Daniel Goleman Introduces Emotional Intelligence | Big Think

Summary

This video explores the concept of emotional intelligence, highlighting its four key domains: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skills. It emphasizes the importance of teaching these skills systematically to children to foster better behavior, social interactions, and academic achievement. The discussion also touches on gender differences in emotional intelligence and how cultural contexts influence its expression. Overall, the video advocates for integrating emotional and social learning into education to create a more emotionally intelligent society.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Emotional intelligence encompasses self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and skilled relationships, which are crucial for personal and social functioning.
• 💡 Self-awareness is the foundation for good intuition and decision-making, serving as a moral compass for individuals.
• 🛡 Self-management involves handling distressing emotions effectively to prevent them from hindering one's actions and learning from them when necessary.
• 🌟 The ability to marshal positive emotions is key to staying enthusiastic and aligning actions with one's passions.
• 🤝 Empathy is understanding others' feelings, which is an essential part of emotional intelligence.
• 🧠 The last part of the brain to mature is the circuitry that supports emotional and social intelligence, highlighting the importance of teaching these skills systematically.
• 📚 There is a strong case for implementing social and emotional learning programs in schools, as they have been shown to reduce anti-social behavior and improve academic performance.
• 📉 A meta-analysis of school programs indicates a decrease in disruptive behavior and an increase in pro-social behavior and academic achievement among students.
• 💼 Emotional intelligence is also vital in leadership, where leaders lacking it can undermine a company's mission.
• 🚀 The development of emotional intelligence skills can lead to the acquisition of strengths in areas that were previously weaker, regardless of gender.
• 🌐 Emotional intelligence manifests differently across cultures but maintains the same fundamental abilities, such as self-awareness and empathy.

Q & A

What is emotional intelligence according to the transcript?

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to handle ourselves and our relationships effectively, encompassing four domains: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and skilled relationships.

Why is self-awareness important in the context of emotional intelligence?

Self-awareness is crucial as it involves understanding one's own emotions, which forms the basis for good intuition and decision-making, and serves as a moral compass.

What does self-management in emotional intelligence entail?

Self-management involves handling distressing emotions effectively so they do not hinder one's actions and learning, while also using these emotions constructively when necessary.

How does emotional intelligence relate to positive emotions?

Emotional intelligence includes marshalling positive emotions to get oneself involved and enthused about what they are doing, aligning actions with passions.

What is the role of empathy in emotional intelligence?

Empathy is about understanding and sensing what others are feeling, which is essential for building and maintaining positive relationships.

Why is it important to teach emotional intelligence skills to children?

Teaching emotional intelligence to children is important because the relevant brain circuitry matures late and can be shaped by repeated experiences, thus regular and systematic teaching can enhance these skills.

What impact have emotional intelligence programs had in schools according to the transcript?

Emotional intelligence programs in schools have led to a decrease in anti-social behavior and disruption, an increase in pro-social behavior and academic achievement scores.

How does the prefrontal lobe relate to emotional intelligence?

The prefrontal lobe mediates executive function, which helps in managing emotions and paying attention, thus playing a role in the development of emotional intelligence.

What was the argument presented in the chapter 'managing with heart'?

The chapter argued that leaders who were harsh or uncaring were actually undermining the company's mission and that emotional intelligence is crucial for effective leadership.

What are some differences between men and women in terms of emotional intelligence on average?

Women tend to be better at empathy and social skills, while men tend to excel in self-confidence and managing distressing emotions. However, at the top leadership level, these differences diminish.

How does emotional intelligence manifest differently across cultures?

Emotional intelligence is universal but its manifestations can vary according to cultural norms and social interaction rules, such as the subtleties in Japanese culture or the outgoing nature of Brazilian culture.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Emotional Intelligence and its Impact on Society

This paragraph delves into the concept of emotional intelligence, which encompasses self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skills. It highlights the importance of these skills for personal and professional growth, as well as their impact on decision-making and moral compass. The speaker argues for the necessity of teaching these skills to children systematically to harness their neuroplasticity. Empirical evidence is presented, showing a reduction in anti-social behavior and an increase in pro-social behavior and academic achievement in schools that implement emotional learning programs. The paragraph also touches on the role of executive function in managing emotions and attention, and the potential benefits of emotional intelligence in leadership.

