Nowadays, when we turn on the television or tune in the radio for news, it seems all we hear about is wars, violence, brawls, foreign disputes, and struggle. We might have experienced it in our day-to-day lives: bickering with your kids, arguing with our partners or falling out with coworkers. No matter the scenario, conflict always emerges. But there are still opportunities for us to explore and learn a gentler, more positive method of managing conflicts. Handling conflicts in such a way could ultimately lead to better results for everyone involved! When dealing with a conflict, it is important to consider what occurs. Specifically, one must think about what happens when we actually experience an issue. When situations of conflict arise, we can feel a strong sense of stress. Furthermore, these conflicting scenarios put us in a situation of tension which can disrupt our wellbeing. Our body instinctively notices when something is not right and prepares our physiology to respond. Cortisol hormones, among others, are released in order to create a defensive or protective stance. Although we may not be consciously aware of it, our body certainly is attuned to these unpleasant stimuli. For some people, "fighting" means more than physical combat; it can involve verbally challenging the source of their frustration. Verbal resistance could take many forms - from the words one uses when confronting an adversary to the strength and resilience exhibited in those moments of conflict. For other people, the response to fly or run away can be literal, by literally running away, or metaphorical; for example, by refusing to engage in or acknowledge a situation – essentially putting their heads in the sand. For some people, the dilemma is so daunting and their fear so intense that they become petrified, like a rabbit facing the bright headlights of an oncoming car, unable to comprehend or move in any way. When trying to resolve conflicts, a common instinct is to resort to aggression or avoidance, but these responses often fail to lead to a positive outcome, instead exacerbating the problem. Tonight, rather than responding to a conflict in the usual way, I'm suggesting we should focus on developing our emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence can be described as a skill that helps an individual to understand and utilize emotions in constructive ways. It aids with intrapersonal matters, including attunement to self-awareness, while also addressing interpersonal needs such as empathetic relationships with others. Common aspects shared by many conceptualizations of political power include the recognition that it involves the ability of one group or person to influence decision making, legitimize choices, and have some authority over a given situation. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand our own emotional states, as well as those of others. In a nutshell, this entails being mindful of our feelings at each moment in order to have better understanding and relationships with ourselves and those around us. You may be believing that you already understand your emotions, however it is essential to articulate how you are feeling and to grasp what those feelings indicate about yourself. Also, talk about it with somebody around you or a professional. This can enable a deeper understanding of those sentiments and why they exist. We certainly do take our responsibilities seriously, and consequently invest the utmost effort into our work. Trivial tasks may pass from time to time, however earnest focus remains dedicated when carrying out duties both large and small. Amidst the daily hustle and bustle, it becomes so easy to forget the true sentiments that lie deep within us. Emerging amidst deadlines, conflicts and busy-ness, our emotions get bottled up inside all too easily. By authentically identifying our emotions and how they play out under different circumstances, we can gain greater insight and control over how we respond to them. This enables us to regulate our emotions more effectively, allowing us to respond the way we choose rather than instinctively.
Emotional intelligence isn't just about one's self however, for it involves others as well. Interpersonal skills depend on emotional intelligence to understand the feelings and needs of other people, resulting in creating stronger relationships and ultimately shaping how we interact with those around us. When we begin to delve into understanding our emotions, we must also think of the impact they can have on other people. By growing our knowledge in this area, we can grasp a better picture of how our feelings are interconnected with those of others around us. They may be feeling stressed, overwhelmed and anxious. Alternatively, they could also be feeling uncertain, worried and confused. It is possible that they might experience distress, agitation and dread while they could also experience apprehension, trepidation and perplexity. The behavioral changes in the person could be a result of possible issues existing for them. Issues that might have caused them to act in the manner they are currently exhibiting. Once we understand how our own emotions and those of other people affect how a situation unfolds, we can learn to manage it in emotionally intelligent ways. This understanding allows us to regulate not only our own behavioral responses, but also manage the situation itself and create an environment where everyone responds in emotionally appropriate ways.
