3 Traits of Emotionally Intelligent People
Nowadays, we know that people can be emotionally intelligent. There are many types of intelligence: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, special, corporal, etc. Even so, we have the tendency to think that the only one that counts is the one which revolves around one’s “Intelligence Quotient”. This only measures one’s learning abilities in specific areas. Fortunately, this is currently being reconsidered. Nowadays, other types of intelligence, such as emotional, are gaining ground.
Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to manage and process our emotions. That is to say, the essence of this intelligence consists in knowing how to manage, identify or transmit one’s emotions in such a way that challenges, such as making decisions or interacting socially, become simpler.
“The great discovery of my generation is that human beings can change their lives by changing their mental attitudes.”
-William James-
Emotional intelligence isn’t determined by our genetics. On the contrary, it is sensitive to experience and it’s susceptible to modifications due to the passage of time. This means that we can learn to be emotionally smarter as a wonderful way of improving our lives. Although the characteristics of emotional intelligence are many, in this article we will focus on the three which we consider the most relevant.
Self-knowledge is the identification of desires, aversions and that which composes our subjective world. It is one of the particular traits of emotionally intelligent and mentally healthy people. This is because this inner knowledge provides a great advantage when it comes time to, for example, predict one’s own behavior in certain situations.
This characteristic implies a deep process of reflection about our potentialities and our limitations. In general, it involves different ingredients: self-perception, self-acceptance and exploration. This ability gives us the knowledge necessary for us to differentiate ourselves from everyone else and our environment.
Someone behaves intelligently as far as emotions are concerned when they are capable of recognizing their strengths and weaknesses. This condition allows them to behave assertively in different situations. Additionally, we could say that it is an attribute that is perfected over time.
Recent studies show that it’s not true that all mental capacities evolve the same way with the passage of time. What is true is that a reduction occurs in the speed of information processing. But, as a way of compensating, other functions are boosted and evolve with the years. This is the case with emotional intelligence: it slows down as years go by, but at the same time it becomes deeper and more acute.
Being open to change, another relevant trait
Emotional intelligence stimulates the ability to face with an open mind everything that means improving our lives. It makes our lives move in the direction we want it to go. It’s all about a permanent transformation. Life is like a catalog of opportunities.
That’s why it is important to identify our needs, accept them and enrich ourselves with experience. An emotionally smart person knows that changing just to change makes little sense. Instead, when there are significant reasons to change, one should do so. Because this is the difference between staying the same and becoming better.
The advantage of this faculty is that those who develop it have the ability to define their emotions. And they can do so with clarity and precision. This prevents them from being submerged in states of confusion and stagnation. These states annul our judgement and harm the way we develop ourselves. Many conflicts emerge due to a lack of precision when defining our feelings. In turn, this leads to misunderstandings.
