Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence Summary: Understanding and Applying the Book's Principles

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Imagine being cut off in traffic: someone almost runs you over with their car and they keep driving like they're doing push-ups for an action movie. You could handle this situation gracefully and just keep calm and carry on .
But you can also start swearing and wondering how he could have passed his driving test. Your response options range from honking your horn in anger to more extreme measures, such as chasing the car to have a "polite" conversation with the other driver.

This real-life scenario is an example of how emotional intelligence – the way people manage their emotions – influences every aspect of their life, including their behavior in traffic. Daniel Goleman delved deeper into this topic in his bestseller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

In our summary of Emotional Intelligence , we'll walk you through the key points of the book and show you how to apply its principles to your professional life and prepare for the right attempt.

But before that, if you're interested in reading more book summaries, check out and bookmark our marketing directors email list curated collection of 25 must-read productivity book summaries (including this one) in one place. You can save, edit, bookmark, and even export it for later use.

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Summary of the book Emotional Intelligence at a Glance
Cover of the book Emotional Intelligence

via: Amazon In his book, first published in 1995, Goleman argues that a high IQ is overrated and that the key to a fulfilling and successful life is emotional intelligence: the ability to understand, evaluate and control one's own and others' emotions.

The author takes readers on a journey that explores the emotional brain, outlines how emotions differ from reason, and how emotional intelligence can be taught and cultivated. He draws on groundbreaking research on the brain and behavior to explain why people with high levels of emotional intelligence thrive, regardless of their IQ.

The book is easy to follow and understand because Goleman has carefully divided it into five sections, each focusing on a specific topic:

The emotional brain
The nature of emotional intelligence
Applied emotional intelligence
Windows of opportunity
Emotional literacy
Let's quickly review each section to get a sense of the book's key messages and principles.