IQ and EQ, the importance

1. Definitions

There have been severals debate about IQ and EQ, which one is more important. Lets first get to know what they represent and why they are important in real life.

The term 'IQ' was coined in 1912 by the psychologist William Stern in relation to the German term Intelligenzquotient. It is a number used to express a person's overall mental ability. IQ was represented as a ratio of mental age to chronological age x 100. A child with a mental age of 15 and a chronological age of 10 would have an IQ of 150. IQ represents ability such as:

• Knowledge of the world
• Fluid Reasoning
• Working and short-term memory
• and so on...

Emotional intelligence (otherwise known as emotional quotient or EQ) is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict. EQ is commonly difined by:

• Self-management
• Self-awareness
• Social awareness
• Relationship management

2. How are they different

Both kinds of intelligence can influence your job performance, relationships, and overall well-being. IQ tests measure your ability to solve problems, use logic, and grasp or communicate complex ideas. EQ tests measure your ability to recognize emotion in yourself and others, and to use that awareness to guide your decisions.

IQ tests can measure language, processing, memory, and reasoning. Your score tends to remain consistent from childhood to adulthood. It’s a test of intelligence, something you’re largely born with. It’s not a test of knowledge, which represents what you learn through education or life experience. IQ is still recognized as an important element of success, particularly when it comes to academic achievement. People with high IQs typically to do well in school, often earn more money, and tend to be healthier in general.

However, as we know, it's not the smartest people who are the most successful or the most fulfilled in life. IQ is not enough on its own to achieve success in life. For instance, within the tech sector, research shows 6 factors that distinguish top performers from average performers, and 4 of which refers to EQ not IQ. EQ affects your performance at school or work, your physical and mental health, your relationships,etc. Your IQ can help you pass tests at school, or get through those questions in a test-based interview, but it is your EQ that helps you manage the stress, the emotions, the relationships with your friends or co-workers. Eventually, IQ and EQ are most effective when they build off one another.

3. Why is EQ important?

"Emotional intelligence is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions as a source of human energy, information, connection, and influence." - Robert K. Cooper

Research has shown that people with high EQ are more likely to get hired, promoted and therefore have better salaries than those with higher IQ but low EQ. Why?

• A high EQ help you to build relationships, reduce team stress, defuse conflicts, hence improve job satisfaction. Eventually when it come to recruiting or promoting people to management roles (which usually comes with better salaries/benefits), employers look for high EQ rather than high IQ people.
• Self-awareness and self-management: the ability to regconise one's emitions, strengths, weaknesses, motivations, then has the ability to regulate self-emotions. With high EQ, one is able to control their emotions instead of letting them control you.
• Empathy, motivation and relationship management: emotionally connecting with other and take into account their point of views (including one's self) giving you the ability to motivate and get motivated, therefore being able to build a genuine relationship within yourself and with others. This would improve your leadership skills, leading you to success not only in working but also in most aspects in real life.

The debate whether IQ or IQ is more important has been going on for centuries. At some points in time, IQ was viewed as the primary determinant of success, accomplishment and achievements. However, it is not the only determinant in life success. Emotional abilities can also influence consumer's choices when confronted with buying decisions. Nobel-prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that people would rather deal with a person they trust and like than someone they do not, even if that means paying more for an inferior product.

In conclusion, life success is a result of many factors. Both IQ and EQ play roles in overall success, as well as health, wellness, and happiness. Rather than focusing on which factors have a more dominant influence, the greatest benefit may lie in learning to improve skills in multiple areas. In addition to strengthening cognitive abilities, such as memory and mental focus, you can also acquire and improve social and emotional skills.

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