45. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 - Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves

Overall ... this was a good book. The authors first talk about emotional intelligence ("EQ"): the ability to identify and manage one's own emotions and to be aware of others' emotions. An interesting piece of information about the "science side" of EQ is that our brains are hard-wired to give emotions the upper hand (over logic):

"[E]verything you see, smell, hear, taste and touch travels through your body in the form of electric signals. The signals pass from cell to cell until they reach their ultimate destination, your brain. They enter your brain at the base near the spinal cord, but must travel to your frontal lobe ... before reaching the place where rational, logical thinking takes place. The trouble is, they pass through your limbic system along the way - the place where emotions are produced. This journey ensures you experience things emotionally before your reason can kick into gear."

Also, according to the authors, IQ (intelligence quotient) is fixed at birth, absent a traumatic event like a brain injury. "Intelligence is your ability to learn, and is the same at age 15 as it is at age 50. EQ, on the other hand, is a flexible skill that can be learned."

The bulk of this book sets forth strategies on increasing your EQ based on four key EQ skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Like so many other books, this one was very cutesy-story-heavy (if you've been keeping up with my blog, I'm clearly not a fan of that!). And maybe I've been reading too much, but I really didn't think it said anything new. [Also - how does the Dalai Lama manage to write the forward for every book that deals with emotional intelligence?!]

If you want to read something about emotional intelligence I'd recommend Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart by Tara Bennett-Goleman.