The IQ vs EQ Issue
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
Pioneer Brain/Mind Researcher
© 2006 All Rights Reserved

You probably already know what IQ stands for – your intelligence quotient. This psychologist-developed measure of the ability to apply “rational” intellect has been used for many years as the yardstick by which one’s intelligence is measured.

But although you’ve likely heard the term “EQ,” you may be less familiar with this newer concept of intelligence. EQ, or emotional intelligence, is believed to be a measure of one’s ability to direct their emotional states is a positive way.

At the core of EQ is the ability to understand and express our emotions, and to recognize and relate in a positive manner to the emotional experiences and expressions of others. The person with a high EQ is likely to be more intuitive, and a good communicator and effective leader of both himself/herself and others.

Often when we feel frustrated, anxious and stressed we are caught up in an internal IQ vs. EQ conflict. Our rational intellectual brain is insisting that it knows exactly what we should do – but our emotional brain either does not agree, or is refusing to comply.

The highly rational “left brain” person may habitually put their IQ in charge, and simply run over the protests of their emotional mind. The more emotional “right brained” person, on the other hand, may just throw reason “to the wind” and follow the impulses of their emotions.

So how do you decide which of the two is correct?

It may come as a surprise to learn that you have control over such impulses. Closing off emotions may be fine for a solitary scientist working in a laboratory, or closing off the rational intellect may serve an impulsive artist in his studio – but living on such an edge does not empower one in “real life situations.”

Achieving goals and moving forward in life requires the ability to lead both ourselves and others into growth and change. You otherwise remain exactly who and where you are today.

One approach to creating a better balance is to allow your mind to cooperate – begin to gently assign emotional meaning to your rational concepts, and to make some rational interpretations of the meaning behind your emotions. This will assist your brain in establishing better communication and balance between your right and left brains (cerebral hemispheres). This will often challenge some old belief patterns. But that too is a healthy process – since our beliefs can sometimes entrap us in rigid anti-growth behavior patterns. Tools You Can Use!

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