05:00

🌏 Cultural Variations in Emotional Intelligence

The second paragraph explores the cultural dimensions of emotional intelligence, acknowledging that while the fundamental aspects of emotional intelligence are universal, their expression can vary significantly across different cultures. It uses Japan and Brazil as examples to illustrate how emotional intelligence manifests in distinct ways due to cultural norms and social interactions. The speaker suggests that despite these differences, the core principles of emotional intelligence remain consistent, emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of these principles in diverse cultural contexts.

Keywords

💡Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others. In the video, it is described as encompassing four domains: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and skilled relationships. It is central to the video's theme, as it is argued that emotional intelligence is crucial for personal and professional success, with the speaker advocating for its systematic teaching in schools.

💡Self-awareness

Self-awareness refers to the conscious knowledge of one's own character, emotions, motives, and desires. In the context of the video, it is the foundation for good intuition and decision-making, and it acts as a moral compass. The speaker emphasizes its importance as the first domain of emotional intelligence, suggesting that understanding one's emotions is essential for effective personal and social functioning.

💡Self-management

Self-management involves regulating one's emotions and impulses to effectively deal with life's challenges without being hindered by overwhelming emotions. The video script highlights its role in handling distressing emotions in ways that do not impede one's actions, and also in leveraging emotions for learning and growth.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others. The script describes it as the third domain of emotional intelligence, which is crucial for building and maintaining positive relationships. Empathy allows individuals to sense and respond appropriately to the emotions of others, which is vital for social cohesion.

💡Social skills

Social skills are the abilities that facilitate interaction and communication with others effectively. In the video, they are mentioned as part of the fourth domain of emotional intelligence, which involves putting empathy and self-awareness into practice to build and maintain skilled relationships.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experiences. The video script suggests that because the brain's emotional and social intelligence circuitry matures late and is shaped by repeated experiences, systematic teaching of emotional intelligence skills is important for its development.

💡Anti-social behavior

Anti-social behavior refers to actions that violate social norms and the rights of others. The video cites a meta-analysis showing that teaching emotional intelligence in schools can reduce such behaviors by 10%, indicating the positive impact of emotional intelligence education on social conduct.

💡Pro-social behavior

Pro-social behavior encompasses actions that benefit others or society as a whole. The script mentions an increase in pro-social behavior by 10% in schools that implement emotional intelligence programs, suggesting that fostering emotional intelligence can promote positive social interactions and attitudes.

💡Academic achievement

Academic achievement refers to the success of a student in educational activities, often measured by grades or test scores. The video indicates that schools with emotional intelligence programs see an 11% increase in academic achievement, highlighting the correlation between emotional intelligence and academic success.

💡Executive function

Executive function is a set of cognitive processes that includes planning, problem-solving, and regulating emotions. In the video, it is mentioned as being mediated by the prefrontal lobe and is linked to both emotional regulation and attention, emphasizing its role in learning and the acquisition of basic learning skills.

💡Leadership

Leadership is the ability to guide, influence, and inspire others towards achieving goals. The script discusses the negative impact of leaders who lack emotional intelligence, suggesting that emotionally intelligent leadership is essential for the success and well-being of an organization.

💡Cultural differences

Cultural differences refer to the variations in social norms, customs, and behaviors across different societies. The video notes that while the fundamentals of emotional intelligence are universal, its expression can vary according to cultural context, as illustrated by the examples of Japan and Brazil.

Highlights

Emotional intelligence involves self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and skilled relationships.

Self-awareness is crucial for good intuition and decision-making, and serves as a moral compass.

Self-management involves handling distressing emotions effectively without letting them impede actions.

Every emotion serves a function and can be utilized for learning and growth.

Positive emotions can be marshaled to align actions with passions and increase engagement.

Empathy is key to understanding and responding to the feelings of others.

Skilled relationships combine emotional intelligence components for effective social interactions.

The brain's emotional and social intelligence circuitry matures last and is shaped by experiences.

Teaching emotional intelligence skills systematically can improve behavior and academic performance.

Meta-analysis of school programs shows reduced anti-social behavior and increased pro-social behavior and academic achievement.

Executive function, mediated by the prefrontal lobe, aids in emotion management and attention.

Leaders who lack emotional intelligence can undermine a company's mission.

