Let’s measure your intellect. And then we can judge you like big data,
accordingly. Nice?
There is no question that intelligence quotient tests have huge credibility attached to them
but like many others, I feel like there is much more to measuring how ‘clever’ a person
is than this. And it's called emotional quotient.
It’s worth noting what neuroscientist Donald B. Calne states:
"The essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads
to action while reason leads to conclusions."
Intellectual answers are based upon reason - what you have been stimulated
to learn. Are you naturally more gifted than someone else because you can
remember things well? It’s an essential part of any IQ test.
What Calne points out is that we aren't rational beings. Our primary motivation for our actions are emotionally driven. Sure, we like to walk round
thinking we make ‘Mr Spock’ like decisions – perfectly logical, but the truth
differs greatly from this.
Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist, developed a framework of five
elements that define emotional intelligence:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Regulation
- Motivation
- Empathy
- Social Skills
I think it would be of tremendous benefit if we could understand how to
measure EQ as effectively as we have with IQ. The problem is that it's much more
complex. To start with the traditional test environment paves way for 'reason'
to come in to play meaning that a EQ can't be effectively measured using
traditional methods.
EQ is coming to the forefront and combined with IQ you can bet the
worldview on how we measure 'clever' will change dramatically.
If emotion is responsible for shaping our primary actions, it means we may have been missing a great deal of things when it comes to our
need to score and categorise people based on IQ levels alone.
For now it's worth remembering that emotion comes before reason. Therefore
emotion quotient comes before intelligence quotient and must be an integral part
of how we measure up as humans.
So don't brush EQ aside. A little like big data: Intelligence is one thing.
Being able to read between the lines is something else entirely.
Simon Bell
Director
