Emotionally Intelligent Happiness

Alia Crum and Peter Salovey explain the basic principles of emotional intelligence and how it may assist in the pursuit of happiness. The premise of their message is that emotions have functions. Emotions communicate, motivate, and facilitate, hence they cannot be understood in the hedonic terminology of a subjective experience that merely accounts for the balance between positive and negative affects. Emotions are not just responses to circumstances, they also cause functional behavior. Crum and Salovey argue that better lives can be cultivated first and foremost by a change in mindset. By learning about emotions—by becoming more emotionally intelligent—the full spectrum of our feelings may be utilized to facilitate happier lives and more functional lifestyles. The metaphors people adopt, and the myths they perpetuate, shape emotional life and happiness levels. If emotions are perceived, used, understood, and managed more functionally, we will be able to navigate our lives in more successful ways.