Emotional Quotient
Emotional Intelligence as a Determinant of Happiness
Concept Paper Introduction Emotional Intelligence can be defined as the ability to relate to others, handle and comprehend one’s emotion, adapt to change and cope with stress. This type of intelligence is more of being able to understand oneself. It is different from the usual notion of what intelligence is which showcases analytical and problem-solving skills. Another proposed definition is that it is "the ability to process emotional information, particularly, as it involves the perception, assimilation, understanding, and management of emotion" (Mayer and Cobb, 2000).
Happiness was described by Positive Psychology researcher, Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book “The How of Happiness”, as ‘the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile’. Happiness is subjective to each person. What causes joy to a person may cause distress or grief to someone. There are different reasons for a person to be happy. Some people’s joy is brought about by material possessions while others may find joy in being contented and appreciative to what they currently have.
William McDougall, a Harvard social psychologist, wrote that people can be happy while in pain and unhappy while experiencing pleasure; to understand this, two kinds of happiness must be distinguished: feel-good and value-based. Feel-good happiness is sensation-based pleasure. When we joke around or have sex, we experience feel-good happiness. This type of happiness rarely lasts longer than a few hours at a time. On the other hand, value-based happiness is a sense that our lives have meaning and fulfilled some larger purpose. It represents a spiritual source of satisfaction, stemming from our deeper purpose and values. We experience value-based happiness when we satisfy our own personal desires -- the more desires we satisfy, the more value-based happiness we experience.
Concept Paper Introduction Emotional Intelligence can be defined as the ability to relate to others, handle and comprehend one’s emotion, adapt to change and cope with stress. This type of intelligence is more of being able to understand oneself. It is different from the usual notion of what intelligence is which showcases analytical and problem-solving skills. Another proposed definition is that it is "the ability to process emotional information, particularly, as it involves the perception, assimilation, understanding, and management of emotion" (Mayer and Cobb, 2000).
Happiness was described by Positive Psychology researcher, Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book “The How of Happiness”, as ‘the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile’. Happiness is subjective to each person. What causes joy to a person may cause distress or grief to someone. There are different reasons for a person to be happy. Some people’s joy is brought about by material possessions while others may find joy in being contented and appreciative to what they currently have.
William McDougall, a Harvard social psychologist, wrote that people can be happy while in pain and unhappy while experiencing pleasure; to understand this, two kinds of happiness must be distinguished: feel-good and value-based. Feel-good happiness is sensation-based pleasure. When we joke around or have sex, we experience feel-good happiness. This type of happiness rarely lasts longer than a few hours at a time. On the other hand, value-based happiness is a sense that our lives have meaning and fulfilled some larger purpose. It represents a spiritual source of satisfaction, stemming from our deeper purpose and values. We experience value-based happiness when we satisfy our own personal desires -- the more desires we satisfy, the more value-based happiness we experience.