligence is praised and rewarded even since they’re young; these intelligent children also develop their self-esteem and confidence much more quickly. This, in turn affects their motivation to do well both in school and outside it. But, having a high IQ is not a guarantee of success in life.

Note that self-esteem and confidence are signs of a well-developed EQ. In short, the value placed on their IQ has helped them to develop their EQ. This is because of the favorable responses that they get from the people around them.

Your IQ can open doors to a lot of opportunities in your career. Your EQ is a major factor in how you will succeed or fail in your career, and in life in general.

What is EQ?

EQ or emotional quotient or emotional intelligence refers to an individual’s ability to feel or perceive emotions. It also refers to the ability to evaluate, control and express emotions. There are some people with high IQ who have awkward social skills. This usually deprives them the opportunity for leadership positions. Thus, EQ is an important component of success. Unfortunately, our education system focuses more on IQ and less on developing emotional and social skills. The food news is that, it is now recognized that there are different types of intelligence including those that involve emotional intelligence.

Testing IQ and EQ

We are all familiar with the IQ test where we have to figure out the next number or image in a sequence as well as some standard mathematical and reasoning problems to solve. This is one of the exams we usually take when applying for our first job. Based on the results of this standardized test, you get a number that measures your IQ.

On the other hand, there are no standardized tests to measure EQ. Few schools, if any include emotional and social skills as part of their curriculum. This has resulted in developing highly intelligent but socially awkward teens and even adults.

Five Categories of EQ

A person’s EQ is manifested in these five aspects which affect their personality and how they relate to others.

Self-Awareness

People who are aware of their own emotions are more successful at controlling them. This means that they can also choose which emotions to tune in to so that they feel better and become better at what they do. This also informs how they compare and view other people’s emotions.

Self-Regulation

Being aware of your emotions allows you to control yourself so that you do not become stuck in a volatile and stressful situation. For example, in the workplace, you do not become aggressively competitive with your colleagues but you are able to develop a sense of healthy competition. In your personal relationships, you are able to soothe your anger so you can talk about issues instead of getting mad and resorting to physical attacks to vent your emotion.

Motivation

Being able to boost your own confidence and contributing to boosting the morale of your team is a great skill in any career. Motivated individuals are more likely to succeed in any endeavor as they are always seeking out ways to improve themselves, their service and their organization.

Consider the Marshmallow Test. Your self motivation to pursue a more satisfactory result for your goals will help you to stay on track with your plans and delay gratification for small things that may distract you along the way. Being able to delay gratification is a good indicator of future success.

Empathy

Empathy is when you are aware of how people feel and how your actions affect them emotionally. This allows you to understand other people’s feelings and in a team setup, this provides you with different ways to approach a hot topic with as minimal emotional stress as possible.

With empathy, you are able to help other people soothe their fears, calm their nervousness and re-channel their anger, among other things.

Social Skills

An important factor in life is having good social skills which also includes how well you communicate with others. How you communicate can make a situation better or worse. Developing good communication skills is important in all aspects of life.

Developing your EQ is a large part of the 8 dimensions of wellness that will help you become a well-rounded and healthy person. An emotionally-balanced individual is better equipped to react and act on whatever obstacles and situations life throws at them.

Your IQ can be a source of pride but your EQ is what will help you sail through life with your pride and your values intact or transformed for the better.

EQ and Success

Being emotionally aware can have a great impact on your success in all aspects of your life. It informs the decisions you make in choosing a career over another; in choosing what to do about your financial situation and how to change it, even in choosing which people to keep as friends and which ones to stay away from.

It is helpful to you in sorting out your emotional stress. When you are new to a group, it guides you on what to do to relate to the group dynamics instead of alienating yourself. Your EQ enables you to successfully diffuse an otherwise heated argument at home or in the office. It will guide you in the best way to convince your crying niece that she should wait for the cake at the next store instead of buying candy at the first store.

Together with your IQ, your EQ serves as your internal guidance system in making the right decisions for every situation. Rather than being on auto-pilot, use your EQ to help you make good decisions and go thru the necessary changes that will improve your life.

How to Develop EQ

If you feel you are lacking in certain aspects of your emotional skills, here is what you can do to improve. Start by being observant of your emotions. Ask yourself where they are coming from; from fears or from positive intentions?

Observe how your words and actions affect other people. By being aware of how your emotions impact you and the people around you, you can have a better understanding of how to control them, how to motivate yourself and how you can better relate to others. Better yet, evaluate your emotional wellness and work on improving yourself from there.

