Culture and emotional intelligence

Culture provides the context in which intelligence develops. The psychologist Lev Vygotsky argued that while basic mental functions are biological, higher mental functions (like reasoning and problem-solving) are largely produced by culture: we learn them from others, through language and social life.

So different cultures value different kinds of intelligence:

• Technologically advanced societies foster technological intelligence: skills of abstraction, speed, analysis, and individual achievement, as measured by most Western IQ tests.
• The Indian tradition speaks of integral intelligence: linking oneself with the social and natural world.

The Indian idea of buddhi is broader than IQ. It includes:

• cognitive capacity (sensitivity to context, understanding);
• social competence (respect for social order, concern for others);
• emotional competence (self-regulation, patience);
• entrepreneurial competence (commitment, persistence, hard work).

Emotional intelligence: the idea was first introduced by Peter Salovey and John Mayer (1990). It is the ability to monitor one's own and others' emotions, to tell them apart, and to use this information to guide thinking and action. It is measured as EQ (emotional quotient), and was made famous by Daniel Goleman.

Emotionally intelligent people know what they feel, manage their anger and anxiety, motivate themselves, understand others' feelings (empathy), and handle relationships well.

Studies show that programmes to raise emotional intelligence in schools improve students' academic achievement and cooperation, and reduce aggression.

So intelligence has a feeling side, not just a thinking side.