Emotional Intelligence (EI or sometimes EQ - Emotional Quotient) is a more modern concept and was only fully developed in the mid-1990s, by Daniel Goleman, among others.
Emotional Intelligence is the measure of an individual's abilities to recognise and manage their emotions, and the emotions of other people, both individually and in groups
Benefits of Higher Emotional Intelligence
• People with higher emotional intelligence find it easier to form and maintain interpersonal relationships and to 'fit in' to group situations.
• People with higher emotional intelligence are also better at understanding their own psychological state, which can include managing stress effectively and being less likely to suffer from depression.
Academic aptitude (IQ) has no connection with how people understand and deal with their emotions and the emotions of others (EI). This is actually true !
So many times we see clever people who have no idea about how to deal with people, and the reverse.
Some people have high IQs and low emotional intelligence and vice versa, while some people score highly on both and some do not.
IQ and Emotional intelligence attempt to measure different forms of human intelligence; along with personality, these measures make up an individual's psyche.
Emotional intelligence is the one part of the human psyche that we can develop and improve by learning and practising new skills. IQ and personality are more static measures and likely to stay reasonably constant throughout life (although you can develop your ability to complete IQ tests very successfully).
Ultimately emotional intelligence can only be measured by how an individual progresses through life - developing meaningful relationships with others, their interpersonal skills and understanding, their ability to manage their own emotions, and their personal skills.