For many, the IQ test is the benchmark by which we can ascertain someone's intelligence level, and is a good indicator of that person's chances at success in the world. Daniel Goleman's landmark book, which I recently listened to on audio, may not throw this assumption on its ear, but it does provide a compelling argument that IQ is not the only measure of someone's ability to navigate the world.

Goleman's work suggests a new form of intelligence, based on how someone filters emotional information in a given situation. You've seen it before, the brilliant chemist that doesn't know how to get a date, the manager that berates his employees in order to get a job done and doesn't worry about their feelings in the slightest; these are smart people given a high degree of responsibility, but they aren't capable of holding a conversation, cannot keep their temper in check or suffer from depression. Goleman focuses on the idea that our emotions go beyond the logical mind and cannot be controlled by the intellect alone. Goleman's argues that an emotionally intelligent person, someone that can identify their emotions while in the act of going through them--in other words someone that understands the link between emotions, thought and action-- is someone society should value just as much as those with huge IQ's.

Goleman upholds the ideal of the emotionally balanced person as someone who should be regarded just as well as the astro-physicist. For example, someone that can read the subtleties and determine another person's emotional state, someone that can sustain a satisfactory relationship, and someone that has enough self-esteem to drive their goals, is someone that doesn’t necessarily need a high IQ.

Through various case studies and chapters that go over the various emotions people are prone to, and how the management of emotions can lead to a very balanced engagement with the world, Goleman forms a compelling argument that seems to take into account more of the subtleties that make us who we are. A cold and calculated IQ score doesn't take into account what happened to a person the night before the test, or how nerves may have contributed to someone getting a lower score. To me, though Emotional Intelligence doesn't give all the answers (how could it?), it does offer up a more believable account of why some of the smartest men in the world can't manage their friendships, and why some people we may not immediately identify as brilliant are nonetheless more communicative, more open with their emotions, and ultimately more fun to be around.