Emotional Intelligence

The smartest guys in the room have been challenged. The book 'Emotional Intelligence' by Daniel Goleman claims that most of the success in our lives and the way we lead it is determined not by how smart we are as previously thought but by how emotionally intelligent we are. Over the course of the book, Goleman points to specific research as proof that EQ is more important than IQ. He shows how in a number of cases learning to master one's emotions can lead to social and professional success.

The second part of the book shows how most of our range of emotions develop when we are kids. It is these emotions that determine the way we shall interact socially for most of our lives. Goleman therefore warns of the need to emotionally educate young kids in order to ensure they have healthy emotional lives as adults.

The book goes on to show how a number of disorders that people suffer from originate in the mind and specifically how these problems are emotional in nature. Throughout the book Daniel Goleman also takes the pain to explain the biological basis for his arguments. He talks about specific regions in the human brain that are responsible for emotions and emotional surges. He describes the biological process that go on in our brains when we are angry and how depending on the the training that the brain has been subjected to in formative years these 'anger' reactions may either be controlled or spiral into outbursts.

It's an amazing book that can expose you to a completely different realm of thinking. It challenges a number of established beliefs in the field of medicine and also reasons all arguments scientifically. Great read!