EQ Grows with Age
Throughout the process of rowing older, we may find that we can learn something valuable; llife, at least in some ways, often gets better. IFor instance, when we were younger certain things used to really bother us . Now that we're older, we may very well find tthem much easier ro handle.
According to previous research, compared with our EQ, or our Emotional Quotient, our IQ is of little value. More than anything else, our EQ is correlated with happiness and success in life. Even our income, among other things. is determined by our EQ. In other words, it's not how smart we are, but how we use your noggin.
Psychological researchers presented a simple chart that with a line.The chart showed basically that the younger you are, the dumber you are. The data was computed starting at 16 years of age; Emotional Intelligence, they found, doesn't peak until we're around 50 years old and beyond.
Between the ages of 20 to 29, we're pretty dumb EQ-wise. Between 30 to 39 years of age, whoa! Big gains, the biggest jump on this particular scale. And, for most of us, it keeps increasing. Older people were found to be more independent in their thinking, more aware of the feelings of others, more socially responsible, more adaptable, better at sizing up the immediate situation, able to deal with and solve problems, as well as manage stress than younger people.
As we grow older, more of us notice a certain resilience that we used to have, which we don't have now. But strangely enough, we cope with things better, because we cope with them differently.
A rising EQ means that we learn to keep our perpective. After all, life is too short. Why get all worked up about things? What's the big deal?
When younger, we tend to, in some ways, be tougher. We take more upon yourself, which can be pretty stupid EQ-wise.
Many older people find this kind of research, which shows that life can get better with age, fascinating. Although the body inevitably withers with age, research shows that, with better emotional health. Life tends to, over time, get better.
In following the daily emotional ups and downs of adults, it was found that older people have as many positive feelings as younger people. With age, negative emotions tended to grow less and less common. When feeling down, older adults tend to bounce back more quickly than younger people. Such emotional maturity comes out of changes made in appreciating what is important in life. As we approach the end of life, we recognize its fragility and therefore, its preciousness.
When we really have a life and are doing it right, our goals change with time. More and more, we tend to invest in relationships and experiences thatwe most value.
This suggests that: older people are simply better at dealing with their emotions. This idea has surprised even the experts, who call it the "paradox of aging."
I know that many of us will be skeptical about these findings, having been sold on the idea that old age is universally horrible. Sure - a debilitating, degenerative disease can certainly sidetrack us from enjoying this process - but not everyone develops such protracted ill health.
Clearly, older adults are not happy-go-lucky. In fact, their emotions are more rich and complex than those of younger people - who often experience a wider range of highs and lows. Apparently, it takes time to develop life wisdom and stay on an even keel. A higher emotional quotient, had only from life experience, helps negative feelings to pass quickly, while younger people's negative moods tend to linger.
This difference seems to be closely linked to our unique human ability to recognize our own mortality. Unlike a 20-year-old, a 60-year-old knows what the future holds us to gain a perpective on what are life's real priorities.
"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional."
