#because I think it gets counterproductive to draw thick lines between what is and what isn’t art

[foxmulderautism]

like yeah dude it’s really cool that you used AI to complete an art piece that was purposefully left unfinished because the artist was dying of AIDS as the government ignored the mass loss of life and health. all you really did was show that technology can bring an art piece into the modern age but why? why do we need to do that? what does it say about us if we feel that a piece needs to be ‘completed’? how are we viewing completion?? can seeing an ai generated “completion” of unfinished have the same effect of seeing the parts haring left blank and the parts where the art drips into the blank? does it aid the narrative of it in any way? can AI understand the levels at which artists used their pieces about AIDS as a form of protest? of begging to be seen? how can it when an AI’s concept of ‘completing’ the piece is just guesswork of what the colours and shapes would look like to match what haring made which is nowhere near the same level of intention that came from him? you said you ‘completed’ the piece with ai because his story is so sad but does that mean we should try to rectify sadness by getting rid of the representation of it? should we not continue to sit in the sadness and discomfort that unfinished and other AIDS inspired art asks us to do because those feelings are only a fraction of what the people who died and lost felt, is that not the least we can do for them? and what good does any of this actually do when we can use technology to ‘complete’ a purposefully unfinished art piece about an artist’s untimely death from AIDS but we can never bring keith haring or any other person who died of AIDS back to life? where does haring, the person whose illness and death lives in those blanks, come into your self fulfilling ai generated completion of his work?

[philosophiums]

Angst is my favorite thing to read what is wrong with me but anyway what about Andrew almost relapsing and Neil or Betsy stopping him?

i think you were talking about drugs but that’s not at all where my mind went. i also know you said “nearly” relapsing but………. so yeah this is probably not at all what you wanted but there’s definitely a lot of angst here

tw for self-harm and blood

The dripping of Andrew’s blood into the sink is steadying in a way he doesn’t understand but isn’t ready to challenge. He counts off the dripping, one drop per second, and when he gets lost in the rhythm he drags another line across his arm. Too deep. He bites his tongue and hits the heel of his palm against the vanity. The slip in control is worse than the bite of the cut and the thick rivulets of blood that race each other down his arm. 

He shuffles the razor between his fingers as he surveys his arm. His life with Cass Spear is buried under his scars. He toys with the idea of digging around under his skin just to see if he can find that piece of himself and rip it from his body. It might be worth all of the blood and mess. 

Another cut, just as straight as the last five and the exact same length. The pain is not grounding, but it is steady and it is real and he’s in control of it. The drip of blood into the sink counts off half seconds now, but it’s still steady. Andrew curls his hand into a fist and the blood flows faster, relaxes his hand and it slows down. 

The knocks on the bathroom door are unexpected and loud to Andrew’s ears. He freezes. It’s the middle of the night; Neil isn’t supposed to be awake.

“Andrew?” Neil’s voice has the slow and heavy tone of one still half asleep. “Andrew, hurry up, I need to pee.”

“Go downstairs.” He knows his voice is too hard when Neil tests the doorknob, finds it locked. 

“Why can’t I come in?”

Andrew clenches his fist again, and the blood drips faster. The deeper cut pours blood. It’s a mourning, of sorts, but maybe he’s better for it. He unlocks the bathroom door, and Neil is over the threshold just as fast as Andrew can draw his hand back.

The changes in Neil’s expression are as rapid as his icy blue eyes taking in the scene. Scene. Andrew tastes the word and discards it. Scene implies a crime, implies a murder. This is just a bathroom.

There is something haunted living behind Neil’s eyes when he drags them up to Andrew’s. Andrew refuses to feel bad. Neil isn’t supposed to be here. The blood never should have been in his line of sight. Now it’s going to get on Neil’s hands, and where is the control in that? The blood is just a side effect, anyway. The pain is the priority.

“Are those because of me?” Neil asks, and oh, Andrew hates that self-destructive part of Neil almost as much as he hates how the question feels like a kick to his gut.

He’s not going to lie to Neil. They promised each other that they would never lie. “Not entirely.”

A shutter slams over Neil’s expression, and Andrew can feel the crash of it settle in his bones. He doesn’t feel guilty about cutting himself; it felt necessary in the moment, and it feels justified now. That doesn’t mean he feels good about the way Neil is already distancing himself from the situation, from Andrew. 

“But I have something to do with it?”

Andrew decides that not answering is less damaging than saying yes. 

Neil closes his eyes like a man burdened, and nods once, short and clipped over tense shoulders. When Neil opens them again, his eyes are on Andrew’s arm. “Can I….” Teeth sink into that full lower lip. It’s not often that Neil is found searching for words. “I can leave.”

“No,” Andrew says, and the word is a sigh. 

Andrew is more than a little familiar with the fortification process that he watches in Neil now. “Can I touch you?”

Giving up control after carving it from his skin seems counterproductive, but Andrew says yes anyway. He drops the razor onto the edge of the sink and runs his arm under the faucet while Neil digs around for the bandages that so frequently accessorize Neil’s skin. It’s odd in an unbalanced way that their roles are reversed now.

