EQ: Why the world’s smartest man could only be a casual labourer

Christopher Langan

Christopher Langan is arguably the smartest man in the world. He took what is billed as the world’s most difficult IQ test and was scored at somewhere between 190 and 210 points. For comparison both theoretical physicist Albert Einstein and cosmologist Stephen Hawking scored only 160 points.

With possibly the highest IQ ever recorded, you’ll be surprised to learn that Chris Langan worked as a manual labourer most of his adult life. He was a construction worker, cowboy, farmhand, forest service ranger and a club bouncer.

In a world that glorifies IQ as a key predictor of success, Chris Langan should have been the world’s most successful man. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcom Gladwell argues that although Langan has a brilliant intellect, he lacked a crucial skill that is often overlooked in success: practical intelligence, more commonly known as emotional or social intelligence. “It is knowledge that helps you read situations correctly and get what you want,” Gladwell argues.

“Emotional intelligence is more than the social skill of making friends,” says relationship expert Dr Chris Hart. “It’s understanding why people behave the way they do, reading their emotions, predicting their reactions and being able to influence their behaviour for mutual benefit,” he adds.

Emotional intelligence isn’t a new concept, although the understanding of what it is has evolved over time. In the 20th Century parlance, it was referred to as ‘emotional strength’, in the mid 1930s it came to be known as ‘social intelligence’ and the current terminology is emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ).

EQ is a great indicator of success

Many experts now believe that while IQ is still an important predictor of success, EQ or EI is even more so. Additionally, emotional intelligence is also a great predictor of success in interpersonal relationships and overall happiness.

In today’s fast-paced world emotional intelligence is moving front and centre in boardrooms, where it has become the buzzword. Psychologists say that leaders, business owners, employers and employees with high emotional intelligence outperform their less emotionally intelligent peers. Why? Because they understand social interactions better, solve simple and complex social problems, negotiate deals to the satisfaction of all parties and resolve disputes amicably.

“Emotional intelligence is important in the professional world, although it’s often underestimated. Most people enter the career world on technical skills and qualifications -- but it is often soft skills like emotional intelligence which determine career advancement after a certain point. People with high emotional intelligence are able to climb the career ladder faster and more easily than others,” Dr Hart says.

A research by the Centre for Creative Leadership (CCL) in the US found that poor interpersonal relations and inability to work as a team were two of the main reasons for executive derailment. After analysing 515 senior executives, international research firm Egon Zehnder International found that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in IQ and even relevant previous experience!

Can you acquire emotional intelligence?

Probably you’re wondering whether emotional intelligence is an intrinsic talent or one which can be learned.

“It’s a little of both,” Dr Hart says. “Some people are born with the natural ability to read and understand emotions...just like some people are born with musical talent. But unlike other talents or IQ, emotional intelligence can be learned and developed over time. Anyone can learn it. You can consciously work on your relationships with people, consciously think about how they’re reacting to you, and how you’re reacting to them,” he says.

However, note that emotional intelligence doesn’t mean you become a ‘yes man’ in the quest for likability.

“Someone with high emotional intelligence isn’t a walkover -- he is one who can make tough decisions and handle delicate and negative situations in a positive way. He or she can fire people, deliver bad performance reviews, and demand for better results in the best way possible,” Dr Hart says.