Emotional Intelligence, or Emotional Quotient (EQ) refers to the ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions, our own and the emotions of others. EQ includes a range of emotional abilities, like empathy, social skills, self awareness etc. The ability to put yourself in others shoes (or trying to imagine how you would feel in their circumstances, shoes seem outside the scope of the question really, but I guess they could be really comfy shoes), effective communication, build and maintain relationships, manage conflicts, etc, all fall under the purview of EQ.
IQ (Intelligence Quotient) is a (dubious) measure of cognitive intelligence, focused around analytical ability, logic and complex problem solving skills, pattern recognition, etc. EQ (Emotional Quotient) on the other (the left one according to that outdated model of a brain we were taught at school) is related to the skills mentioned in the previous paragraph (the feelie stuff). In practice this makes them appear to be opposites, when in reality they are closely tied to your ability to navigate complex circumstances, like your job, social life, etc.
IQ is (very) generally thought to be influenced by genetics, whereas EQ is thought to be more influenced by environmental factors, like childhood, life experiences, that crap boss you had for that one job. IQ is measured using standardised tests that are designed to assess a person's ability to reason abstractly, and solve problems. EQ is largely self assessed, with tests designed to measure a person's ability to perceive, manage, and understand their own and other people's emotions.
EQ is important for building and maintaining healthy relationships, at both the personal and professional level. Establishing clear and agreed upon expectations and boundaries is not always easy, so being able to manage your own emotions, and anticipating, parsing, and ultimately understanding the other person's emotions is equally important. Understanding your own emotions, and how to regulate them, has been indicated in studies to increase happiness, and decrease stress.
IQ is considered to be "stable" throughout a person's life, but EQ can (relatively) easily be built upon and improved through training (go to the mind gym, become empathetically swole). increasing your chances of an awesome life, and that promotion you want. So why wait? Eat those mindfulness exercise greens, and become the emotional athlete you were always meant to be.
11 April 2023