A new definition of emotional intelligence?
During my time as a PhD student, I looked forward to breaks in my classwork and research to read “for fun.” Reading for fun didn’t necessarily mean reading fiction, but rather reading what I chose to read instead of what was dictated by the coursework or literary reviews. Throughout my doctoral years, I was always jealous of my family members and peers who could read without the same imposed constraints.
Now I am free to read whatever type of literature I choose. You might wonder, “What kind of fun books does one gravitate towards once the doctoral limitations have been removed?” I am slightly embarrassed to admit my shelves are full of books on psychology, personality, and leadership. I also have a growing collection of biographies of former U.S. Presidents.
Recently, I have been focusing on reading publications that address one of my favorite topics: emotional intelligence (EI). This is a topic I have always been fascinated with. It was the subject of my doctoral studies and dissertation, I have designed and facilitated workshops on EI, and I am frequently asked to lecture or participate in panel interviews on the topic of EI. One of the challenges of EI as a topic is there is not a common consensus among researchers for what it means to be emotionally intelligent. As I’ve published in other articles and forums, EI definitions tend to align with one of three general statements:
A range of self-perceptions that predict the ability to handle emotional and environmental situations.
Competencies that involve self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social management.
The ability to solve problems using emotional data.
While reading How Emotions are Made, by Lisa Feldman Barrett, I discovered a definition that seems to be different than these three categories. Feldman describes EI as “getting your brain to construct the most useful instance of the most useful emotion concept in a given situation.” Maybe this definition can still be grouped in the categories above, but there is something about the simplicity of the definition that really resonated with me.
In a way, Feldman’s quote reminded me of a quote attributed to the philosopher Aristotle. He said, “Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy.”
There is a lot to unpack from these alternate definitions of EI and I will do my best to share some of the insights I learned from studying them.
What is emotion?
A combination of physical changes we experience when we are exposed to an emotional stimulus (Barry Gibb).
The story the brain constructs to explain bodily reactions (Antonio Demasio).
Neural impulses that happen inside the brain and trigger a motivation to reach a goal (Henry Thompson).
Feldman suggests emotions are based on simple feelings, referred to as affect. Affect measures internal sensations of pleasure (pleasant vs. unpleasant) and arousal (calm vs. energized). Our bodies are constantly working to balance those sensations, which we may experience in our bodies as a beating heart, sweaty palms, a surge of cortisol or adrenaline, etc. There is no “genetic fingerprint” for how we experience emotions as humans. Instead, emotions are the labels we use to describe the physical sensations our bodies are experiencing. The descriptions rely on situational and cultural context to be effective. Our brains are constantly reliving past experiences and predicting future experiences to determine the appropriate way for our bodies to respond to simple feelings.
Feldman describes this approach to understanding emotion as the theory of constructed emotion. This theory is an attempt to move beyond the classical view of emotion which theorizes there are predetermined emotional responses universally “hard-wired” into our brains. Feldman’s theory is powerful because it proposes we can control our emotions and we are not limited by some pre-determined genetic code. Social context is key to a shared understanding of the meaning of emotion. Combinations of physical sensations or emotional signals can have different meanings over time, between two individuals, and across cultures or geographies.
Why are emotions important?
As mentioned previously, emotions are tied to our goals. In some cases, the goal may be a subconscious need for survival (physically or socially). In other cases, we may attempt to align our behaviors with our values. As we experience the simple feelings of pleasure/displeasure and calm/energized we can reflect on the source of those sensations. Our bodies prefer a state of balance, so the sensations of affect are often the result of our bodies seeking that balanced state.
For example, if I’m experiencing sensations of an elevated heart rate and nausea, my brain will assist me in researching the possible scenarios that might be contributing to those sensations. My brain will then help me visualize scenarios with possible ways I should act in response to what I am feeling. Maybe I’m anxious about an upcoming presentation and I need to take deep breaths to calm my nerves. Maybe I just received some bad news from a family member, and I need to switch my brain into a problem-solving mode? Maybe I’ve contracted a virus and need to crawl into bed? When we act on the most likely scenario, our brain “keeps score” to determine how closely the prediction matches reality. The outcome is stored in our memory and used again when evaluating future simulations.
Another way of thinking about the value of emotions is this: emotions are data about people. The use of emotional data in decision-making enhances the overall outcome because the emotional data are tied to our goals and values. When faced with a scenario where the analytical data don’t provide a clear answer, emotional data should be introduced as a form of a “tiebreaker.”
I experience this scenario frequently when planning family vacations with my wife. Her natural style is more rational and analytical, so she will construct detailed lists of possible dates to consider, locations we should visit, hotels we should choose from, activities we should schedule, etc. Inevitably, we will be faced with possibilities that are quantitatively equal. Introducing our goals and values enables us to bring our emotions into the process and we can zero in on the right selection.
Summary
As the definition of emotional intelligence continues to evolve, there is an opportunity to focus more on understanding the physical sensations we experience and what that means in our personal and professional lives. Understanding where our emotions come from and how they are aligned with our goals and values will enhance our ability to make decisions that maximize our well-being.
