Reviews
3.5 stars. I can see why it was an important book, although it was hard to get through. With the number of books on EQ available now I imagine there are better options. Actually, I would venture that we’re now approaching a new iteration of this in the form of mindfulness (self-awareness), particularly as a component of meditation practice. So this might be the book that started it all, but I don’t find it a must-read. I feel that the science and psychology, at least among the genres I read, is mostly common knowledge at this point.
Like Focusing , this presents itself exactly as empty self-help blah books do, despite having a modicum of real research behind it. (It doesn’t help that the sequel is a dialogue with the Dalai Lama - who, though an important world figure, isn’t exactly an authority on contemporary cognitive science.) The core claim would be important if true: “IQ, abstract fluid intelligence, is fully separable from EQ, the rapid and humane understanding of social situations, emotional networks, and intentionality.” But it isn't.
This marks the last book of the best ideas in Emotional Intelligence as curated by Harvard Business Review. The collection was a good reminder to anything that we associate with "soft skills" although it went beyond it to explain management and organizations tools that draw there strength or are weakened by "emotions".... At the end of the day, moderation is key in either relying on it for you management style or not....
“All feelings are okay to have, but some reactions are okay and others are not.” Very helpful and informative. More people should read this.
I’m strangely fascinated by the content produced by Daniel Goleman. The book tackles emotions. Things we know. Things we feel. Things we experience daily. Yet, all sensations we were never thought about how to cope with. I mean, who ever thought you about how to act when you’re angry? Or sad? Sure, probably you were asked not to hit back and to calm down when things are falling apart. But how are these vague guides helping you feel better? Holding still when someone is angry on the other end is usually an act of courtesy. But the growing emotion that is making you want to hurt others is not something you’re taught how to properly handle. Well, the author throws a ton of research papers and situations to help us understand our emotions better. And, most importantly, teach us how to act when things seem depressing and unfixable. It’s surely a book you would want to read. A book that will teach you empathy. A book that will help you decipher your wrecking behavior and find alternatives ways to act. Key takeway: It’s OK to feel sad. Depressed. Angry. Anxious. All these things are normal. We need these feelings to handle the situations we experience daily. The better you become at spotting your feelings, and why they arise in you, the better you will become at dealing with them. Full review: https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/...
pochi consigli pratici, molte ricerche sui bambini
Highlights
The connections between the amygdala (and related limbic structures) and the neocortex are the hub of the battles or cooperative treaties struck between head and heart, thought and feeling. This circuitry explains why emotion is so crucial to effective thought, both in making wise decisions and in simply allowing us to think clearly.
In the brain's architecture, the amygdala is poised something like an alarm company where operators stand ready to send out emergency calls to the fire department, police, and a neighbor whenever a home security system signals trouble.
When it sounds an alarm of, say, fear, it sends urgent messages to every major part of the brain: it triggers the secretion of the body's fight-or-flight hormones, mobilizes the centers for movement, and activates the cardio-vascular system, the muscles, and the gut. Other circuits from the amygdala signal the secretion of emergency dollops of the hormone norepinephrine to heighten the reactivity of key brain areas, including those that make the senses more alert, in effect setting the brain on edge. Additional signals from the amygdala tell the brainstem to fix the face in a fearful expression, freeze unrelated movements the muscles had underway, speed heart rate and raise blood pressure, slow breathing. Others rivet attention on the source of the fear, and prepare the muscles to react accordingly.
Simultaneously, cortical memory systems are shuffled to retrieve any knowledge relevant to the emergency at hand, taking precedence over other strands of thought.
Life is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel.
— HORACE WALPOLE