According to a study by Talent Smart, emotional intelligence is the biggest predictor of workplace success. In the 1990s, psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer proposed that people with strong emotional intelligence abilities understood their emotions accurately and used the information to guide their decision making. These people with a higher EQ also possessed an above-average ability to read other people’s emotions and influence them. Unlike your IQ, which remains the same throughout your life, your EQ involves a more flexible set of skills that can be learned and improved with practice. There are dozens of books on emotional intelligence (EQ) that provide methods for improving your skills in this arena. By applying the advice of experts, you can improve your self-awareness, better manage your emotions, and improve your social skills.
The 15 Best Books on Emotional Intelligence
1. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman
Written by a Harvard Ph.D., this book guides you through the five skills necessary for emotional intelligence. The author draws upon the latest psychological and neuroscience research to describe the rational and emotional components of the human mind that influence your relationships and career. Real-life examples woven through the text bring the research to life in terms that will aid your understanding of human behavior.
2. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
As co-founders of an emotional intelligence testing company, the authors present a practical guide to the subject that provides clear guidance for improving your abilities. They designed their advice to give you an advantage in a competitive world. This title includes step-by-step advice for increasing your self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
3. Emotional Intelligence for a Compassionate World: Workbook for Enhancing Emotional Intelligence Skills by Barbara A. Kerr Ph.D.
This book combines information about emotional intelligence with workbook activities to help you master skills for improving personal resilience through self-compassion and compassion for others. The author shares the lessons and activities found in her online courses for businesses so that individuals can learn to manage strong emotions, build strong teams, and read emotional cues effectively.
4. EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence by Justin Bariso
Business media outlets routinely publish this author, who examines emotional intelligence by focusing on famous business leaders, like Steve Jobs. He enhances the material with the latest scientific research while teaching readers how to transform their emotions into assets instead of liabilities. Unlike many other titles, this book also explores EI’s potential for evil, and the author explains how to protect yourself from emotional manipulators.
5. Emotional Intelligence: For a Better Life, Success at Work, and Happier Relationships. Improve Your Social Skills, Emotional Agility and Discover Why it Can Matter More Than IQ by Brandon Goleman
The main purpose of this book is to clarify your understanding of emotional intelligence and identify how your emotional skills are impacting your life. The text explores topics like empathy and methods for increasing your EI for greater success at work and life in general. The author’s insights also teach ways to cope with the dreaded energy vampire.
6. Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Written by the founder of a highly successful investment firm, the book reveals the firm’s secrets to building strong teams within a meritocratic company culture. The author shares how the concepts of radical truth and radical transparency brought out the best in people at the firm. He also provides advice about effective decision making.
7. HBR Emotional Intelligence Boxed Set (6 Books) by Harvard Business Review, Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, Bill George, Herminia Ibarra
Take a deep dive into emotional intelligence with a box set packed with research. Taken together, these titles address EI from multiple angles, including how it supports goals like persuasion, happiness, well-being, and leadership. The combined wisdom of the authors offers the tools to advance your social skills and mindfulness.
8. Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David
The author is a well-known psychologist, who proposes that success in life depends on your skill at managing your own thoughts and feelings. She explains how to adapt to changing circumstances and achieve goals through strategic adjustments.
9. Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The author presents numerous case histories to build a powerful picture of how emotional intelligence trumps technical knowledge. He explores research revealing that business superstars possess more EI than their colleagues. The book goes on to advise business leaders about proven methods for creating an emotionally intelligent organization.
10. How to Heal and Connect with Yourself and Others through Emotional Intelligence and Healthy Boundaries: A Social Emotional Learning Approach Inspired … Emotional Intelligence, Healthy Boundaries by Lulu Baba
With so many emotional intelligence titles about business, this book takes a different approach. The author’s experience lies in health care, and his advice is applicable to children, teens, and adults. He offers insights about how EI can be used to heal, encourage acceptance of others, and foster positive communities.
11.Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Two psychologists wrote this book to help people who tend to take on other people’s problems. Many people want to avoid hurting people’s feelings, but they do so at the expense of their own well-being. The authors place a special emphasis on the art of saying no to people who you love without feeling guilty about setting realistic boundaries.
12. Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life by Kevin N. Lawrence
This book will inform you about the successful habits of people who have achieved ongoing success as documented by a globally recognized business coach. The content is specifically aimed at people who need to cultivate self-care skills and avoid burnout. The author’s experience provides you with a roadmap to becoming more resilient and overcoming more challenges.
13. Brain Makeover: A Weekly Guide to a Happier, Healthier and More Abundant Life 2nd ed. Edition by Phyllis Ginsberg
After 30 years as a marriage and family therapist, the author has many valuable insights to share about emotional intelligence. With the stated goal of rewiring your brain for happiness, the book describes how to understand the relationship between your thoughts and well-being and explains strategies for shifting stress into creativity.
14. Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath
Many books explore how emotional intelligence can solve problems, but this book takes a step back and looks at how to prevent problems. The author offers guidance for switching from a reactive existence to a proactive existence. The content reveals how others have produced enormous results by changing their perspectives.
15. Emotional Intelligence Bible: 7 Books in 1 Bundle: Reading People Self Confidence Workbook Master your Emotions Take Back your Mornings Dark Psychology Secrets Stop Negative Thinking Anger Management by Ged Davis
This bundle of self-help guides will give you the information to harness your emotions for positive growth instead of letting them negatively impact your life. The author provides many tips and strategies to address problems like fear of social situations and coping with difficult people. The information could empower you to neutralize manipulators. Did you find an EQ book for your needs? 21 Of The Best Self-Love Books For 2020 17 Of The Best Self-Help Books For Women 33 Of The Best Books On Self-Confidence We hope you found an emotional intelligence book that resonates with you. Reading one of these books is the first step toward learning life-changing skills that will upgrade your career and relationships. Greater awareness of your emotional environment rewards you with the mental resilience to manage difficult situations effectively. As your understanding of emotions deepens, you gain a greater capacity to succeed under pressure, cope with change, overcome failure, and deal with stressful relationships. So much in life begins as an emotional response. By educating yourself about emotional intelligence, you’ll gain priceless insights about yourself and others. Start your transformation today and read a book about emotional intelligence.
