Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 29 to 33. Researchers have shown that cognitive intelligence, or IQ, is responsible for only about 20% of how you do in life. Much of the rest comes down to your emotional intelligence. Our research has shown that emotional intelligence is responsible for 58% of performance in all types of jobs. It's no wonder then that 90% of top performers are high ...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions from 29 to 33.

Researchers have shown that cognitive intelligence, or IQ, is responsible for only about 20% of how you do in life. Much of the rest comes down to your emotional intelligence. Our research has shown that emotional intelligence is responsible for 58% of performance in all types of jobs. It's no wonder then that 90% of top performers are high in EQ. It's the single biggest predictor of performance and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. Naturally, emotionally intelligent people make more money - an average of $29,000 more per year than people who are not emotionally intelligent. The link between EQ and earnings is so strong that every point increase in EQ adds $1,300 to an annual salary.

Emotional intelligence taps into a fundamental element of human behaviour that is distinct from your intellect. There is now known connection between IQ and EQ; you simply can't predict EQ based on how smart someone is. This defies the stereotype that really smart people tend to have little emotional intelligence. IQ is also quite inflexible. Your IQ is essentially fixed from an early age and shows little variation across your lifespan. You don't get smarter by learning new facts or information. Intelligence is your ability to learn, and it's the same (relative to your peers) at age 15 as at age 50 . EQ, on the other hand is a flexible skill that you can learn because the brain pathway responsible for emotional intelligence is highly malleable. Although it's true that some people are naturally more emotionally intelligent than others, you can develop high EQ even if you aren't born with it.

Increasing your emotional intelligence is also good for your health. Scores of research studies have linked emotional intelligence to susceptibility to disease. The potency of your immune system is tied to your emotional state via neuropeptides, complex chemicals that act as messengers between your mind and body. When your mind is flooded with tension or distress, it signals your body to decrease the energy it's directing at fighting disease. This change increases your vulnerability to an attack.