A (Hopefully) Intelligent Post on Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence was an intriguing read. I was interested to see the parallels of what I was taught in MCom lecture and what I was reading in this bestseller by Daniel Goleman.

One of the sections that caught my attention was on showing emotion. I suffer from a condition that cannot be stated in a BYU assignment, but rhymes with "resting witch face." My facial features draw themselves into a series of straight, horizontal lines unless I make a concerted effort to compose them otherwise. 

This personal attribute was in the back of my mind as I read about how expressiveness registers with others. Initially I felt smug as I perused Goleman's story about Vietnamese monks. The holy men walked through a line of fire completely unharmed because their calm and poise literally took the fight out of the American soldiers. The author explained the situation by stating that emotions are contagious, and an exchange can alter the other party's feelings. We imitate the emotions others display.





However, there is a flip side to this. While I feel my collected appearance is seen as calm, others often comment that I seem depressed or concerned--two emotions that I would not like to be around for a lengthy amount of time.

While negative self-criticism is never a good route to improvement, perhaps I'll take a piece of advice from MCom and be open to recording myself before really important interactions, such as job interviews, to see what the other people in the room perceive.