Daniel Goleman: Powering the Circuits of Emotional Intelligence

A four-year-old’s mom told him he had to put on sunscreen before he went outside. At that, the kid threw a tantrum, absolutely refusing, melting in tears and shouts. That went on for a minute or two. Then he picked himself up and, still crying, went to his room. After a few minutes he came out calmly, had the sunscreen applied, and was about to go outside to play. At which point his puzzled mom said, “What just happened?” “Oh,” the four-year-old said, “My guard dog got upset. So I went into my room and had my wise owl talk to him.” The ‘guard dog’ is the name given the amygdala in that child’s preschool class. The ‘wise owl’ refers to the prefrontal cortex. This basic bit of neuroscience, plus methods to act on it, are a regular part of that preschooler’s learning – and have immediate implications for everyone in the world of work, from ground-level employee to highest level executive. We all take these crucial brain circuits with us to our job, and their smooth functions are essential for getting work done well. Anytime anyone at work has an amygdala hijack – when our ‘guard dog’ gets upset – whatever work we are doing suffers. A key part of emotional intelligence lies in managing this circuitry well. Upcoming Event: Connecting Emotional Intelligence and the Wisdom of Awareness Emotional intelligence powers the most effective managers and high-performing leaders. But what powers emotional intelligence? The prefrontal-amygdala circuits underlie the first part of emotional intelligence, self-awareness and self-management. Now the good news: there are mental workouts that boost the ability of the prefrontal cortex to manage the amygdala. The basic brain science behind these workouts comes down to neuroplasticity, the relatively new understanding that the more we used a mental skill, the stronger the circuitry for that skill becomes. When it comes to mental fitness, practicing the skill makes all the difference - just as with athletic prowess where regular aerobic and strength-building workouts are a must. As I review in my new book “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Transforms Mind, Brain and Body” (available for pre-order in print and audio), the regular practice of mindfulness strengthens the connectivity between the prefrontal area and the amygdala – and so provide a neural platform for self-awareness and self-management. Then, when it comes to the social skills effective teamwork and leadership demands – the second part of emotional intelligence, empathy and relationship management - the circuitry of the social brain offers the same kind of neural platform. And as research at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, shows, regular mental practice of positive thoughts toward other people actually grows the circuitry for caring and concern. This is the kind of empathy that people want in their co-workers and their boss—not to mention their spouse! The best news: all these neural circuits can be strengthened, with the right kind of mental workouts. Interested in learning more? I’ll be co-leading an in-person workshop on Connecting with Emotional Intelligence and the Wisdom of Awareness at Omega Institute in August.