A. This is something I actually blogged about back in the altered states of consciousness chapter (chapter 5 maybe?), but now that I've learned about both drugs and intelligence, it makes more sense to me. Apparently, caffeine kills emotional intelligence. Caffeine causes the release of adrenaline and all of your emotions to take charge. If you consume too much caffeine, your heart rate increases, your blood pressure rises, and your breathing becomes rapid and shallow. All of this deprives the brain of oxygen which is needed to think rationally. So, your emotions go nuts and your EQ goes down the drain, all thanks to caffeine.
B. This one I just happened to find interesting. Tamara Mallon is the co-founder of Jimmy Choo, one of the most high-end shoe/accessory companies in the world. She left the company in 2011 after it was bought for over $800 million. She has been named one of the most powerful women in the world. In an interview recently, she as asked which trait an entrepreneur needed most today and why. Her answer was, "Emotional Intelligence. Those with emotional intelligence are more self-aware, motivated, and aware of other people and environments. They are able to think outside of the box and more willing to take risks." I know it's just a quote from an interview, but I think it's interesting that someone with so much experience and success sees the value of emotional intelligence, not just regular school smarts or verbal or practical intelligence. I find this especially interesting because before I wrote this blog, I think I underestimated emotional intelligence. I couldn't think of why being emotionally smart was so important or if it really did have an affect on success. I guess emotional intelligence is all about knowing how to understand what others are thinking and how to act based on what their emotions are like.
Do you guys think emotional intelligence is important? Why? Is it more or less important than regular intelligence? How can it lead you to success?
Interesting question...It's weird to think that emotions could be a part of intelligence, because it's not something we would usually include when listing the aspects of intelligence. While I believe that it is important in job success and just being a nice person, I don't know if having a high "EQ" would make you intelligent, because I still think that being intelligent incorporates a lot more than just emotions. I don't know if I would describe someone who is good with the emotional aspects of people as intelligent.
ReplyDeleteI think that EQ is really important as well. I feel like it's kind of what we were saying in class about how you can be intelligent, but not social. You can definitely be intelligent, but not emotional. I know that for myself it's sometimes hard to be emotional, just because I kinda don't like it, but I find that when I am (and when I'm not ashamed of being emotional) I am much more confident and happy. Also I feel like if you're not overly emotional then you come off as more likeable and personable. So I think it is probably of equal importance - you don't just need emotions or intelligence and they're both stronger when they work together.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, in order to understand this issue, you have to consider what life would be like if we didn't have emotional intelligence: people would be oblivious to the feelings of others, which would be pretty bad. I think that we need a combination of both emotional and regular intelligence to truly achieve success. Too much of either one can be bad and can hinder success. They definitely work together to make a well-rounded and intelligent person.
ReplyDeleteEmotional intelligence is critical in all aspects of life. It seems to complement/is very similar to Premack and Woodruff's theory of mind (developmental psychology), which is the ability to infer one's and others' mental states- about their feelings perceptions and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict. In my opinion, intelligence does not preside over emotional intelligence (and vice versa). I agree with both Jamie and Sarah on this issue. They accompany one another.
ReplyDelete