is it possible to "learn" emotional intelligence?

I don't think so, as it also says on the Uncommon Knowledge articleEmotional Intelligence at Work:
Good emotional intelligence training teaches skills to identify and manage emotion appropriately.

Certainly EQ levels seem to differ naturally. It seems women have higher levesl generallythan men. But EQ like IQ can be increased through conscious efforts.

As a man I feel I have good levels of EQ but am still surpirsed sometimes that I have missed something in anothers' emotional response.

Mark

Absolutely. You can learn emotional intelligence even from the book itself. I learned so much from the book and have applied it to myself immediately and effectively. As far as I remember, I was able to contol all my negative emotions and use them for my benefit after reading the book.

If the book still didn't help, then you can apply for a course on the same subject.

Sure - this stuff can be learned and mastered. Just like anything.

The book is a good start but is just one of the many excellent resources available. What is important though in my opinion is practicing regularly. The mind and body needs to be conditioned to this sort of thing IMO.

Put it this way - you can hardly say you have any concept of EQ as a baby so yes it can be learned and improved upon with effort. The key to rapid learning is to have an open mind and be extremely honest with yourself. I think acceptance of change and 'giving up of your old self' and your less mature way of thinking is crucial in this process.
I hope that is encouraging

Can you recommend a good book on emotional intelligence?

A very good book on emotional intelligence is called "Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ" by Daniel Goleman.

A very good book on emotional intelligence is called "Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ" by Daniel Goleman.

I don't think Emotional Intelligence can exactly be learnt but hey, why quibble with semantics? I am sure with conscious effort, you will be able to master anything you put your mind to and Emotional Intelligence just requires more thinking about other people, training to be more emphatic and doing to others what you want them to do to you.

I don't think Emotional Intelligence can exactly be learnt but hey, why quibble with semantics? I am sure with conscious effort, you will be able to master anything you put your mind to and Emotional Intelligence just requires more thinking about other people, training to be more emphatic and doing to others what you want them to do to you.

I think emotion intelligence can only really be gained through experiences. It isn't just learned like an academic subject. Reading words isn't going to create the belief or a bring about a change in them: that can only be done by experiencing it. Think about it. Think about any belief you hold already. Why do you believe it?
Can you think about when a belief you held (perhaps as a young child regarding Santa or something) was altered or dropped? I definetly dropped the Santa fantasy when my Dad plonked the presents at the end of my bed one Christmas: my experience brought about a change in belief

Jonny Boy wrote:I think emotion intelligence can only really be gained through experiences. It isn't just learned like an academic subject. Reading words isn't going to create the belief or a bring about a change in them: that can only be done by experiencing it.

I think you're partially right - but learning about it makes it more likely that you'll learn it when you experience it.....

i think it is definetly something i learned through my childhood experiences... but distinguishing it from self consciousness is harder.....

Emotional intelligence can definately be learned, but it must be both study and experience. I used to say things that would shock or anger people. I didn't realize what kind of reaction I would get before I said these things. By getting to know my own emotions I learned to understand how others would react. I've read that people go through an average of 20 emotions every minute, but most people don't pay any attention to them. The first step in increasing emotional intelligence is to get to know your own emotions. There are a lot of good books on the subject, like THE EQ DIFFERENCE by Adele B. Lynn, or THE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUICK BOOK by Travis Bradberry. If you want to get seriously into it, read some of Reuven Bar-On's work, or Peter Salovey. The best thing to do is to get to know yourself, your emotional feelings and your reactions.