Conflict resolution is positively impacted by having a strong sense of emotional intelligence. This implies that the higher one's level of emotional intelligence, the more successful they may be in navigating difficult conversations and helping to resolve conflict scenarios. People who possess high emotional intelligence tend to be more optimistic and content with life in comparison with those who lack this skill. Evidence in the field of psychology provides invaluable insight into the ways in which emotional intelligence impacts one's state of wellbeing. The condition of their health is much improved. Utilizing healthful choices and good habits, their well-being has noticeably benefited. People with higher emotional intelligence have reported experiencing better physical, mental and emotional health; they experience less anxiety, depression and other forms of stress. In comparison, individuals with lower emotional intelligence are not as fortunate in their overall wellbeing. High emotionality quotient among people is often associated with superior performance in the workplace. In other words, those people who demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence typically achieve excellent results in their positions. High emotional intelligence leads to happier employees, improved workplace relationships, and increased productivity. These advantages are demonstrated in better job performance when compared to those with low emotional intelligence. Students that have higher emotional intelligence show an improved educational performance in comparison to those who do not. Those with organized mindsets tend to achieve better academic results than their counterparts who prefer disorganized methods. Kids with lower IQs but high emotional intelligence may find that they outdo those with higher IQs when it comes to school performance. This is because evidence shows that having high emotional intelligence can be advantageous when it comes to achieving strong academic results. Emotional intelligence can be beneficial, as it may serve to compensate for areas in which we are weaker. Basically, even if certain aspects of our lives don't thrive or excel, emotional intelligence can make up the difference.
All this evidence of ours points to the fact that having a high emotional intelligence results in positive real-world outcomes. So, people with higher than average empathy, self-awareness and interpersonal skills can expect notable improvements in their life. Using questionnaires, numerous psychological studies have accumulated many significant pieces of evidence to support the idea that emotional intelligence plays an integral role in physical and mental health. We have been speculating about the potential benefits of having high emotional intelligence, such as an ability to quickly interpret emotional situations. But to verify these ideas, it would be most useful to find behavioral evidence showing that people with higher emotional intelligence are better able to interpret and understand these situations than those with lower levels of emotional intelligence. Recently, I have collaborated with several of my colleagues at Plymouth University on an project (some of whom are in attendance here today) to produce some interesting findings. Using virtual reality, we have been conducting research to help people learn better. We are exploring how its applications can be used to improve learning experiences and outcomes. Virtual reality is a relatively new technology, relatively recent in development. We have been introducing our participants to a highly immersive experience by employing a virtual reality headset similar to this one. If you've yet to use our virtual reality headset, you should know that it immerses users in a three-dimensional world of their choosing. Our headset completely transports you to this new environment, making for an incredibly engaging experience. As you imagine what this is like, draw upon the familiarity of your own home to visualize your journey. Think about how it feels to walk through that place – picture what it looks like and the experiences you have while in its presence. As you move through the 3D space, you can observe many objects, such as doors, chairs, tables and windows. You will be able to maneuver this layout with ease and even interact with certain objects. Virtual Reality allows a completely immersive experience, as if you are actually present in the environment, which makes the interactions feel more real. 3D VR creates this world and makes it seem more tangible.
In this study, we have created an environment resembling a city street at night for our participants. At night, on the city street, one can usually spot the usual array of sights: litter overlaying the ground, neon signs shining brightly against blackened alleys, bustling bars and pubs filled with people engaging in lively conversations, streetlights providing illumination to vehicles rushing past. A bustling street, alive with cars and twinkling lights; stores illuminated, pavements engorged with people marching in every direction. These avatars, which the person taking part feels are actually present, intermittently approach them out on the street either friendly ("Hey! How are you? Really great to see you. You're looking well."), or aggressive ("Oh, what are you doing here? I hate people like you."). Our participants had to interact with our avatars accordingly; when confronted by the friendly ones, they had to shake hands while if they encountered the hostile ones, then they had to punch. We enabled users to control their hand movements during physical activities such as handshake and punches through a joystick: which can be pulled back on during handshakes or pushed forward forcefully during punches. Yes, it's true; having an embodied experience is really quite something. It entails engaging with your physical senses and emotions as well as intertwining a integration of body and mind together. If you've had a challenging day, taking some time to do this virtual reality can be really therapeutic. I've found that it's enjoyable too! Those avatars suffer terribly when they are harshly judged by the public, landing heavily on the ground beneath them. The pleasure derived from successfully completing a project is quite remarkable. Managing to finish a task that you have been long-term working on, without any mistakes or snags, brings a sense of great gratification. Some of the avatars exhibited were extremely annoying on the other hand. We investigated the idea and discovered that, indeed, it was sufficiently feasible; not only could it be done, but doing so would offer a number of advantages. As a result of our exploration into this notion, it became apparent that the proposed solution had merit.
