Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and use your own emotions in positive ways. It also involves recognizing and understanding the emotions of the people around you. Unlike traditional forms of intelligence—such as solving math problems or remembering facts—emotional intelligence is all about how you handle feelings and build relationships.

The concept of emotional intelligence first gained attention in the 1990s when psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer introduced it as a way to explain how people use emotional information to guide their thinking and actions. Later, science journalist Daniel Goleman popularized the idea with his bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Goleman’s work helped many people see that being “emotionally smart” can be just as important as being “book smart.”

In simple terms, emotional intelligence is like having a “feelings toolkit” that helps you:

Recognize your emotions: Knowing what you’re feeling.

Understand your emotions: Figuring out why you feel that way.

Manage your emotions: Keeping your feelings in check when things get tough.

Use your emotions: Letting your feelings help you make better decisions and connect with others.

Recognize others’ emotions: Noticing how people around you feel.