Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why physicians should care about emotional intelligence

Tomi Mitchell, MD
Physician
June 4, 2021
75 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Most of us have heard the phrase “success is about who you know,” and that couldn’t be more true. The people we surround ourselves with are a direct reflection of our life and success. One thing that affects this is emotional intelligence, or EQ for short. It’s not just about how smart you are; it also has to do with your ability to understand and manage your own emotions and influence others. So what exactly is emotional intelligence? Well, it can be defined in two ways — either high levels of EQ means someone has a high level of self-awareness coupled with an understanding of other people’s emotions, or it means someone has the skill set required to work on teams effectively. There are five key parts to emotional intelligence.

The first part of emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions and be aware of how those feelings might affect other people. Self-aware individuals are capable of monitoring their own moods and behaviors in a way that many others may not be able to do so easily; recognizing different emotional reactions or “emotions” from each situation they find themselves in; then accurately identifying which particular emotion it was (such anger or sadness). Becoming self-aware requires an individual who can maintain strong mental health by dealing with difficult experiences without becoming mentally drained.

The second part of emotional intelligence is self-regulation. Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of your own emotions and how you impact others and know when it’s best to express or manage those thoughts. Self-regulation means knowing what time and place are appropriate for different expression levels — not locking away all emotion like a caged animal. For example, if someone asks you about something personal in front of other people who may feel uncomfortable with that subject matter, then self-regulation would allow one such person to say, “I’d rather talk about this later.” That way, they can avoid creating any tension while still giving their true feedback at another time without offending anyone else.

Emotional intelligence is more than just understanding your own emotions and those of others. You need to put the information you have gained from this into daily interactions with people, encouraging them when they are down, or helping someone who needs a kind word. For example, if one person has been having a tough time lately because their spouse lost his job, then it would be important for other members of our emotional intelligence group that day not only to empathize with him but also give some ideas on how he can get through these tough times by talking about hobbies and finding different ways to make money at home so as not leave himself feeling defeated all the time.”

Empathy, or the ability to understand how others are feeling, is absolutely critical for emotional intelligence. And it requires more than just being able to recognize other people’s emotions; empathy also involves your responses based on what you sense they’re experiencing. For example: when someone is sad or hopeless about something — do you respond by treating them with extra care and concern? Or do you try making an effort at buoying their spirits? This way of understanding social dynamics allows us not only to understand power relationships between different groups (in a workplace setting!), but empathizing can help keep our own feelings in check too!

Emotional intelligence is an important skill that some people have naturally. Those emotionally intelligent are motivated not by external rewards like fame, money, recognition, or acclaim but by their inner needs and goals. Emotionally intelligent individuals tend to be action-oriented because they set high goals for themselves and always look for new ways of doing things better to achieve these targets more easily. On the other hand, those with a lack of emotional intelligence may never get started on something without being convinced externally as a recognized reward will motivate them when they need success.

So, now that you have a great understanding of emotional intelligence and mental health, what are you going to do? Strengthening your IQ will help strengthen your mental wellness. As I said in my previous articles/blog posts, strengthening our IQ doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be mentally healthy as well — there are many factors involved with it like job satisfaction or chronic stressors, so the solution is taking an integrative approach that takes into account all these different things.

Tomi Mitchell is a family physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

The other side of the knife

June 4, 2021 Kevin 0
…
Next

Lessons from COVID-19 about the obesity epidemic

June 4, 2021 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The other side of the knife
Next Post >
Lessons from COVID-19 about the obesity epidemic

More by Tomi Mitchell, MD

  • Powerful strategies to overcome burnout and reignite passion in your medical career

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • Breaking the silence on mental health: Why understanding past traumas is key

    Tomi Mitchell, MD

Related Posts

  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Emotional support animals for health care providers

    Brittany Ladson
  • Why social media may be causing real emotional harm

    Edwin Leap, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Why physicians should care about structural racism

    Akshay Pendyal, MD
  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD

More in Physician

  • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

    Anonymous
  • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

    Veronica Bonales, MD
  • A mentor’s legacy in medicine, leadership, and embracing evidence-based care

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

    Raya E. Kheirbek, MD
  • From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients

    Johnathan Yao, MD, MPH
  • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

    Jennifer Lycette, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • We need a new Hippocratic Oath that puts patient autonomy first

      Jeffrey A. Singer, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Unlock financial freedom: The physician’s guide to lucrative multifamily syndications and wealth accumulation

      Pranay Parikh, MD | Finance
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

      Veronica Bonales, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking resilience: a powerful journey from trauma to transformation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Infant RSV Vax Heads to FDA for Review
  • Is Getting Test Results Online Right Away a Good Idea? Yes, Patients Say
  • Residency Application System Cuts Section on Hobbies and Interests
  • Workplace Harassment, Cyber Incivility High for Minority Groups in Academic Medicine
  • Superior Cognition in the Oldest-Old; Novel MS Pathway; What Links Amyloid and Tau?

Meeting Coverage

  • Phase II Study: Bispecific Oral Drug Tops Leading JAK Inhibitor for RA
  • Closing the Diversity Gaps in Urologic Oncology Leadership
  • Certain NSCLC Patients May Be Able to Stop Immunotherapy at 2 Years
  • No Survival Benefit With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Rechallenge in Metastatic RCC
  • Happy Sleep, Happy Couple?
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Boxing legends Tyson and Foreman: powerful lessons for a resilient and evolving health care future

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Physician
    • We need a new Hippocratic Oath that puts patient autonomy first

      Jeffrey A. Singer, MD | Physician
    • Is chaos in health care leading us towards socialized medicine? How physician burnout is a catalyst.

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
    • A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

      Jennifer Lycette, MD | Physician
    • Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • The rising threat of lung cancer in Asian American female nonsmokers

      Alice S. Y. Lee, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • It’s time to replace the 0 to 10 pain intensity scale with a better measure

      Mark Sullivan, MD and Jane Ballantyne, MD | Conditions
    • “Is your surgeon really skilled? The hidden threat to public safety in medicine.

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
    • Unveiling the hidden damage: the secretive world of medical boards

      Alan Lindemann, MD | Physician
    • Breaking the cycle of racism in health care: a call for anti-racist action

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Policy
    • Revolutionize your practice: the value-based care model that reduces physician burnout

      Chandravadan Patel, MD | Physician
    • An inspiring tribute to an exceptional radiologist who made a lasting impact

      Kim Downey, PT | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Unlock financial freedom: The physician’s guide to lucrative multifamily syndications and wealth accumulation

      Pranay Parikh, MD | Finance
    • From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Meds
    • From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

      Veronica Bonales, MD | Physician
    • Unlocking resilience: a powerful journey from trauma to transformation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...