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The Brain And Emotional Intelligence: New Insights (2011)

by Daniel Goleman(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

More Than Sound

review 1: I loved this book for several reasons. It is well organized, is a fast read, and is very easy to understand. I am not an expert in the field but I am very interested in learning how and why we have the emotions we do. This book explains the basics without a ton of scientific jargon. When you are done reading a chapter you understand the bottom line and can apply it to your personal life. I am very glad I read this book and have bookmarked several pages to revisit.On a personal note I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder that had turned into depression. I have since gone off medications and have used writing poetry as a method to change my emotions. The book mentions ways to take back a hijacked amygdala. Now I know why writing poetry has helped me. When I sit down to writ... moree poetry, taking time to pick the perfect words and the perfect flow I am in essence taking back my hijacked amygdala. This is just my experience and opinion but for me the book helped explain something I had been wondering about for some time.
review 2: Daniel Goleman introduced the concept of emotional intelligence to psychology. This book presents some new insights into the relevant neuroscience discovered during the last several years. So while I looked forward to reading it, I wasn't expecting it to be only 78 pages. The chapters are very short and to the point, but a more comprehensive treatment would be welcome. Goleman summarizes his emotional intelligence framework (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relation management) and describes the brain areas involved in each. Sections are devoted to creativity, motivation, good and bad stress, empathy, psychopathy (only 1 page, however), neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Most helpful to me were the sections on stress and empathy. Goleman's distinction between 'frazzle' and 'flow' describes the serious physical and cognitive problems that come with stress, and the methods to combat stress and develop 'flow'. In a state of flow, concentration is effortless, flexible, and joyful. As for empathy, Goleman distinguishes between cognitive, emotional, and and motoric (empathic concern). Cognitive empathy is the most primitive kind (the extent of psychopaths' empathy, for example), being able to take another's perspective. Emotional empathy is the basis for feeling en rapport with others, and empathic concern is the prompt for acts of compassion - actually doing something. The Brain and Emotional Intelligence (***) has some interesting ideas, and is a good summary of the relevant brain research, but doesn't have a whole lot of meat on it. I'd recommend Goleman's other books, or the works of Daniel Siegel for something more substantial. less

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