What Decides Your Happiness and Success in Life - Your IQ or EQ?

Why your EQ is the most important factor for your happiness?

A higher Intelligence Quotient does not guarantee your happiness or success in life. To succeed in life, it is not your IQ, but your EQ that plays a bigger role. Emotional Quotient(EQ) or emotional intelligence stands for your ability to understand and manage your emotions effectively. It influences various aspects of your life, from how you behave to how you interact with others, and has a direct effect on your happiness levels, life quality and self-satisfaction.

Several studies on emotional intelligence have revealed that while about 80% of the common man's success is linked to emotional intelligence, only the remaining 20% is a result of his intelligence quotient! So, how does EQ affect your life?

1. At Work: At the workplace, emotional intelligence can have a significant impact on your performance. It shapes your business as well as professional relationships, while helping you to navigate the social complexities that characterise a place of work.  
2. For Your Health: It affects your physical health too, as management of stress levels is directly linked to your EQ levels. High stress levels can make you susceptible to many diseases like stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, etc. Likewise, if you're unable to handle and manage your emotions effectively, it can lead to mental problems like depression, mood swings and anxiety. 
3. Personal Relationships: The role of EQ can't be ignored when it comes to building relationships. It enables you to communicate successfully,while helping you to build stronger relationships.Whether they are your professional relationships or personal ones, a better understanding and control of your emotions is imperative for not only a better expression of your feelings,but also for a complete understanding of what others are feeling.

So, how can you improve your EQ?

Unlike IQ, you can certainly improve your EQ significantly by developing and honing these key abilities. 

1. The ability to manage negative emotions
Although both negative and positive emotions are needed to succeed in life, sometimes, negative emotions can overwhelm you, affecting your judgement.Developing skills that do not let negative emotions get to you can significantly increase your EQ levels.

2. The ability to reduce stress
Effectively controlling and managing stress is also an ability, the development of which can bring you great success in life. Staying focused, balanced and in control is what you should aim at when under severe pressure. You should be able to quieten yourself down quickly, while relieving yourself from stress.

3. The ability to stay positive even in times of difficulty
Last but not the least, when faced with a difficult situation or even a difficult person, it's crucial to remain positive as then the difficulty faced becomes easier to handle. Arriving at resolutions for difficult situations positively and with confidence is what you should strive to do.
EQ helps you to do well at work, build strong relationships and accomplish your personal and career goals.

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