We know that emotional intelligence plays an important role in our well-being. But now, studies show that being emotionally intelligent has another surprising benefit.
Being emotionally intelligent means being able to easily understand others and being able to cooperate with them. This builds better relationships and stronger social networks.
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But Forbes has found another upside to being emotionally intelligent: it brings you more money (approximately 29.000$ more!). And that is true independent of the job position, region of the world or industry.
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The study that this conclusion is based on identified the trait that is responsible for it: emotional recognition. This means the ability to notice and understand the emotional states of others. The researchers noticed that “the better people are at recognizing emotions, the better they handle the politics in organizations and the interpersonal aspects of work life, and thus the more they earn in their jobs.”
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The idea is that some people who lack technical skills compensate with social capital. When you understand other people’s emotions, you can identify the situations when they are overwhelmed and if you help them, they will do the same when the situation is reversed. They are also more persuasive and more flexible. As a result, their overall performance at work is more appreciated and they can advance farther in their careers and earn more.
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If you are not naturally endowed with emotional intelligence, don’t worry! It’s something you can develop through practice. Please, share this!
