Emotional Intelligence: A blessing or a curse?

Jason Sanchez3 said:Haha, the real issue here is just being a bit uninformed... ☕

"Emotional intelligence is often overlooked, even though it plays a massive role in our lives. A lot of people dismiss emotions as mere distractions in our functional, logical brains. However, theorists argue that emotions are actually key. They believe emotions help us make decisions that are generally more rational and successful. The roots of emotional intelligence go back to social intelligence, which was first defined by E. L. Torndika in 1920. Essentially, the term refers to the ability to balance reason with feeling. It’s a set of emotional skills that allow a person to correctly choose how to use their feelings and subconscious mechanisms when interacting with others, which ultimately helps us understand and improve human nature."

"Research shows that a high IQ alone doesn't guarantee success. To truly thrive, a person needs both a high IQ and a high EQ. Having both leads to a better career, improved mental and physical health, and higher quality relationships. On the flip side, highly rational people with high IQs are often dissatisfied with their lives—members of Mensa are a proven example of this. A high IQ isn't a requirement for finding happiness or love, which is what everyone is after. IQ, sometimes called technical intelligence, doesn't have much to do with one's emotional life. In fact, some people with very high IQs can be prone to impulsive instincts and negative outbursts of passion."

if you're deeply feeling someone else's pain, then we're talking about empathy... but if you're just sensitive to things happening around you, that's just sensibility...

regarding high IQ, someone mentioned once that there was an extensive study done on people with high IQs and what their actual success in life looks like. They found that these people are above average in terms of being successful, happy... and so on...

technical intelligence doesn't even exist.
I mean, we can say there's intrapersonal, interpersonal, spatial, mathematical, logical intelligence... there's a whole bunch of different cognitive abilities and all of them are measurable.

Kyle Nelson2 said:if you're deeply feeling someone else's pain, then we're talking about empathy... but if you're just sensitive to things happening around you, that's just sensibility...

regarding high IQ, someone mentioned once that there was an extensive study done on people with high IQs and what their actual success in life looks like. They found that these people are above average in terms of being successful, happy... and so on...

technical intelligence doesn't even exist.
I mean, we can say there's intrapersonal, interpersonal, spatial, mathematical, logical intelligence... there's a whole bunch of different cognitive abilities and all of them are measurable.

empathy is just one part of emotional intelligence, and things like "intrapersonal" or "interpersonal" fall under EQ—I've already posted about that here before...

I wouldn't go so far as to say empathy is actually part of emotional intelligence.

The way people experience things varies wildly from person to person—you know, those different temperaments like being choleric or sanguineous and all that—but that’s really just about how deeply someone feels an event...
Then there's the whole thing where we pick up on what others are feeling, which I guess is more about mirror neurons at work...
But honestly, whether you feel close to or distant from everything happening around you doesn't tell me much about your actual emotional intelligence, in my opinion...

I actually topped my psychology class back in college 😍
I just can't wrap my head around someone calling something as vital as emotional intelligence "manipulative"...
It’s honestly pretty ignorant and, frankly, not very bright...

Kyle Nelson2 said:if you're deeply feeling someone else's pain, then we're talking about empathy... but if you're just sensitive to things happening around you, that's just sensibility...

regarding high IQ, someone mentioned once that there was an extensive study done on people with high IQs and what their actual success in life looks like. They found that these people are above average in terms of being successful, happy... and so on...

technical intelligence doesn't even exist.
I mean, we can say there's intrapersonal, interpersonal, spatial, mathematical, logical intelligence... there's a whole bunch of different cognitive abilities and all of them are measurable.

Look, guys, the label doesn't even matter—whether we're talking about intelligence, empathy, analysis, or whatever else. What matters is that any of these traits have the potential to absolutely wreck your life.
I don't mean for it to always be that way, and we're all just here to share our own views and experiences. In my case, both sides of this have felt more like a curse than a gift. Calling it a "blessing" feels a bit much. 😉

Why wouldn't you think so...
Empathy is just being able to feel and understand what everyone else is going through.

To me, emotional intelligence is really just those two things—understanding your own feelings and actually getting where the people around you are coming from...

Look, that’s fine if you want to sugarcoat things, but I prefer calling a spade a spade...

Basically, intelligence is supposed to actually make our lives easier, not just trip us up at every turn...
Because if it doesn't, then it isn't really intelligence... it's just... total bullshit 😛

Kyle Nelson2 said:Look, that’s fine if you want to sugarcoat things, but I prefer calling a spade a spade...

Basically, intelligence is supposed to actually make our lives easier, not just trip us up at every turn...
Because if it doesn't, then it isn't really intelligence... it's just... total bullshit 😛

Your philosophy is nothing more than a single line of thought.😛

It’s really not that bad 😉 , plus there are actually so many perks for both work and your personal life...
I have this friend who just doesn't get it at all; everything is so black and white to her. She can't even consider if there might be another reason behind someone's behavior—she's basically like a robot...
She's given up so much and pushed away so many people she probably shouldn't have, just because she couldn't see or understand things differently..
You're ahead of the curve from the start 🙂

Look, I’m not even arguing that higher emotional intelligence means you're better at picking up on those subtle nuances or the tiny differences between people...

I’ve actually got this other thing going on that isn't even about intelligence...
I can just close my eyes and feel someone else's vibe in a quiet room...
without even reading a single body language cue...
knowing exactly what they need to hear, or don't, or everything—it's like I am them...
which is honestly kind of a curse... unless, of course, you live in some perfect little bubble.

so if you ask me, it doesn't even have anything to do with intelligence anymore...

Kyle Nelson2 said:so if you ask me, it doesn't even have anything to do with intelligence anymore...

well, I did say that🙂)
of course it isn't. but hey, if anyone actually wants to adopt that lovely little trait, just let me know.......

Kyle Nelson2 said:Look, I’m not even arguing that higher emotional intelligence means you're better at picking up on those subtle nuances or the tiny differences between people...

I don't disagree that not all philosophers are particularly bright, either.😛

I think I'll step away from this thread. I feel like everyone here is grouping this under "higher intelligence," whereas I personally see it more as just intensified—and slightly different from the typical surface-level—thinking. Call it whatever you want; I'm certainly no expert, nor do I have the energy to overanalyze it.👋

Smart brains fueled by high emotions? That’s just a fast track to disaster!

Jason Sanchez3 said:well, I did say that🙂)
of course it isn't. but hey, if anyone actually wants to adopt that lovely little trait, just let me know.......

So, has this ever actually hit you as a real gut feeling before?

...emotions don't really have much to do with intelligence, since letting your brain take over just dulls the soul's spark.

Terry Martinez6 said:...emotions don't really have much to do with intelligence, since letting your brain take over just dulls the soul's spark.

Honestly, what a silly and honestly kind of dangerous thing to say.

Kyle Nelson2 said:So, has this ever actually hit you as a real gut feeling before?

Could you clarify what you mean by that?.....
It happens to me all the time in my daily life..
But mostly just with people I actually know well... I’ll look at someone—or sometimes I don't even have to look—and I can just feel how they're feeling right then. Like their mood, what they want, or what's bothering them in the moment....
If I'm kissing my boyfriend, I can feel exactly what he's feeling while we're kissing....
It's weird, but I can basically just step into another person's shoes and instantly pick up on everything they're going through...

I’d call it a gift🙂 but if you don't learn how to master it, it turns into a curse