Book Review – Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Author: Travis Bradberry
Print Edition | Kindle
I love the book Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Since I wanted to learn deeply about emotional intelligence, I picked up emotional intelligence 2.0 hoping that it is an advanced version of the first. But I was heavily disappointed. It hardly had anything new for me to learn. I didn’t have any insightful moments through the book. In fact, more than emotional intelligence, it was a book on mental health. The book I had started writing on depression had the same points which were mentioned in this book.
The book starts off with an example to show the importance of EQ over IQ and then he goes on to explain that IQ is static. It is a very bold statement to say that IQ is static because there have been real life cases where the IQ increased over time.
The author wanted to show off that it is statistically backed by highlighting them but it looked like they were just picked up from somewhere and were not framed in the right way. For example, performance at work is not just dependent on EQ. The other factors were not explicitly mentioned. Similarly, the case with increase in income.
I found the chapter 3 unnecessary as one entire chapter was dedicated to show examples of emotionally intelligent and not so intelligent people. Those examples were not really required as they don’t add a lot of value to the book. Instead, if the author would have mentioned how to receive feedback from others about myself and then show the comparison about where I lie, it would have been helpful.
The next few chapters gives you strategies which you would have already tried in your life if you cared about your wellbeing. I was happy after I knew my triggers. When I am lost in turbulence of emotions, I ask why. I read books which help me find words to my emotions. My favourite songs are the ones I deeply connect with. If I am anxious, I breathe in and breathe out. We all know that we need to treat stress before it eats us up. Everything I achieved in my life would not have been possible without an accountability partner. I watch people around me to see what they are going through. I think what might be running in their minds. I watch movies to see how people react in different situations.
I can go on and on. But I choose to stop here. If I must put this in a simpler way, whatever was mentioned in the book, I already tried and tested them. They help you lead a happier life but I am not sure if the same can be called as an emotionally intelligent life.
In case, if you don’t already lead a happy life and have no knowledge of emotional intelligence, then this book is for you. It is one of the basic books you can start off with which gives you simple tips on taking control over your emotions. But if you are looking at some advanced science, you will be disappointed.