Updated. First published on Pinoy Smart Living on 2019.04.19.
Feature Image: Original Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.

May

2022

Different Smarts: What is Your Intelligence Type?

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Ever wondered what your intelligence type is? What kind of intelligent are you? What kind of “smarts” do you have? We usually divide ourselves into book smart or street smart. One is based mostly on the academic way of learning. The other is based on learning from experiences. There are actually different types of intelligences.

The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

In 1983, Howard Gardner, an American development psychologist at Harvard University, introduced the different types of intelligence in the book “Frames of Mind”. He describes that there are multiple types of human intelligence. Each one represents a different way of how a person best processes the information that they receive from different sources.

The multiple intelligences theory states that everyone has all types of intelligences at varying degrees of proficiency. Each one’s learning style is not related to the areas in which they are most intelligent. Classifying learners by their learning style or intelligence type will only limit their potential for learning and developing their skills. A variety of activities and learning approaches is the best way to help individuals hone their potential.

The 9 Types of Intelligences

Here’s a summary of the different types of intelligences. Which one do you relate with most? Focus on honing that area to enhance your intellectual wellness. This is a good first step to unleashing the genius in you.

VISUAL-SPATIAL: Picture Smart

These are people who are good at visualizing, understanding directions and reading maps, charts, videos, and pictures. They usually read and write for fun. Their interests include drawing, painting and photography. Putting puzzles together is fun for them and they recognize patters easily.

This intelligence type can be great architects, pilots, fashion designers, artists, surgeons or engineers.

LINGUISTIC-VERBAL: Word Smart

This type uses language well. They enjoy reading and writing and are usually good at remembering written and spoken information. Debates and giving persuasive speeches are part of their skill set. They explain things very well. Humor in telling stories is part of their communication style.

These types usually pursue careers in writing like journalism, novelist, poets, editors, teachers and lawyers.

LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL: Number/Reasoning Smart

A friend who is your group’s math whiz falls under this type. They have strong skills in analyzing problems and mathematical operations. Number crunching and problem solving are their specialties. They enjoy thinking about abstract ideas and can solve complex computations. They like conducting scientific experiments.

Being a scientist, mathematician, economist, computer programmer, engineer or accountant will suit them well.

BODY-KINESTHETIC: Body Smart

Know someone who is good at body movement and has great physical control? Do they have excellent hand-eye coordination and dexterity? These people have great motor control and are skilled at dancing and sports. They like creating things with their own hands. With their excellent physical coordination; they remember things better by doing.

They can become body builders, mechanics, athletes, physical therapists, sculptors, and actors.

MUSICAL: Music Smart

Thinking in patterns, rhythms and sounds is a unique characteristic of this type. They have a strong appreciation for music and are skilled at composing music and musical performance. They easily remember songs and melodies, musical patterns and tones. Their rich understanding of musical structure, rhythm, and notes helps them enjoy singing and playing musical instruments.

Musicians, composers, singers, song writers, DJs, music teachers, and conductors are musically intelligent.

INTERPERSONAL: People Smart

People who are good at interacting and understanding other people fall under this type. They are skilled at assessing emotions, motivations, desires and even the intentions of people around them. You will usually see them helping to resolve conflicts in group settings and encouraging positive relationships where ever they go. They communicate well verbally. Skilled at nonverbal communication, they feel empathy easily.

Their ability to easily see situations from different perspectives makes them great psychologists, philosophers, counselors, team managers, negotiators, publicists, social workers, life coaches, salespersons and politicians.

INTRAPERSONAL: Self Smart

These types of people are very aware of their own emotional states and motivations. They enjoy introspection, self-reflection and analysis. Daydreaming is one of their past times. They like exploring their relationships with others and are able to analyze their strengths and weaknesses well.

With their excellent self-awareness; they enjoy analyzing theories and ideas. This makes them good therapists, counselors, psychologists, philosophers, writers, theorists, scientists and entrepreneurs.

NATURALISTIC: Nature Smart

This intelligence type is a recent addition to Gardner’s theory. Individuals under this type are in tune with nature. They like exploring their environment, finding patterns and relationships to nature. Their nurturing tendencies make them interested in learning about other species. They are very sensitive to subtle changes happening in their surroundings. Categorizing and cataloguing information comes easily to them. Gardening, hiking, camping and exploring the outdoors are favorite hobbies.