Neil is not a gentle nurse. He uses rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball to clean all six cuts, and the way he rubs perpendicular to the lines has Andrew grinding his teeth. “Stop bitching,” Neil says, though Andrew hasn’t spoken a word. The sharp retort on Andrew’s tongue withers and dies when he notices the mess Neil has already made of his bottom lip. 

It takes four layers of white bandages before the red stops bleeding through. Neil rips off the strip and tapes it down, and then he disappears. Andrew is used to being left to pick up the pieces, but he’s not used to being made whole and then finding that his supports have rotted away.

Andrew knows that he doesn’t owe Neil anything. He is allowed his own bodily autonomy, at the very least. He isn’t going to be controlled anymore.

But he goes after Neil anyway.

The rest of the house is asleep when Andrew goes downstairs. Neil’s shoes are gone, and Andrew narrows his eyes. Of course Neil would run. But now that Andrew’s down here, he’s itching for a cigarette, so he grabs his pack and shoves his way onto the porch. 

Neil is sitting on the top step, staring into some middle distance that Andrew can’t see.

There’s a habitual ease that Andrew settles into when he lowers himself to sit beside Neil, when he lights two cigarettes and passes one over. He resolutely begins dragging on his cigarette. He’s not going to talk unless Neil wants to know.

Of course, Neil wants to know. “Why? Maybe not… you don’t have to tell me everything, but I deserve to know my role in it.”

Some part of Andrew is relieved that Neil isn’t demanding everything. The rest of him knew that Neil wouldn’t. Neil, of all people, understands that some information is more useful and grounding when it’s kept secret. But Neil’s right, and that’s the easiest reason to explain. “I’m not always convinced that you’re not a fever dream.”

Neil brings the cigarette closer to his face, and the cherry illuminates Neil’s furrowed brow. “We’re back to this again? I’m not a hallucination.”

Andrew looks at Neil’s scars, red and angry in the glow of the cigarette, and he’s reminded of how they looked when Neil came back from Baltimore. No, Neil is not a hallucination. Someone who has been through so much pain and caused Andrew so much panic has to be real. “All bedrooms look the same in the middle of the night. Trying to ground myself by looking at you doesn’t work if my body’s numb.” 

It’s obvious that Neil doesn’t completely understand, and Andrew is grateful. He doesn’t want Neil to understand. Andrew would raze the world to the ground.

“And that’s enough to make you cut yourself?” 

Andrew drags in a long breath, appreciating the sting of Neil’s directness. “Not on its own.” They have reached the extent of the knowledge that Neil was looking for. Andrew isn’t going to answer any more questions tonight.

Neil asks one anyway. “How can I help?”

A dog barks a block or two away. When it quiets down, the only sound is the gentle sizzle of fire consuming tobacco and paper. Andrew finishes his cigarette and flicks the butt away. He droops his arms over his knees and tilts his head back. The stars are barely visible this far into suburbia, but the brightest ones still manage to shine through the contamination.

When Neil’s cigarette burns itself out, Andrew is the first on his feet. “Come back to bed,” he says, and convinces himself that it’s not an answer.

[swissnavy]

5 Theories About Why We Have Pubic Hair

It’s the human condition to wonder. Where did we come from? What’s our purpose? Why is there a random patch of thick coarse hair on our crotches and nowhere else? It’s a question that has plagued humankind- what is the deal with pubic hair? And guess what- no one knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Evolutionary biologists, gynecologists, dermatologists, sexologists- we don’t know. It’s particularly confounding given that many other mammals have furry bodies all over but shorter,  finer hair in the pubic region while we have the opposite situation- basically naked all over but with a bush between the legs. Why? We can only speculate. Here are the Top 5 Theories About Why We Have Pubic Hair:

1. Sexual decoration

Since pubic hair growth only occurs after a surge of androgens and estrogens during adolescence, one evolutionary theory is that pubic hair serves as sexual ornamentation, a neon advertisement if you will, that says “I have reached sexual maturity and efforts to reproduce with me could be fruitful and worth your time and energy expenditure.”

Of course we have no idea which came first- did pubic hair grow at puberty for purposes still unknown, and it became associated with sexuality as a secondary consequence due to it’s timing with sexual maturity, or inversely, did pubic hair grow specifically as a sexual signal once we evolutionarily lost most the rest of our body hair, making the genitals stand out against an otherwise hairless body? Pubes, you inspire more questions than you provide answers!

2. Eyelashes of the genitals

A health function theory is that like eyelashes and nose hair, pubic hair exists to block and sweep away pathogens or other foreign particles from entering a bodily orifice. Sounds logical for vulvas, but I wonder why pubic hair would grow on the pubic bone instead of around the hole at the end of a penis (urinary meatus) if the purpose is to protect the body’s openings? And is there any evidence that pre-pubescent people or those who remove their pubic hair are getting sick more often because they don’t have pubic hair as a line of defense against pathogens? So many questions!

There was one study that correlated infection of certain STIs with frequent pubic hair removal, but there is no way of knowing if the hair removal caused the increased likelihood of infections. They didn’t ask participants if they were having safe sex or if they were diagnosed with the STI before they started removing the hair or after. It could also be that the microscopic nicks from shaving creates pathways for infections to enter the body, but that doesn’t help us understand whether pubic hair exists to block disease and if we never grew pubic hair to begin with (vs growing it and then shaving it) would still have increased infection rates.

