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Emotional Intelligence and Meditation
Kansas City Star
- 01.27.04
By Jim Dugan, Ph.D, Fortisan Group
“You mean you can build emotional
intelligence by meditating?”
“That’s kind of a flaky and a way out there idea,” quipped one of
the best students in my graduate level class, Emotional Intelligence
in the Workplace. Her skepticism mirrored my own when I first read
about how meditation may boost emotional intelligence.
In the last few years, emotional intelligence and meditation have
each generated considerable cultural buzz. Cover stories in Time
Magazine have touted the benefits of both. A slew of best selling
books on each subject have kept their ardent disciples occupied.
However, it wasn’t until recently that research suggested a link
as to how meditation may enhance emotional intelligence.
For those, temporarily out of the culture loop, emotional intelligence,
or EI, is described as “extraordinary people skills” or “more important
than your IQ or technical skills” in the climb up the corporate
ladder. More specifically, EI is defined as how you mange your emotions
with self or others. Proponents suggest that a strong dose of emotional
intelligence provides an invaluable “business edge.” American Express,
the U.S. Air Force, and Pepsi are just a few of the organizations
that reported a strong dose of EI has contributed to financial savings
and profits.
While emotional intelligence has enjoyed unheralded popularity,
the strategies for building emotional intelligence have been less
defined. Executive coaches and consultants trained in EI and equipped
with reliable EI assessment measures and array of training approaches
have helped leaders, groups, and organizations build their EI.
Part of developing EI skills is learning how to “tune into” your
emotional states, to be a better observer of your own, and others
moods, and attitudes. It involves learning a reflective style, how
to pull back from the hectic pace of the day, calming yourself,
getting your emotional bearings, and being able to filter out some
of the day-to-day frustrations. This is where meditation comes in.
Briefly defined meditation is an attempt to quiet the mind, through
contemplation, prayer, or focusing on something simple such as breathing.
When your mind is quieter and calmer, your emotional state is more
in balance, your decision making enhanced.
Championed by Daniel Goleman Ph.D., leading expert in the field
of EI and author of two best selling books on the topic, there has
been some exciting research that suggests meditation may enhance
EI. Working with a team of neuroscientists, and using some of the
latest brain imaging techniques, researchers found that meditation
may activate the specific part of the brain, the left prefrontal
cortex that prompts positive emotions. With a surge of activity
in the left prefrontal cortex the person meditating is more apt
to be calmer, have more pleasant feelings, and a sense of optimism,
which in turn may foster EI. In other words, if you want to develop
your EI, try meditating.
To test how meditation effects EI, a group of stressed out scientists
at a biotech company were taught meditation three hours a week for
eight weeks. After eight weeks of meditation training, these scientists
reported feeling calmer, more creative and more energetic. Especially
striking is that this research also found increased activity in
left prefrontal lobes of the brains of the scientist. This increased
activity in this specific part of the brain prompts positive emotions
that, in turn, may contribute to an enhanced sense of emotional
intelligence.
Does this sound too flaky to you? Before you dismiss this, take
a few minutes now. Focus on the pen on your desk. Stay focused,
block out distracting thoughts. Remember, the essence of meditation
is not the exclusive focus on the pen, but rather the effort to
achieve this kind of focus. Stick with it, in a kind gentle way
with yourself; activate those positive emotional centers of the
brain. Now, do you feel your EI building?
James W. Dugan Ph.D., a consultant with the Fortisan Group LLC,
a management consulting group in Kansas City. He can be reached
at 816-561-9312 or jwd@fortisan.com
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