The book 'Emotional Intelligence' has been given to others as a means to help improve leadership and relationships.

IQ has been increasing, but emotional intelligence may not be advancing at the same rate.

Intergroup conflicts and familial abuse suggest a need for improved emotional intelligence education.

Social and emotional learning programs should be implemented in schools worldwide.

On average, women tend to excel in empathy and social skills, while men excel in self-confidence and distress management.

Top leaders show no gender difference in emotional intelligence abilities.

Emotional intelligence manifests differently across cultures but maintains the same fundamental components.

Transcripts

Emotional intelligence refers to how well we handle ourselves and our relationships,

the 4 domains.

Self-awareness, knowing what we’re feeling, why we’re feeling it, which is a basis of,

for example, good intuition, good decision-making.

Also, it’s a moral compass.

Say, in part, is self-management, which means handling your distressing emotions in effective

ways so that they don’t cripple you, they don’t get in the way of what you’re doing,

and yet, attuning them… to them when you need to so that you learn what you must.

Every emotion has a function.

Also, [marshalling] positive emotions, getting ourselves, you know, involved, enthused about

what we’re doing, aligning our actions with our passions.

The third is empathy, knowing what someone else is feeling.

And the fourth is putting that altogether in skilled relationship.

So that’s what I mean by emotional intelligence.

There’re many definitions out there.

The part of the brain, it turns out, that supports emotional and social intelligence

is actually the last circuitry of the brain to become anatomically mature.

And because the neuroplasticity of the brain shapes itself according to repeated experiences,

so my argument is, hey, we should be teaching kids regularly overtime, in a systematic way,

self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and social skill.

In fact, there, now, enough programs and they’ve been around enough in schools that they’re

about to publish a huge meta analysis, looking at hundreds of schools and kids that had the

program versus those that don’t.

Guess what?

All anti-social behavior, you know, disruption in class, find that…

it goes down 10%.

Pro-social behavior, liking school, well-behave, up 10%.

Academic achievement scores, up 11%.

So it really pays.

Executive function, which is mediated by the prefrontal lobe, both helps you manage your

emotions and helps you pay attention.

So as kids learn these skills, they also learn learning…

basic learning skills.

I think that the fact that that was an argument was one thing that caught people’s attention.

Then, there was a little chapter on… called managing with heart, which argued that leaders

who were sons of a bitch were actually defeating the company’s own mission.

And I think that made a lot of people happy because they work for people like that.

I don’t know…

Some people gave it to other people because they thought they needed help in this domain.

I’m sure there’re a zillion reasons why people like the book.

I hope more.

I know IQ has been going up for a hundred years as children encounter more sophisticated

cognitive environment as they grow.

I don’t know that we’re becoming more emotionally intelligent.

I like to hope we would but I think that the number of intergroup wars going on, the intergroup

hatred going on, the, you know, levels of familial abuse, in other words, indicators

of emotions out of control in dangerous ways don’t look that great, which is why I’m

a very strong proponent of getting these social, emotional learning programs in every school

worldwide.

Well, I get asked that question in a different way, which is, are women more emotionally

intelligent than men?

And you have to remember that emotion intelligence is a range of abilities, self-awareness, emotional

self-management, empathy, social skills.

Women tend to be better than men on average at empathy, particularly emotional empathy,

sensing in the moment how the other person is feeling and also, at social skills, at

keeping things feeling good between people in a group.

Men, on the other hand, tend to be better on average at self-confidence, particularly

in group, and at managing distressing emotions.

But what’s very interesting is if you look at leaders who were in the top 10%, there’s

no difference between the men and the women on any of those variables.

In other words, you have a whole human being.

So I would say that on average, there probably are differences men and women in this domain

of ability.

But as people develop their skills, as people become more effective, they pick up strengths

in areas that they need.

Well, I think that emotional intelligence as a universal but it looks different in different

places.

You know, Japan has a very rigid set of rules of social interaction, lots of subtleties.

Americans typically blender in to the Japanese system, don’t get what’s going on.

And, you know, it’s embarrassing but they wouldn’t recognize, necessarily, emotional

intelligence in Japanese setting.

Brazil is a very different culture.

It’s very outgoing, you know, kind of like an Italian culture.

And so, it will look different there but I think the fundamentals are the same.