Daniel Goleman - Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness, and Learning to Pay Attention

In this episode, it's my great pleasure to speak with author and world renowned psychologist, Daniel Goleman. Dan is one of my heroes and just a spectacular mind.

As a science journalist Daniel reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for The New York Times for many years. His 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, is one of those massively influential, paradigm shattering books that has sold millions across decades. Through his work on the brain and effects of emotional intelligence on relationships and work, Daniel also advocates for meditation and has worked with the Dalai Lama to express his key teachings backed by empirical evidence.

Daniel is a co-founder of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning and currently co-directs the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University. He is a board member of the Mind & Life Institute, and has been honored with the Washburn Award for science journalism, a Lifetime Career Award from the American Psychological Association, and was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his communicating science to the general public.

Listen as we discuss:

• How an influential trip to India pushed him away from academia
• Emotional intelligence is the distinguisher of star performance, not domain expertise.
• The IQ Fallacy
• Social intelligence, harmony, and empathy are what make great teams.
• Children are missing out on key development during the pandemic.
• The importance of eye contact and why Zoom and messaging doesn't cut it.
• Mindfulness meditation builds concentration and the ability to pay attention.
• Focus should be relaxed, not intense.
• Constructive anxiety (leads to action) vs. destructive anxiety (rumination)
• Matthieu Ricard (listen to our talk) and his impact on meditators
• Does it really take 10,000 hours to master a skill?
• Escaping the Hedonic Treadmill
• First Person Plural: EI & Beyond, Dan's new podcast

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Connect with Daniel Goleman on Facebook @danielgoleman, Twitter @danielgolemanei and his website, danielgoleman.info.

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Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy