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What is the difference between EQ and IQ?

IQ is mostly about the brain and how it registers information. EQ is about emotions and how a person interprets and control both their own and other's emotional states.

What is IQ?

IQ, short for intelligence quotient, is a measure of a person's reasoning abiity. An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a score derived from one of several standardized tests designed to assess intelligence.

In short, it is supposed to gauge how well someone can use information and logic to answer questions or make predictions. IQ tests begin to assess this by measuring short- and long-term memory. They also measure how well people can solve puzzles and recall information they’ve heard — and how quickly.

The abilities that are tested and outlined by IQ are the ability to learn, understand and apply information to skills, logical reasoning, word comprehension, math skills, abstract and spatial thinking, filter irrelevant information.

What is EQ?

Emotional Quotient (aka emotional intelligence or EQ) is defined as the way to perceive and interpret emotions. Being able to name and regulate emotions to enhance your personal growth intellectually and emotionally.

"Your EQ is the level of your ability to understand other people, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them,”

- Howard Gardner

EQ encompasses one's abilities to identify, evaluate, control and express emotions ones own emotions; perceive, and assess other's emotions; use emotions to facilitate thinking, understand emotional meanings.

There are 5 categories of EQ:

  1. Self-awareness: The ability to recognize an emotion as it “happens”. The major elements of self-awareness are:
    • Emotional awareness: The ability to recognize your own emotions and their effects.
    • Self-confidence: Sureness about self-worth and capabilities.
  2. Self-regulation: You often have little control over when you experience emotions. You can, however, have some say in how long an emotion will last by using a number of techniques to alleviate negative emotions such as anger, anxiety or depression.Self-regulation involves:
    • Self-control: Managing disruptive impulses.
    • Trustworthiness: Maintaining standards of honesty and integrity.
    • Conscientiousness: Taking responsibility for your own performance.
    • Adaptability: Handling change with flexibility.
    • Innovation: Being open to new ideas.
  3. Motivation: To motivate yourself for any achievement requires clear goals and a positive attitude. Although you may have a predisposition to either a positive or a negative attitude, you can with effort and practice learn to think more positively. Motivation is made up of:
    • Achievement drive: Constantly striving to improve or to meet a standard of excellence.
    • Commitment: Aligning with the goals of the group or organization.
    • Initiative: Readying yourself to act on opportunities.
    • Optimism: Pursuing goals persistently despite obstacles and setbacks.
  4. Empathy: The ability to recognize how people feel. The more skillful you are at discerning the feelings behind others’ signals the better you can control the signals you send them. An empathetic person excels at:
    • Service orientation: Anticipating, recognizing and meeting clients’ needs.
    • Developing others: Sensing what others need to progress and bolstering their abilities.
    • Leveraging diversity: Cultivating opportunities through diverse people.
    • Political awareness: Reading a group’s emotional currents and power relationships.
    • Understanding others: Discerning the feelings behind the needs and wants of others.
  5. Social skills: The development of good interpersonal skills. Among the most useful skills are:
    • Communication: Sending clear messages.
    • Leadership: Inspiring and guiding groups and people.
    • Change catalyst: Initiating or managing change.
    • Conflict management: Understanding, negotiating and resolving disagreements.
    • Building bonds: Nurturing instrumental relationships.

In an environment where you must work along side others, EQ plays an extremely large part in your success. So in other words...

IQ + EQ = Success