How Does Emotional Intelligence Affect Relationships?

How can we maintain healthy relationships full of communication and understanding? It’s important we can perceive, control, and evaluate the emotions we feel. It’s also important when it comes to interpreting and responding to other persons. This concept is known as emotional intelligence. As humans, we need this when making genuine connections and conversing with those around us. Below we will explore the question ‘How Does Emotional Intelligence Affect Relationships?’

There are, however, many different levels of emotional intelligence. This can leave varying impacts on the relationships we share. Whether that’s with romantic partners, family or even friends.

There are so many things to think about whilst in conversation with others. Therefore, having a high level of emotional intelligence is an extremely valuable trait. This is because you will be able to consistently bounce off the other and respond correctly to their feelings.

How does emotional intelligence affect relationships?

Here are some examples of how emotional intelligence can play a role in our daily lives. Not forgetting, why it’s so important we are aware of its existence.

Managing emotions

Sometimes, we get ourselves into arguments or disputes with those in a close circle. How do we successfully stop this? We need to be able to manage our own emotions in response to the other person. This is something that requires a high level of emotional intelligence to do. That’s because this often relies on biting our tongue. It also relies on trying to replace feelings of anger to resolve the conflict.

Perceiving emotions

This is usually the first step when it comes to understanding someone’s emotions. This is because we must be able to perceive them as accurately as possible. Most of the time this means looking at and understanding nonverbal signs. For example, body language and facial expressions to ascertain how someone is feeling.

This is important when you are talking to someone you share a close relationship with as perceiving their emotions gives you the early signs of what they may be feeling. It could be anger towards you or sadness because of something that happened earlier on in their day. By reading this body language you can then act upon what you know to help, comfort, or respond appropriately to them.

Reasoning with emotions

This aspect of emotional intelligence is one that will significantly affect your relationships. Reasoning is all about pinpointing what we pay attention to and react to. For example, if you are in a romantic relationship and your partner doesn’t want to go on that day out you discussed because they just aren’t up for it, you need to be able to reason with their emotions and respond correctly.

If you are unable to reason with the emotions of both yours and those around you, it is likely to conflict will arise on a more frequent basis.

Understanding emotions

We all go through many different emotions each day, and that’s why it’s important we are able to identify which one is which. If your friend calls you expressing anger and upset, it is your job to interpret the cause of this and what it may mean. If you struggle to understand the emotions of those around you, it is likely you will find it harder to fluently communicate with them. You’ll find yourself miscommunicating because of not understanding how the other is feeling.

Why is emotional intelligence important and how does it affect relationships?

Emotional intelligence provides us with the power to think before reacting. It’s in these moments we can reflect on highly charged emotional events as they happen and respond after going through the above steps. Additionally, our ability to empathise with those around us relies on our emotional intelligence. Subsequently, we need to consider how we would respond if placed into the same position as our friends, family, or partners.

Emotional intelligence is an aspect of your cognitive thinking that can be worked on to strengthen the relationships you have with the people in your life. Sometimes, it’s hard to understand others and perceive how they are feeling as we are unaware of the battle going on in our own heads with our own emotions.

If you feel like you might be struggling with this, then I am here to help you deal with your emotions and learn to fine-tune your emotional intelligence. I help couples improve their relationships by increasing their own EI as well as children, teenagers, and young adults. I offer safe and welcoming therapy sessions to teenagers and young adults who need that extra guidance in their life.

Get in touch today to find out more about how I can help you and really reinforce the relationships you share with those in your life.