Do You Know Your Emotional Style?

Neuroscientist Richard Davidson spent almost 40 years studying the brain mechanisms that underlie our emotions. He determined that individuals have unique and consistent ways of responding to life experiences. These emotional styles are governed by specific identifiable brain circuits.

In his book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain, co-authored with Sharon Begley, he describes six emotional styles:

1. Self-Awareness: How well you perceive the physical sensations in your body that reflect your emotions. (Self-awareness is determined by the ability of the insula to interpret signals from the body and organs.)

2. Sensitivity to Context: How good you are at regulating your emotional responses depending on the context you're in. (This sensitivity is driven by activity levels in the hippocampus.)

3. Resilience: How slowly or quickly you recover from adversity. (Resilience is determined by signals between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.)

4. Social Intuition: How adept you are at picking up social signals from people around you. (Social intuition is shaped by the interplay between the amygdala and fusiform regions.)

5. Attention: How clear and sharp your focus is. (Attention is regulated by the prefrontal cortex.)

6. Outlook: How long you are able to sustain positive emotion. (Outlook is determined by the levels of activity in the ventral striatum, which is a part of the brain linked to our reward system).

I find it interesting that few of these six emotional styles directly correlate with the five basic components of emotional intelligence:

1. Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as the effect they have on others.

2. Self-Regulation: The ability to control and appropriately express emotions and impulses.

3. Social Skills: The ability to interact well with others.

4. Empathy: The ability to understand how others are feeling and respond accordingly

5. Internal Motivation: The ability to fulfill your own inner needs and goals.

Let's use ES to identify Emotional Style and EI to identify Emotional Intelligence.

There are two emotional styles that directly correspond to two components of emotional intelligence:

• Self-Awareness [ES] is clearly similar to Self-Awareness [EI].
• Sensitivity to Context [ES] seems to correspond to Self-Regulation [EI].

The remaining four emotional styles appear to have a less distinct relationship to the emotional intelligence components. You may disagree with some of my pairings. I'm not sure what this says about my personality, but I prefer for things to even out...

• It is possible that Resilience [ES] may relate in some way to Self-Regulation [EI].
• Social Intuition [ES] may correspond to Social Skills [EI]
• A case might be made that Social Intuition [ES] is related to Empathy [EI].
• A case might also be made that Attention [ES] is related in some part to Internal Motivation [EI].
• Finally, Outlook [ES] may relate to Internal Motivation [EI].

Despite this apparent lack of correspondence, both emotional styles and emotional intelligence do share one important quality. Neuroplasticity means that the brain (and thus, how you think, feel and respond) can be changed. Becoming more aware of your emotions is the first step in transforming them and your brain. Emotional styles can be modified and emotional intelligence skills can be learned and developed.

If you would like to get a sense of your emotional style, the Center for Healthy Minds offers a short questionnaire.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Do-You-Know-Your-Emotional-Style?&id=9839506

Want to Be Happy and Successful? Science Says Do These 7 Things

Working harder and longer hours won't make you more successful. Being happy will. Here's how.

Why do we work so hard and get so little in return? Sure, we may be paid well for the work we do, and we may enjoy our co-workers and the work itself. But for most of us, we work harder and longer hours than ever before, believing that by doing so, we'll find the happiness and success we want in our lives.

According to Emma Seppala -- science director for Stanford University's Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education -- working harder and longer hours will not necessarily make you happy or successful. In fact, hundreds of neuroscience and psychology studies suggest that the opposite is often the case. The key is to find happiness first. When you're happy, then you'll find the success you're looking for.

In her book, The Happiness Track, Emma says, "Happiness -- defined as a state of heightened positive emotion -- has a profound positive effect on our professional and personal lives. It increases our emotional and social intelligence, boosts our productivity, and heightens our influence over peers and colleagues."

Here, according to Emma, are seven scientifically proven ways you can build your happiness -- and become more successful as a result.

1. Live (or work) in the moment.

Instead of always thinking about what's next on your to-do list, focus on the task or conversation at hand. You will become not only more productive but also more charismatic.

2. Tap into your resilience.

Instead of living in overdrive, train your nervous system to bounce back from setbacks. You will naturally reduce stress and thrive in the face of difficulties and challenges.

3. Manage your energy.

Instead of engaging in states of mind that exhaust you, learn to manage your stamina by remaining calm and centered. You'll be able to save precious mental energy for the tasks that need it most.

4. Do nothing.

Instead of spending all your time focused intently on your work, make time for idleness, fun, and irrelevant interests. You will become more creative and innovative and will be more likely to come up with breakthrough ideas.

5. Be good to yourself.

Instead of being self-critical, be compassionate with yourself. You will improve your ability to excel in the face of challenge and be more likely to learn from mistakes.

6. Step outside your comfort zone.

We tend to think we're good at only certain things, and we play it safe when we should be taking risks. Understand that your brain is built to learn new things -- that's how we attain new skills and expertise.

7. Show compassion to others.

Instead of focusing on yourself, express compassion to and show interest in those around you, and maintain supportive relationships with your co-workers, boss, and employees. You will dramatically increase the loyalty and commitment of your colleagues and employees, thereby improving productivity, performance, and influence.

http://www.inc.com/peter-economy/want-to-be-happy-and-successful-science-says-do-these-7-things.html