Emotional intelligence is the capacity to perceive, understand, manage, and use emotions effectively. It includes both the processing of one’s own feelings and the accurate reading of emotions in others.

The concept gained wide attention through the work of psychologists such as Peter Salovey, John Mayer, and Daniel Goleman. Core components typically include emotional perception, the ability to use emotion to facilitate thinking, the understanding of emotional language and progressions, and the regulation of emotion in oneself and in relationships. People high in emotional intelligence tend to navigate social situations more smoothly, recover from setbacks more readily, and maintain more satisfying relationships.

Measurement remains debated. Self-report questionnaires capture beliefs about one’s abilities; performance-based tests ask respondents to identify emotions in faces or scenarios. Both approaches have shown links to real-world outcomes, though the strength of those links varies. Training programs aim to improve specific skills such as recognizing micro-expressions or practicing cognitive reappraisal.

Emotional intelligence does not replace cognitive ability. It complements it by handling the affective information that pure intellect often mishandles.