Decision making is tough. Deciding where you’re going to live, what job to apply for, whether to get married, how many slices of cake to eat – all these take a lot of thought (maybe not so much the latter). But before you even get to the decision, you have to choose how you’re going to make it: logically or emotionally. Do you objectively weigh up the pros and cons? Or go with your gut?
Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence suggests neither: logic can only be most effective when working with your emotions. For those of us who have trouble separating our feelings from important decisions, this is a relief. In his explanation, Goleman sites studies that describe how people with damage to specific areas of the brain, do not have the ability to recall the ‘emotional lessons’ learned through experience, and as a result, make awful decisions. Later he talks about the importance of ‘gut feelings’ in decision making. This is just one example Goleman presents where emotional intelligence is just as important, if not more so than IQ.
On first impression, Emotional Intelligence may sound like it’s going to be a bit dry and unrelatable for the non-scientifically minded. But the opposite is true. Goleman’s constant use of simply explained case studies makes the information accessible and relevant. Even if we don’t possess the characteristics he is talking about, or have first-hand experience of a situation; we might know someone who does or has seen characters portraying them in fiction. It’s these recognisable aspects of the book that make it interesting and so easy to read: you want to understand because what Goleman is talking about might relate directly to you.
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