One thing we do know, research has speculated that trends around pubic hair removal is suspected to be the cause of a decrease in the population of pubic lice. No pubes, no lice, I suppose.

3. Pheromone wafting

Another evolutionary sexual theory is that pubic hair wafts pheromones into the air. Sebaceous gland secretions + dead skin + sweat = a scent that is individually unique and may be consciously or subconsciously sexually attractive to different people. The idea is that the pubic hair both traps it for the scent to intensify and then wicks it away for potential sexual partners to get a whiff of. But we know less about human pheromones than we do about pubic hair. Gah!      

4. Genital HVAC system

This theory posits that pubic hair serves to regulate the temperature of the genitals, trapping heat and keeping the area warm when needed, and wicking away sweat to keep the area cool when needed. Since like the skull, the skin in the genitals is thinner and blood vessels quite plentiful, there are more opportunities for heat to escape from the body than other parts so hair is needed for insulation. Fair theory, although it begs the question:

a. Why are sweat glands sufficient thermal regulators for the rest of our body, but not the genitals? And I’m no biologist nor am I an expert on thermodynamics, but my understanding of body thermoregulation is that short fine hair is better at absorbing and drawing off sweat for cooling purposes than thick hair, which is why our species lost our fur to begin with, so wouldn’t thick hair be counterproductive?

b. Again, why is the pubic hair mainly on the pubis? If the idea was to control temperature for reproductive needs, wouldn’t there be more hair on the scrotum (which hang outside the body to keep the testicles at 2 degrees below body temperature anyway) and on the lower abdomen of people with ovaries and uteri? Why does the pubic bone and outer labia require specialized temp regulation when they aren’t involved in reproduction? If the theory is to protect from heat loss due to quantity of blood vessels, wouldn’t the hair grow on the clitoris and penis where blood vessels concentrate?

5. Car bumper of the loins

Whether as a bumper between the genitals and the rocks and dirt our ancestors would sit on, or a bumper between the genitals and someone else’s genitals knocking together during sexual activity, the final evolutionary theory about why we have pubic hair is that pubic hair offers a layer of cushion and protection from abrasion to a very sensitive and vulnerable area. But then of course one wonders if true why other primates have thinner, finer hair on their genitals rather then thicker coarser hair. How are they protecting their genitals without pubes? The world may never know…

Which ones do you think are most plausible? Do you have different theory about why humans have pubic hair? Do you have any rebuttals to my rebuttals of these theories? Let me know! 

And check back next week for another Top 5 Friday!

Dr. Jill McDevitt is a nationally recognized, San Diego based sexuality educator, speaker, writer, and the resident sexologist at Swiss Navy. She has a BA in Sexuality, Marriage, and Family, MEd in Human Sexuality Education, and PhD in Human Sexuality, which means she is the only known person in the world with all three degrees in sex. It also means she has the coolest job ever!

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Trending Topics: What does 'losing the room' look like?

Even one of the best coaches alive can’t cure what ails the Blackhawks. (Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Chicago won against an underwhelming Rangers team on Wednesday night. In doing so it perhaps staved off some of the concern that has been lingering around the team for the past week and, indeed, most of the season.

The headlines haven’t been great. “Despite some big losses…” one began. Another ended “… search for answers.” Another: “… must start performing better.” Joel Quenneville isn’t “sweating short-term job security” but the team is “still searching for consistency.”

And these are problems you hear about a lot, and have for more than just this season. When teams people think were going to be elite — and one struggles to understand why anyone thought this team would be elite — muddle through most of the first half of the season, the talk about them gets buzzword-y in a hurry.

With that said, Chicago still has a lot going for it, in theory. There’s high-end (albeit aging) talent at every position. There’s a guy who’s probably the best coach in the world. There’s a great process undergirding their performance, as the team is second in corsi-for (though only 16th in expected goals-for).

As far as players are concerned, they’ve been banged up this season, and thinned out over the last few summers, and it’s now gotten to an extent where maybe you say the stars, pushing or clearing 30 as they pretty much all have, just aren’t good enough to paint over the problems that come with so much success and a few deeply inadvisable contracts.

You hear a lot these days about how Chicago’s problems are about the “details.” Which is to say that the CF% and xGF% numbers probably tell plenty of the story here: They’re crushing in the former (53.1 percent) and struggling in the latter (50.8 percent) because they’re controlling a lot of shots but can’t keep opponents away from their net.

While the Blackhawks’ ability to generate high-quality chances is still quite strong — they’re sixth in the league in high-danger chances per 60 — the roster problems surrounding that D corps seem to finally be catching up with them, because only three teams in the league give up more high-danger chances per hour than they do. Almost every regular on the team struggles here, and people by and large don’t want to accept that this is perhaps the biggest indicator that Stan Bowman’s team faces a talent problem.

How many guys on ELCs can this team reasonably plug-and-play into the roster and expect to get 95-points-or-better hockey? Because right now they have eight, and that seems to me to be too many. I don’t care how good those young guys are (and many of them are indeed pretty good). You need useful, middle-value vets in this league. We know why Chicago can’t have them, obviously, but the problems that present as a result of these issues are, to many, not particularly explicable.