People who have a high emotional intelligence score can complete the given task much faster when compared with those who do not. Results from the ongoing study so far emphasize this fact. Given the random timing of the avatars appearing, it is important to pause and assess how each is treating you and then respond accordingly. Thinking about this nature of the task will help create an appropriate reaction for each instance. We measure the responses of emotionally intelligent people in milliseconds for a relatively simple task, compared to the other person. They show significant faster response. When people are asked to respond incongruently - that is, to punch the nice people and shake hands with the nasty ones - it gets even more interesting. This incongruent condition provides an opportunity to explore the ways in which people interact and make decisions. Thinking more about the process we go through, it requires social processing in order to estimate how an individual is treating us. It's something that often gets taken for granted but is an essential part of navigating the social world around us. You must regulate and control any strong or overwhelming reactions such as wanting to punch the unpleasant person; instead of reacting this way, it is important to respond according to our instructions. People who have a high emotional intelligence are seen to effectively handle situations quickly, compared to those with a low emotional intelligence. What is found from this is that people who possess a high emotion intelligence respond physically very swiftly, whereas those with lower levels exhibit slower reactions. The speed with which they make social judgments and deliver desired responses indicates that the whole decision-making process is perhaps much simpler for them. People who have high emotional intelligence respond more quickly, and often with fewer errors, than those who lack it. Those high in emotional intelligence possess the unique ability to easily interpret the situation and react swiftly.
At present, we are engaging in a revolutionary and highly interesting study focusing on the customary activities connected to emotional competence. It is a fresh and stimulating new approach to better comprehend the importance of perceiving emotions. If everyone was emotionally intelligent, we could all experience the positives that stem from these valuable skills such as better life outcomes, strong relationships and a more considerate manner of treating one another. Hence, having high emotional intelligence is considered very beneficial. The dark side of this coin cannot be ignored either, however. So not necessarily must we take the brighter outlook. Some people, despite having high emotional intelligence, are not always demonstrating those skills in positive and supportive ways – a fact for which we have increasingly more evidence. People often try to use emotional manipulation as a means to achieve their own objectives without considering the effect on other people. Rather than employing emotion in constructive ways, this type of manipulation is used maliciously, taking advantage of others to fulfill selfish goals. At school, does anyone recall being faced with a situation such as this? Groups of girls often partake in detrimental behavior such as excluding one another and whispering behind her back – even if you didn't personally take part, you may have observed it taking place. Social media and technology nowadays undoubtedly add fuel to the fire in making it difficult for young people to handle problems without resorting to violence. Those girls at the back of the room, who may be deemed "mean girls" because of their tendency to whisper and exclude others, are often exceptionally high in emotional intelligence; as my research had found out. They understand how to push each other's buttons in order to get an emotional reaction, often wanting the other to be ostracized from the social group. Consequently, they strive for power within their interaction by not only recognizing what bothers the other girl, but manipulating those feelings for their own gain. Good management, good business sense, leading and inspiring have been shown to enable some individuals within a workplace to make much-needed progress. Yet there are also those who use alternative and more manipulation tactics such as pitting one person in a team against the other as well as undercutting colleagues subtly. "Why then do some people apply these skills of emotional intelligence in the wrong manner?" one might ask. Understanding and managing emotions has certainly become much more important nowadays, however some choose to misuse it. It appears that certain personality traits may play a role in why some people are more successful with emotional improvement. This is still an area of research in its early stages, however, the evidence accumulated thus far is quite convincing for this theory.
