You might know what is your IQ, but do you know your level of emotional intelligence? Yes, there is such a thing as emotional intelligence, and some experts suggest that it might be more important than IQ in your overall success in life. Take the quiz we prepared to measure your level of emotional intelligence.

The term “emotional intelligence” did not enter our lexicon until around 1990. Even though it is a relatively new term, interest in the concept has grown dramatically since then.

What is emotional intelligence? It is defined as an ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. According to some researchers, it is an innate trait, while according to others it can be learned and strengthened. People with a high degree of emotional intelligence know what they are feeling, what their emotions mean, and how these emotions can affect other people. They know how to release stress healthily, how to communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

Researchers suggest there are four different levels of emotional intelligence. The first one is perceiving emotions. The first step to understanding emotions is to identify them correctly. This could include understanding nonverbal signs, such as body language or facial expressions.

The next step involves reasoning with emotions – using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention to and react to. We respond emotionally to things that garner our attention.

The third step is understanding emotions. If someone is expressing angry emotions, you need to understand what is the cause of their anger (or any other emotion) and what it means. For example, if your spouse is angry, it could be because of their annoying co-worker, or it could be because you forgot to do something important they asked you to do. 

The final step is managing emotions. Regulating your emotions and responding properly, as well as responding to the emotions of other people is a crucial part of emotional intelligence.

There are many examples of how emotional intelligence can affect daily life. People with high emotional intelligence think before they act. They realize that even the most intense emotions are only temporary. When a highly charged emotional event happens, the emotionally intelligent response would back off and take some time before reacting. That way everybody involved has a chance to calm down and think about their response.

Emotionally intelligent people are aware not only of other people’s emotions but also their own. Self-awareness allows people to consider the many different factors that contribute to their emotions.

People with a high degree of emotional intelligence have a lot of empathy for others. They can think about and sympathize with how other people are feeling. They try to put themselves in their shoes.

How do you measure emotional intelligence? Usually, there are two kinds of tests used: self-report tests and ability tests.

On self-report tests, responders answer the questions by rating their behaviors. For example, there could be a statement such as “I am interested in other people’s feelings”, and the responder might describe the statement as agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, disagree. Those tests are easy to run and score.

On the other hand, ability tests involve people responding to the situations and then assessing their skills. Those tests often require people to demonstrate their skills, which are then rated by another person, for example, mental health professional.

How can you improve your emotional intelligence? There are ways to do it. If you want to understand how other people are feeling, you need to pay attention and listen. Take time to listen to what others are saying. Do not underestimate nonverbal cues – someone’s body language can carry a lot of meaning. Consider why this person feels the way they feel at the moment.

You need to be able to put yourself in someone else’s place if you want to understand their emotions. Practice your empathy: try to imagine how you would feel in that person’s situation. This will help you understand this specific happenstance and also develop long-term emotional skills.

The ability to reason with emotions is an important part of emotional intelligence. Take a step back and consider how your emotions influence the way you act. When you are thinking about how the other person responds, think about their feelings. Why are they feeling this way? What contributes to their emotional state? How do their emotions affect their behavior? When you answer those questions, you may find how much easier it is to understand the role emotions play in our lives.

Do you understand what emotional intelligence is? How emotionally intelligent do you believe you are? If you are not sure, get down to the questions and find out your answer. Our quiz will help you discover your level of emotional intelligence in no time!