The “details” issues coaches and even fastidious observers complain about, like “puck management,” may often show up when things are going wrong. But how much is any given issue in any given game here a “puck management” problem, and how much is it a “thinning talent” problem? Because if it seems like Chicago is suddenly making mistakes up and down the lineup that it wasn’t making before, can we not draw a fairly straight line between the increase in “details” problems and the decrease in above-average NHL talent?

These are, ahem, crimes for which Quenneville will seemingly inevitably have to pay with his job. People, fans mostly, have been saying Quenneville “lost the room” at some point, and that’s led to the on-ice results this season. But what was Quenneville to do here? What amount of entreating words, or tweaked systems, would make Alex DeBrincat suddenly play like Artemi Panarin, or turn Vinny Hinostroza into a young, cap-friendly Marian Hossa? Wishing doesn’t make it so, and neither does trading Niklas Hjalmarsson for Connor Murphy.

The sins here, such as they are, spring from well-intentioned but doomed efforts to steer this franchise through perilous waters filled with overvaluation of extant players and incremental increases of the cap ceiling not commensurate with those in earlier years that allowed Bowman to shed some players but remain competitive.

Jonathan Toews, too, says he’s feeling the pressure that comes with his personal underperformance, and the resulting struggles felt by the entire team. Like Quenneville, this isn’t really his fault entirely but when you’re routinely put on Best Captains Ever lists because of team performance (for which you can claim varying degrees of credit depending upon your intellectual honesty) and getting $10.5 million against the cap, the pressure will be visited upon you. Fair or unfair, this is what you signed up for.

Another thing that probably isn’t Toews’s fault but is still going to be a problem is the fact that he’s pushing 30, well out of his prime by now, and likely to only get worse. Time comes for us all but there are still plenty of years left on his deal and Kane’s and Seabrook’s and Keith’s and Anisimov’s and Saad’s and even Murphy’s. Most of those guys are out of their prime production years already and rapidly approaching the point at which they are not only no longer productive, but actively counterproductive. And yet they linger. And they’ll do so regardless of just about any trade the team can make. Regardless of who gets fired or hired behind the bench. Regardless of larger shakeups.

The thing is, despite all these concerns, Chicago is still very much in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. They finished that Rangers game two points out of the last wild-card slot with as many games in hand, but that is likely to be their only window for playoff entry. Finishing top-three in the division, seven points away and with two other division rivals separating them, is likely lost unless this team goes on some kind of run.

The Blackhawks are currently on a 92- or 93-point pace, which puts them right on that playoff borderline. It looks like you’ll probably need 93 or 94 to make the playoffs in the West this season, so they need to pick it up a little, but not too much.

Can they? Sure. Can they without adding someone to help them push for the playoffs, and give up futures in the process? Less likely, but also “sure.”

Of course, making the playoffs is and should be viewed as a hollow goal for this team, because it’s hard to see the point. Lose in the first round again, maybe get really lucky with the draw and squeak into the second. That, you figure, would be enough to get some people fired, but there’s no big change to the roster coming. There cannot be.

So one imagines the team will be working on “details” and “consistency” for some time to come. One further imagines they will not find it.

— Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

[yes-dal456]

11 Signs That You Lack Emotional Intelligence

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70 percent of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into the broadly held assumption that IQ was the sole source of success.

Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90 percent of top performers have high emotional intelligence.

“No doubt emotional intelligence is more rare than book smarts, but my experience says it is actually more important in the making of a leader. You just can’t ignore it.” – Jack Welch

Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results.

Despite the significance of EQ, its intangible nature makes it very difficult to know how much you have and what you can do to improve if you’re lacking. You can always take a scientifically validated test, such as the one that comes with the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 book.

Unfortunately, quality (scientifically valid) EQ tests aren’t free. So, I’ve analyzed the data from the million-plus people TalentSmart has tested in order to identify the behaviors that are the hallmarks of a low EQ. These are the behaviors that you want to eliminate from your repertoire.

1. You get stressed easily.

When you stuff your feelings, they quickly build into the uncomfortable sensations of tension, stress, and anxiety. Unaddressed emotions strain the mind and body. Your emotional intelligence skills help make stress more manageable by enabling you to spot and tackle tough situations before things escalate.

People who fail to use their emotional intelligence skills are more likely to turn to other, less effective means of managing their mood. They are twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and even thoughts of suicide.

2. You have difficulty asserting yourself.

People with high EQs balance good manners, empathy, and kindness with the ability to assert themselves and establish boundaries. This tactful combination is ideal for handling conflict. When most people are crossed, they default to passive or aggressive behavior. Emotionally intelligent people remain balanced and assertive by steering themselves away from unfiltered emotional reactions. This enables them to neutralize difficult and toxic people without creating enemies.

3. You have a limited emotional vocabulary.

All people experience emotions, but it is a select few who can accurately identify them as they occur. Our research shows that only 36 percent of people can do this, which is problematic because unlabeled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions. People with high EQs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so. While many people might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “downtrodden,” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it, and what you should do about it.