When I think of the word "psychopath," several images come to mind: someone who exhibits violent behavior, unable to feel remorse or guilt, and lacking a capacity for empathy. Additionally, they could be reckless or dishonest yet appear outwardly charming. When searching for this particular photograph, I used Google and simply typed in "psychopathy" as my search query. There were plenty of images that returned the results, with this one included. The vast majority of people with some psychopathic personality traits possess little to no risk for engaging in criminal or destructive behavior. Instead, these individuals express such traits in less extreme but still problematic ways - affecting their emotional regulation, cognitive functioning and ability to control impulsivity and maintain meaningful relationships. They're not deemed violent criminals worthy of Broadmoor Prison, they don't commit heinous crimes such as serial murder, nor are they covered in blood after carrying out any horrifying acts. Most of them are constantly moving in our proximity, as well as beside us. They may be our coworkers, gym buddies, someone we frequent at the pub or even our significant other; psychopaths are everywhere. On the surface, many of these people appear to be perfectly sane, well-mannered, and likable individuals; indeed, they can often come across as really pleasant and charming. On the surface, it appears that these individuals are warm and supportive and care about others. In truth however, they are cold, callous and don't spare a thought for how their actions affect those around them. Those individuals solely focus on meeting their own objectives; hence for them the end justifies the means. Depicting a classic "wolf in sheep's clothing" scenario, they seemingly present one thing while really aiming for another. One might ponder if the world would be a more pleasant and improved place if everyone had emotional intelligence. While it is possible, one may also consider that such people as psychopaths will always exist. This has been true throughout history, so it remains to be seen whether or not this idea could really change the world for the better. That being said, the rest of us should still make an attempt. Although the expectation is that individual action can have limited effect on global affairs, each person in the world has a responsibility to do what they can. Everyone always has scope for positive change and it can never hurt to try.
I challenge you now to take a moment and reflect upon your emotions. Are you filled with joy, miserably downtrodden, sundered by tedium or illuminated by creativity? Or perhaps minoring in alcohol relief as the break beckons? That would be me – I'll own up to it! Emotional intelligence is a personality trait that typically has inheritance in the mix, yet it can also be cultivated and improved. If we realize that we're not particularly proficient in social situations, then the first step is to become aware of our own emotions in such moments. Through this understanding, we can gain emotional intelligence and advance our social skills. We can take control and regulate how we react based on our understanding of how we naturally respond in fight-flight situations and whenever we are under fear. Once we begin to comprehend this idea and where it stems from, we will gain insight into the methods that allow us to regulate the fear response. It is up to us to make a difference, not only for our generation, but for future generations as well. We must act now so that the legacy of improved conditions and a life of fulfilment can continue for years to come. Initiating this change right here and right now is our responsibility and it all starts with us! I wish that by improving our emotional intelligence, we could create a world filled with peace. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be achieved easily, but at least it remains something we all aspire towards. We may not always be successful in achieving an emotionally balanced and mature life, but it is important to attempt to become more in-tune with our emotions and understand how our relationships may be affected. By understanding how to manage conflicts appropriately and responding with kindness, we can seek to increase our emotional intelligence. My challenge to you tonight again is to think deeper about emotional intelligence. To gain a better understanding of this area, consider refining several aspects of yourself: your self-awareness, abilities in managing feelings and emotions in yourself and those around you, empathy, relationship building skills and effective communication. So the next time you're confronted with a conflict, pause for a moment and consider your emotions, as well as what kind of response would best reflect the person you wish to be. Think carefully before reacting and make sure that your reaction demonstrates the values and beliefs you want to stand for. After all, shoving and engaging in an altercation with that person might feel gratifying, however, would it be more preferable to merely shake their hand and intervene?
See also: https://mygodsentangels.com/