They are interested in subjects like botany, biology and zoology; making them good biologists, botanists, florists, geologists, conservationists, gardeners and farmers.

EXISTENTIAL: Abstract Smart

The most complex of all the types, people under this type tend to be sensitive and very considerate. They ask deep questions about human existence and the meaning of life and all of existence. They are deeply spiritual and tend to ask big questions about life and death like why are we here? What is the point of all this? Small talk and superficial chitchat are often not satisfying to them. They are deeply philosophic thinkers, always asking questions bigger than themselves.

This type is often called spiritual or moral intelligence and is often referred to as “life smart”. They like reflective and deep thinking and designing abstract theories; making them good scientists, philosophers, theologians, inspirational speakers, writers, authors, economists, and bloggers.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash.

Mar

2022

How to Improve Your Intellectual Wellness

Reading Time: 3 minutes

How would you like to improve your intellectual wellness? Intellectual wellness is an important component of our overall wellness. We are actively using our intellect in our daily life even if we are not always aware of it.

A high IQ is not the only measure of intelligence. There are different ways that individuals manifest intelligence. We often think of Albert Einstein when we think of intelligent people with high IQs. But we also have geniuses in music, art, engineering, and other fields of study. Here are some ways that can help you improve your intellectual wellness.

Take Care of Your Health

It takes a healthy body to maintain a healthy brain. Your physical wellness is the foundation that will help you develop and enhance all other aspects of your wellness. So drink your 8 glasses of water daily, eat healthy, exercise regularly and sleep adequately. There is such a thing as a mind-body connection. You won’t be able to focus on improving your mind if you don’t have a healthy body.

To keep a healthy body in good health is a duty… Otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha

Plan your day so you can work SMART instead of working harder. Make sure to make time for meditation and self care to calm your senses. This will allow you to focus better so you can be more productive. This way, you will have more time to spend on the things you want and love.

Indulge Your Curiosity

We all have been curious as children but we learned to suppress this instinct as adults. Being curious doesn’t mean just asking questions. It is a desire to find the answers to your questions that makes it worthwhile. If you’re curious about a certain place, travel there and experience it yourself. There is no better way to indulge your curiosity than to be immersed in another environment. So don’t hesitate to take that road trip with your friends.

Be curious. Read Widely. Try new things. What people call intelligenve just boils down to curiosity.
Aaron Swartz

A more affordable way to satisfy your curiosity is by reading books, listening to audiobooks and podcasts and watching videos on topics you are interested about. You can also talk to other people who are experienced or experts at these topics. Taking classes and traveling to experience something new are also good ways to indulge your curiosity and learn something new.

Set Time for Fun and Play

Improving your intellect doesn’t mean boring yourself to sleep with reading or taking classes, even if you’re not up to it. Even at work; you should take breaks to reset your brain. Set time to play board games with your family, friends and colleagues. You can play checkers, scrabble, chess, or even snakes and ladders, just for fun. On your own, you can also challenge yourself with a crossword puzzle or sudoku or a rubik’s cube.

Play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting, and testing boundaries.
American Academy of Pediatrics

There will be times when you don’t even want to think and just want to have some fun. So go out and enjoy a walk or even a picnic at a nearby park. Visit a museum with your friends or an amusement park. Indulge in a hobby or find one. Do something creative like taking photos, making videos, drawing or scribble quotes, work on a coloring book. It’s not wasting your time when you’re refreshing your mind.

Reflect on Your Learnings

A journal is a great way to do some reflection. At the end of the day, or whenever you feel like it; write down your experiences, how they made you feel, how you can apply it to your future experiences. It doesn’t have to be too detailed. The main goal is to be able to review your experiences and inspect it for helpful tidbits that will benefit you, or other people around you. A gratitude journal is one way to encourage a more positive mindset.

Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.
Margaret J. Wheatley

There are always some good learnings to be had even in unpleasant circumstances. By journaling, you will learn how to look at things from a different perspective. It means you can look at things objectively, without your personal biases stepping in. This will help you choose the thoughts that will benefit you the most. In the long term; it will also help you control your self and your reactions; so you can keep calm and respond to the situation in the best way possible.

Maintaining intellectual wellness means always being open to learning new things. There are many ways to constantly keep learning. So don’t hold back from asking a question and trying to find the answers. It will definitely help you improve your social wellness and help you discover a whole new world of possibilities to move forward in life.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Monstera from Pexels.