4. You make assumptions quickly and defend them vehemently.

People who lack EQ form an opinion quickly and then succumb to confirmation bias, meaning they gather evidence that supports their opinion and ignore any evidence to the contrary. More often than not, they argue, ad nauseam, to support it. This is especially dangerous for leaders, as their under-thought-out ideas become the entire team’s strategy. Emotionally intelligent people let their thoughts marinate, because they know that initial reactions are driven by emotions. They give their thoughts time to develop and consider the possible consequences and counter-arguments. Then, they communicate their developed idea in the most effective way possible, taking into account the needs and opinions of their audience.

5. You hold grudges.

The negative emotions that come with holding on to a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When a threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when a threat is ancient history, holding on to that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time. In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding on to stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding on to a grudge means you’re holding on to stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health.

6. You don’t let go of mistakes.

Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but they do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down.

7. You often feel misunderstood.

When you lack emotional intelligence, it’s hard to understand how you come across to others. You feel misunderstood because you don’t deliver your message in a way that people can understand. Even with practice, emotionally intelligent people know that they don’t communicate every idea perfectly. They catch on when people don’t understand what they are saying, adjust their approach, and re-communicate their idea in a way that can be understood.

8. You don’t know your triggers.

Everyone has triggers—situations and people that push their buttons and cause them to act impulsively. Emotionally intelligent people study their triggers and use this knowledge to sidestep situations and people before they get the best of them.

9. You don’t get angry.

Emotional intelligence is not about being nice; it’s about managing your emotions to achieve the best possible outcomes. Sometimes this means showing people that you’re upset, sad, or frustrated. Constantly masking your emotions with happiness and positivity isn’t genuine or productive. Emotionally intelligent people employ negative and positive emotions intentionally in the appropriate situations.

10. You blame other people for how they make you feel.

Emotions come from within. It’s tempting to attribute how you feel to the actions of others, but you must take responsibility for your emotions. No one can make you feel anything that you don’t want to. Thinking otherwise only holds you back.

11. You’re easily offended.

If you have a firm grasp of who you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which create a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation.

Bringing It All Together

Unlike your IQ, your EQ is highly malleable. As you train your brain by repeatedly practicing new emotionally intelligent behaviors, it builds the pathways needed to make them into habits. As your brain reinforces the use of these new behaviors, the connections supporting old, destructive behaviors die off. Before long, you begin responding to your surroundings with emotional intelligence without even having to think about it.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me. If you’d like to learn more about emotional intelligence, my book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a great place to start.

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[imreviewblog]

11 Signs That You Lack Emotional Intelligence

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70 percent of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into the broadly held assumption that IQ was the sole source of success.

Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90 percent of top performers have high emotional intelligence.

“No doubt emotional intelligence is more rare than book smarts, but my experience says it is actually more important in the making of a leader. You just can’t ignore it.” – Jack Welch

Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results.

Despite the significance of EQ, its intangible nature makes it very difficult to know how much you have and what you can do to improve if you’re lacking. You can always take a scientifically validated test, such as the one that comes with the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 book.

Unfortunately, quality (scientifically valid) EQ tests aren’t free. So, I’ve analyzed the data from the million-plus people TalentSmart has tested in order to identify the behaviors that are the hallmarks of a low EQ. These are the behaviors that you want to eliminate from your repertoire.

1. You get stressed easily.

When you stuff your feelings, they quickly build into the uncomfortable sensations of tension, stress, and anxiety. Unaddressed emotions strain the mind and body. Your emotional intelligence skills help make stress more manageable by enabling you to spot and tackle tough situations before things escalate.

People who fail to use their emotional intelligence skills are more likely to turn to other, less effective means of managing their mood. They are twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and even thoughts of suicide.

2. You have difficulty asserting yourself.

People with high EQs balance good manners, empathy, and kindness with the ability to assert themselves and establish boundaries. This tactful combination is ideal for handling conflict. When most people are crossed, they default to passive or aggressive behavior. Emotionally intelligent people remain balanced and assertive by steering themselves away from unfiltered emotional reactions. This enables them to neutralize difficult and toxic people without creating enemies.

3. You have a limited emotional vocabulary.

All people experience emotions, but it is a select few who can accurately identify them as they occur. Our research shows that only 36 percent of people can do this, which is problematic because unlabeled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions. People with high EQs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so. While many people might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “downtrodden,” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it, and what you should do about it.

4. You make assumptions quickly and defend them vehemently.

People who lack EQ form an opinion quickly and then succumb to confirmation bias, meaning they gather evidence that supports their opinion and ignore any evidence to the contrary. More often than not, they argue, ad nauseam, to support it. This is especially dangerous for leaders, as their under-thought-out ideas become the entire team’s strategy. Emotionally intelligent people let their thoughts marinate, because they know that initial reactions are driven by emotions. They give their thoughts time to develop and consider the possible consequences and counter-arguments. Then, they communicate their developed idea in the most effective way possible, taking into account the needs and opinions of their audience.

5. You hold grudges.

The negative emotions that come with holding on to a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When a threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when a threat is ancient history, holding on to that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time. In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding on to stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding on to a grudge means you’re holding on to stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health.

