What emotional intelligence is
Emotional intelligence is the ability to notice, understand and handle emotions — your own and other people’s. The psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer described it in a research paper in 1990, and Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book made it widely known. The idea is that emotions carry information that can guide both thinking and action. In everyday speech it is often called EQ, a nod to IQ.
The test looks at four abilities. Self-Emotion Appraisal: how well you recognize and understand what you feel. Others’ Emotion Appraisal: how well you perceive what other people feel. Use of Emotion: how you let emotions fuel your thinking and action. Regulation of Emotion: how you manage strong feelings and recover after setbacks. Each ability gets its own score, and the level — Developing, Average, Above Average or High — is decided by the average of the four. So a stronger ability can make up for a weaker one.
The result shows how you see your own skills, not how they would measure up in a test of ability. Others may see you differently, and a self-image can be too kind as well as too harsh. It is not a diagnosis and not a grade. Emotional skills can grow with practice, so your result may look different the next time you take the test.
The statements are Inwork’s own, written for the app from that research, and the test scores exactly as the test inside the app does.
Frequently asked questions
Can emotional intelligence be trained?
Yes. These are skills, and they can grow with practice — for example by putting words to what you feel, listening more closely and trying new ways to calm yourself down.
What is the difference between EQ and IQ?
IQ is about reasoning and solving problems — with words, numbers and patterns. EQ is about emotions: noticing, understanding and handling them in yourself and others. They are different abilities, and a high score on one does not automatically mean a high score on the other.
Do I need an account?
No. The whole result is shown without an account and without an email. An account is only needed if you want to keep it.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere, unless you choose. The result is worked out on your device and your answers stay in your browser. Save the result to an account and the answers are encrypted first.
