How much would your relationships improve if you could up your emotional intelligence game? That phrase -- emotional intelligence -- entered the lexicon 25 years ago, when my friend Daniel Goleman wrote a book by the same name. And so on this episode, to mark the 25th anniversary edition of Emotional Intelligence, we’re having Danny on the show. By way of background, he is a Harvard-trained psychologist who, along with other contemplative luminaries such as Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and others, went to Asia and discovered meditation in the 1960s, and then made it a huge part of their lives and careers. In this conversation, we talk about: the four components of emotional intelligence, how to develop them, and why these skills matter so much during the middle of a pandemic. We also discuss: empathy and relationship management in the age of zoom; the “marshmallow test” and impulse control; a phenomenon he calls “amygdala hijacks”; and why so many Jewish kids in the sixties and seventies got turned on to Buddhism.  

Where to find Daniel Goleman online: 

Website: http://www.danielgoleman.info

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanielGolemanEI

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danielgoleman

Books Mentioned:

Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body by Richie Davidson

https://www.richardjdavidson.com/altered-traits

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

https://bookshop.org/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-9780807014271/9780807014271

A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World by Daniel Goleman

https://bookshop.org/books/a-force-for-good-the-dalai-lama-s-vision-for-our-world/9780553394894

How much could your relationships improve if your loved ones practiced mindfulness together? For a limited time, if you buy yourself a subscription to Ten Percent Happier, we'll send you a free gift subscription to share with whomever you'd like. Note that nothing is permanent, and this offer is no exception: get it before it ends by going to www.tenpercent.com/december. 

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/daniel-goleman-307