6. You don’t let go of mistakes.

Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but they do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down.

7. You often feel misunderstood.

When you lack emotional intelligence, it’s hard to understand how you come across to others. You feel misunderstood because you don’t deliver your message in a way that people can understand. Even with practice, emotionally intelligent people know that they don’t communicate every idea perfectly. They catch on when people don’t understand what they are saying, adjust their approach, and re-communicate their idea in a way that can be understood.

8. You don’t know your triggers.

Everyone has triggers—situations and people that push their buttons and cause them to act impulsively. Emotionally intelligent people study their triggers and use this knowledge to sidestep situations and people before they get the best of them.

9. You don’t get angry.

Emotional intelligence is not about being nice; it’s about managing your emotions to achieve the best possible outcomes. Sometimes this means showing people that you’re upset, sad, or frustrated. Constantly masking your emotions with happiness and positivity isn’t genuine or productive. Emotionally intelligent people employ negative and positive emotions intentionally in the appropriate situations.

10. You blame other people for how they make you feel.

Emotions come from within. It’s tempting to attribute how you feel to the actions of others, but you must take responsibility for your emotions. No one can make you feel anything that you don’t want to. Thinking otherwise only holds you back.

11. You’re easily offended.

If you have a firm grasp of who you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which create a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation.

Bringing It All Together

Unlike your IQ, your EQ is highly malleable. As you train your brain by repeatedly practicing new emotionally intelligent behaviors, it builds the pathways needed to make them into habits. As your brain reinforces the use of these new behaviors, the connections supporting old, destructive behaviors die off. Before long, you begin responding to your surroundings with emotional intelligence without even having to think about it.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me. If you’d like to learn more about emotional intelligence, my book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 is a great place to start.

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from Healthy Living - The Huffington Post http://huff.to/2mfIE2f

[jamiegodwin]

11 Signs That You Lack Emotional Intelligence

This was such a good read that I needed to share. This is why the Just Being Emotional Intelligence course is so valuable. You can follow the original article here.

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70 percent of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into the broadly held assumption that IQ was the sole source of success.

Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90 percent of top performers have high emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results.

Despite the significance of EQ, its intangible nature makes it very difficult to know how much you have and what you can do to improve if you’re lacking. You can always take a scientifically validated test, such as the one that comes with the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 book.

Unfortunately, quality (scientifically valid) EQ tests aren’t free. So, I’ve analyzed the data from the million-plus people TalentSmart has tested in order to identify the behaviors that are the hallmarks of a low EQ. These are the behaviors that you want to eliminate from your repertoire.

1. You get stressed easily. When you stuff your feelings, they quickly build into the uncomfortable sensations of tension, stress and anxiety. Unaddressed emotions strain the mind and body. Your emotional intelligence skills help make stress more manageable by enabling you to spot and tackle tough situations before things escalate.

People who fail to use their emotional intelligence skills are more likely to turn to other, less effective means of managing their mood. They are twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse and even thoughts of suicide.

2. You have difficulty asserting yourself. People with high EQs balance good manners, empathy and kindness with the ability to assert themselves and establish boundaries. This tactful combination is ideal for handling conflict. When most people are crossed, they default to passive or aggressive behavior. Emotionally intelligent people remain balanced and assertive by steering themselves away from unfiltered emotional reactions. This enables them to neutralize difficult and toxic people without creating enemies.

3. You have a limited emotional vocabulary. All people experience emotions, but it is a select few who can accurately identify them as they occur. Our research shows that only 36 percent of people can do this, which is problematic because unlabeled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions. People with high EQs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so. While many people might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “downtrodden” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it and what you should do about it.

4. You make assumptions quickly and defend them vehemently. People who lack EQ form an opinion quickly and then succumb to confirmation bias, meaning they gather evidence that supports their opinion and ignore any evidence to the contrary. More often than not, they argue, ad nauseam, to support it. This is especially dangerous for leaders, as their under-thought-out ideas become the entire team’s strategy. Emotionally intelligent people let their thoughts marinate, because they know that initial reactions are driven by emotions. They give their thoughts time to develop and consider the possible consequences and counter-arguments. Then, they communicate their developed idea in the most effective way possible, taking into account the needs and opinions of their audience.

5. You hold grudges. The negative emotions that come with holding on to a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When a threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when a threat is ancient history, holding on to that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time. In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding on to stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding on to a grudge means you’re holding on to stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health.

6. You don’t let go of mistakes. Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but they do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down.

7. You often feel misunderstood. When you lack emotional intelligence, it’s hard to understand how you come across to others. You feel misunderstood because you don’t deliver your message in a way that people can understand. Even with practice, emotionally intelligent people know that they don’t communicate every idea perfectly. They catch on when people don’t understand what they are saying, adjust their approach and re-communicate their idea in a way that can be understood.

8. You don’t know your triggers. Everyone has triggers — situations and people that push their buttons and cause them to act impulsively. Emotionally intelligent people study their triggers and use this knowledge to sidestep situations and people before they get the best of them.

