No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism

by Chris Niebauer

Most intelligence tests measure verbal ability and reasoning, so if your vocabulary is extensive, you will be at the top of the traditional IQ food chain. Of course, you could lack social intelligence, empathy, and even self-awareness, but these are largely unmeasured on such tests in a left-brain-dominated culture. You may even know someone who seems “so smart you can't have a normal conversation with them,” which speaks to the way we currently measure intelligence. Fortunately, this all began to change in the mid-1990s when Daniel Goleman popularized the idea of emotional intelligence or EQ (emotional quotient) in his book of the same name.9 EQ is defined as one's ability to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions, as well as recognizing and understanding the emotions of others. In Goleman's more recent book, he looked at EQ and the brain and views EQ as consisting of four parts or elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.10 He also references four areas of the brain deeply involved