Comparing the three domains, I found that for jobs of all kinds, emotional competencies were twice as prevalent among distinguishing competencies as were technical skills and purely cognitive abilities combined. In general the higher a position in an organization, the more EI mattered: for individuals in leadership positions, 85 percent of their competencies were in the EI domain.

While there I began to study the Asian religions as theories of mind.

I would say that IQ is the strongest predictor of which field you can get into and hold a job in, whether you can be an accountant, lawyer or nurse, for example.

The more socially intelligent you are, the happier and more robust and more enjoyable your relationships will be.

Smart phones and social media expand our universe. We can connect with others or collect information easier and faster than ever.

Fear, in evolution, has a special prominence: perhaps more than any other emotion it is crucial for survival.

A little girl who finds a puzzle frustrating might ask her busy mother (or teacher) for help. The child gets one message if her mother expresses clear pleasure at the request and quite another if mommy responds with a curt 'Don't bother me - I've got important work to do.'