9. You don’t get angry. Emotional intelligence is not about being nice; it’s about managing your emotions to achieve the best possible outcomes. Sometimes this means showing people that you’re upset, sad or frustrated. Constantly masking your emotions with happiness and positivity isn’t genuine or productive. Emotionally intelligent people employ negative and positive emotions intentionally in the appropriate situations.

10. You blame other people for how they make you feel. Emotions come from within. It’s tempting to attribute how you feel to the actions of others, but you must take responsibility for your emotions. No one can make you feel anything that you don’t want to. Thinking otherwise only holds you back.

11. You’re easily offended. If you have a firm grasp of who you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which create a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation.

Bringing It All Together Unlike your IQ, your EQ is highly malleable. As you train your brain by repeatedly practicing new emotionally intelligent behaviors, it builds the pathways needed to make them into habits. As your brain reinforces the use of these new behaviors, the connections supporting old, destructive behaviors die off. Before long, you begin responding to your surroundings with emotional intelligence without even having to think about it.

We offer Emotional Intelligence Training Courses.

The post 11 Signs That You Lack Emotional Intelligence appeared first on Just Being.

from Just Being http://bit.ly/2jTcvLL

[dreamingaboutcountingstars]

When emotional intelligence (EQ) first appeared to the masses, it served as the missing link in a peculiar finding: people with average IQs outperform those with the highest IQs 70 percent of the time. This anomaly threw a massive wrench into the broadly held assumption that IQ was the sole source of success. Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90 percent of top performers have high emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the “something” in each of us that is a bit intangible. It affects how we manage behavior, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results. Despite the significance of EQ, its intangible nature makes it difficult to measure and to know what to do to improve it if you’re lacking. You can always take a scientifically validated test, such as the one that comes with the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 book, but unfortunately, most such tests aren’t free. So, I’ve analyzed the data from the million-plus people TalentSmart has tested in order to identify the behaviors that are the hallmarks of a high EQ. What follows are sure signs that you have a high EQ. 1. You have a robust emotional vocabulary All people experience emotions, but it is a select few who can accurately identify them as they occur. Our research shows that only 36 percent of people can do this, which is problematic because unlabeled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions. People with high EQs master their emotions because they understand them, and they use an extensive vocabulary of feelings to do so. While many people might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “downtrodden,” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it, and what you should do about it. 2. You’re curious about people It doesn’t matter if they’re introverted or extroverted, emotionally intelligent people are curious about everyone around them. This curiosity is the product of empathy, one of the most significant gateways to a high EQ. The more you care about other people and what they’re going through, the more curiosity you’re going to have about them. 3. You embrace change Emotionally intelligent people are flexible and are constantly adapting. They know that fear of change is paralyzing and a major threat to their success and happiness. They look for change that is lurking just around the corner, and they form a plan of action should these changes occur. 4. You know your strengths and weaknesses Emotionally intelligent people don’t just understand emotions; they know what they’re good at and what they’re terrible at. They also know who pushes their buttons and the environments (both situations and people) that enable them to succeed. Having a high EQ means you know your strengths and how to lean into and use them to your full advantage while keeping your weaknesses from holding you back. 5. You’re a good judge of character Much of emotional intelligence comes down to social awareness; the ability to read other people, know what they’re about, and understand what they’re going through. Over time, this skill makes you an exceptional judge of character. People are no mystery to you. You know what they’re all about and understand their motivations, even those that lie hidden beneath the surface. 6. You are difficult to offend If you have a firm grasp of who you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which creates a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation. 7. You know how to say no (to yourself and others) Emotional intelligence means knowing how to exert self-control. You delay gratification and avoid impulsive action. Research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Saying no is a major self-control challenge for many people, but “No” is a powerful word that you should unafraid to wield. When it’s time to say no, emotionally intelligent people avoid phrases such as “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. 8. You let go of mistakes Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down. 9. You give and expect nothing in return When someone gives you something spontaneously, without expecting anything in return, this leaves a powerful impression. For example, you might have an interesting conversation with someone about a book, and when you see them again a month later, you show up with the book in hand. Emotionally intelligent people build strong relationships because they are constantly thinking about others. 10. You don’t hold grudges The negative emotions that come with holding onto a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When the threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when the threat is ancient history, holding onto that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time. In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding onto stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding onto a grudge means you’re holding onto stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health. Inc.com: Why You Should Hire for Emotional Intelligence 11. You neutralize toxic people Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. But high-EQ individuals control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their own emotions and don’t allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult person’s standpoint and are able to find solutions and common ground. Even when things completely derail, emotionally intelligent people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down. 12. You don’t seek perfection Emotionally intelligent people won’t set perfection as their target because they know that it doesn’t exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a nagging sense of failure that makes you want to give up or reduce your effort. You end up spending time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and should have done differently instead of moving forward, excited about what you’ve achieved and what you will accomplish in the future. 13. You appreciate what you have Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do; it also improves your mood by reducing the stress hormone cortisol (in some cases by 23 percent). Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who work daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experience improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. It’s likely that lower levels of cortisol play a major role in this. 14. You disconnect Taking regular time off the grid is a sign of a high EQ because it helps you to keep your stress under control and to live in the moment. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even–gulp!–turning off your phone gives your body and mind a break. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels. Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email with the power to bring your thinking (read: stressing) back to work can drop onto your phone at any moment. 15. You limit your caffeine intake Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which is the primary source of a fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response to ensure survival. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. Caffeine’s long half-life ensures you stay this way as it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body. High-EQ individuals know that caffeine is trouble, and they don’t let it get the better of them. Inc.com: 5 Aspects of Emotional Intelligence Required for Effective Leadership 16. You get enough sleep It’s difficult to overstate the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams) so that you wake up alert and clearheaded. High-EQ individuals know that their self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when they don’t get enough–or the right kind–of sleep. So, they make sleep a top priority. 17. You stop negative self-talk in its tracks The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that–thoughts, not facts. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural tendency to perceive threats (inflating the frequency or severity of an event). Emotionally intelligent people separate their thoughts from the facts in order to escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive, new outlook. 18. You won’t let anyone limit your joy When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from the opinions of other people, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When emotionally intelligent people feel good about something they’ve done, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or snide remarks take that away from them. While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. This article originally appeared on Inc.comG 6. You are difficult to offend If you have a firm grasp of who you are, it’s difficult for someone to say or do something that gets your goat. Emotionally intelligent people are self-confident and open-minded, which creates a pretty thick skin. You may even poke fun at yourself or let other people make jokes about you because you are able to mentally draw the line between humor and degradation. 7. You know how to say no (to yourself and others) Emotional intelligence means knowing how to exert self-control. You delay gratification and avoid impulsive action. Research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Saying no is a major self-control challenge for many people, but “No” is a powerful word that you should unafraid to wield. When it’s time to say no, emotionally intelligent people avoid phrases such as “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. 8. You let go of mistakes Emotionally intelligent people distance themselves from their mistakes, but do so without forgetting them. By keeping their mistakes at a safe distance, yet still handy enough to refer to, they are able to adapt and adjust for future success. It takes refined self-awareness to walk this tightrope between dwelling and remembering. Dwelling too long on your mistakes makes you anxious and gun shy, while forgetting about them completely makes you bound to repeat them. The key to balance lies in your ability to transform failures into nuggets of improvement. This creates the tendency to get right back up every time you fall down. 9. You give and expect nothing in return When someone gives you something spontaneously, without expecting anything in return, this leaves a powerful impression. For example, you might have an interesting conversation with someone about a book, and when you see them again a month later, you show up with the book in hand. Emotionally intelligent people build strong relationships because they are constantly thinking about others. 10. You don’t hold grudges The negative emotions that come with holding onto a grudge are actually a stress response. Just thinking about the event sends your body into fight-or-flight mode, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. When the threat is imminent, this reaction is essential to your survival, but when the threat is ancient history, holding onto that stress wreaks havoc on your body and can have devastating health consequences over time. In fact, researchers at Emory University have shown that holding onto stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease. Holding onto a grudge means you’re holding onto stress, and emotionally intelligent people know to avoid this at all costs. Letting go of a grudge not only makes you feel better now but can also improve your health. 11. You neutralize toxic people Dealing with difficult people is frustrating and exhausting for most. But high-EQ individuals control their interactions with toxic people by keeping their feelings in check. When they need to confront a toxic person, they approach the situation rationally. They identify their own emotions and don’t allow anger or frustration to fuel the chaos. They also consider the difficult person’s standpoint and are able to find solutions and common ground. Even when things completely derail, emotionally intelligent people are able to take the toxic person with a grain of salt to avoid letting him or her bring them down. 12. You don’t seek perfection Emotionally intelligent people won’t set perfection as their target because they know that it doesn’t exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a nagging sense of failure that makes you want to give up or reduce your effort. You end up spending time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and should have done differently instead of moving forward, excited about what you’ve achieved and what you will accomplish in the future. 13. You appreciate what you have Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the right thing to do; it also improves your mood by reducing the stress hormone cortisol (in some cases by 23 percent). Research conducted at the University of California, Davis, found that people who work daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experience improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. It’s likely that lower levels of cortisol play a major role in this. 14. You disconnect Taking regular time off the grid is a sign of a high EQ because it helps you to keep your stress under control and to live in the moment. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even–gulp!–turning off your phone gives your body and mind a break. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels. Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email with the power to bring your thinking (read: stressing) back to work can drop onto your phone at any moment. 15. You limit your caffeine intake Drinking excessive amounts of caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline, which is the primary source of a fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response to ensure survival. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. Caffeine’s long half-life ensures you stay this way as it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body. High-EQ individuals know that caffeine is trouble, and they don’t let it get the better of them. 16. You get enough sleep It’s difficult to overstate the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams) so that you wake up alert and clearheaded. High-EQ individuals know that their self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when they don’t get enough–or the right kind–of sleep. So, they make sleep a top priority. 17. You stop negative self-talk in its tracks The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that–thoughts, not facts. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural tendency to perceive threats (inflating the frequency or severity of an event). Emotionally intelligent people separate their thoughts from the facts in order to escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive, new outlook. 18. You won’t let anyone limit your joy When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from the opinions of other people, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When emotionally intelligent people feel good about something they’ve done, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or snide remarks take that away from them. While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within.