Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Bradberry and Greaves open with a story about a shark encounter to illustrate the core challenge of emotional life: When a threat appears, emotions tend to take control before rational thought has time to respond. They explain this with reference to a simple brain pathway; sensory information enters near the spinal cord, passes through the limbic system (where emotions are generated), and only then reaches the frontal lobe (responsible for logical thinking). This sequence, they argue, explains why emotions often drive behavior before reason can intervene.

From this foundation, the chapter presents emotional intelligence (EI) as the “missing link” behind performance, citing research that people with high IQ outperform others only 20% of the time, whereas those with average IQ outperform higher-IQ peers 70% of the time. Public attention to EI, through a Time magazine cover and extensive media coverage, further supports its significance. The authors combine a personal story, basic neuroscience, and statistical evidence to make their case.

Set against the post-1990s surge of interest in EI, the chapter is aimed at readers in professional and self-improvement contexts. It introduces the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal as a starting point, guiding readers to first measure their current EI and then identify the skills most in need of improvement, apply targeted strategies, and retake the test to track growth.