Have you discovered that you're extremely capable of managing your emotions without much stress or anxiety? That you can relate to the emotions of others and are capable of expressing your emotions better than most?
If you have, then you might just be emotionally intelligent.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability of a person to perceive their emotions and those of others, manage and assess it, and express it properly. Like every other aspect of human intelligence, emotional intelligence is something that some people are better at than others. Some of us are born with it, while others are not.
The good news is there is a way to strengthen your EI and, ultimately, become a better communicator. If one can master this aspect of intelligence, one would be able to do a lot of beneficial things that people without emotional intelligence cannot do. Things such as:
So today, we will be going through eight benefits associated with being an emotionally intelligent person. These are common characteristics associated with EI… and ones we should aspire to obtain to lead our best life.
Benefit #1: They Understand the Feelings of Others
The first mark of a truly emotionally intelligent person is the fact that they understand the feelings of others. One of the biggest elements of emotional intelligence is empathy, and emotionally intelligent people display more empathy than other people.
Because they have so much empathy, emotionally intelligent people find it easier to understand the feelings of others. This ultimately makes them easier to relate to.
In life, we often have to work and relate with people from different backgrounds and different temperaments. A key part of having productive relationships with those people is to understand their feelings, and emotionally intelligent people are simply the best at doing this.
Benefit #2: They Are Very Introspective
Emotionally intelligent people aren't just intelligent because they know how to deal with other people. They are also intelligent because they understand how to deal with themselves.
For one, they are extremely introspective. For example, whenever they get angry, despondent, or even happy… they are capable of precisely analyzing why they feel that way.
While other people often require help from others to truly understand their feelings, emotionally intelligent people can grasp the meaning of their feelings almost intuitively.
Benefit #3: They Are Willing and Can Discuss Feelings with Others
A lot of people have done the work to understand their feelings, and are perfectly in tune with that. However, emotionally intelligent people don't just understand their feelings… they also know how to talk about it appropriately with others.
What does appropriately means in this context? It means that emotionally intelligent people know how to express themselves without burdening others
For example, instead of taking out their frustrations about work or their interpersonal relationships on other people, emotionally intelligent people find better ways to express their feelings.
This also means that they are great listeners. When people describe great listeners, they often describe people who just sit there and listen to them talk.
But emotionally intelligent people do more than that. They empathize greatly with the emotions of the person they are listening to, and this enables them to listen properly and ask important questions.
That's why people find it very easy to talk to them. They make people feel heard — they make people feel like what they are saying is worth saying. That's a trait that not a lot of people have today.
Benefit #4: They Can Regulate Their Own Emotions
One of the hardest things for human beings to do is regulate their emotions. That's why a lot of people commit unspeakable crimes out of jealousy or anger. But bad things don’t only happen because of negative feelings… many people make terrible mistakes because of joy and happiness too.
That's why humans need to have the capacity to regulate their emotions and make dispassionate decisions as often as they can. Sadly, very few people can do this.
However, this is usually a walk in the park for emotionally intelligent people. Being introspective is great — but the true magic is knowing how to regulate your emotions after acknowledging them. And that's something that emotionally intelligent people shine at. They know how to regulate their emotions better than everyone else.
Benefit #5: They Are Have Great Social Skills
It's easy to conflate extroversion with emotional intelligence. But that's not always true. Sure, a lot of extroverted people are emotionally intelligent, but that doesn't mean that all extroverted people have a high level of emotional intelligence.
Whether an emotionally intelligent person is extroverted or not, one thing is certain; they usually have better social skills than others. Since they are capable of understanding their feelings and the feelings of others, they understand how to speak and relate with people.
And since they can do this, they find it easy to stay on the good side of a lot of people — even the most toxic ones! If you've noticed that someone finds it very easy to navigate social relationships without breaking a sweat, it might be a sign that they are extremely emotionally intelligent.
This skill makes people like that stand out, since it can only be exhibited by a few people.
Benefit #6: They Are Motivated
One thing about emotionally intelligent people is that they are always more motivated than other people. Because they are capable of controlling their feelings, and channeling them through the proper pathways, emotionally intelligent people find it easy to motivate themselves to achieve their goals.
And that makes a lot of sense! Because they are so introspective, they understand what works for them emotionally and what doesn't. That means they find it easy to come up with strategies to stay motivated and focused, regardless of whatever happens to them.
Benefit #7: They Learn from Their Emotional Mistakes
Now, this doesn't mean that emotionally intelligent people don't make mistakes. Like everyone, they make mistakes when estimating their emotions and when expressing them.
But two important things differentiate them from others. The first is that they make fewer of these mistakes than other people. And the second, and perhaps most important difference, is that they learn from these mistakes.
Most people continue to make the same emotional mistakes over and over again. It often gets so bad that they turn their unwillingness to learn from their mistakes into character perks.
Emotionally intelligent people, on the other hand, always recognize their emotional mistakes because of how introspective they are. And because they understand how to regulate their emotions, they usually find a way to learn from those mistakes.
Benefit #8: They Are More Open-Minded
Emotionally intelligent people are usually the most open-minded group of people. The reason is simple; since they can empathize greatly with others, it's easier for them to keep an open mind — even when faced with the most preposterous ideas.
These ideas usually don't sound so preposterous to them, because they have the uncanny ability to put themselves in the shoes of others and see things through their eyes. This allows them to be more open-minded than other people.
Final Thoughts on Emotional Intelligence
If you can recognize any or all of these eight traits in yourself, or in someone else, it equates to emotional intelligence. Being emotionally intelligent is a really great quality to possess, as well as one that can still be learned and fostered if given the right time and attention. So if you’re feeling a bit bad right now, as if you are so far off from harnessing your emotional intelligence, don’t be! There’s still time to develop it and these eight traits may be a good place to start. You can also delve deeper into discovering your inner strengths, which might shine some light onto whom you really are and who you desire to be.
