2.4.7. Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

As a start let’s describe what intelligence stands for.
For decades researchers have sought to understand the nature of intelligence. The first IQ tests were designed early in this century to measure intelligence as cognitive ability and intellect, and our school systems were geared up to help people develop both. Because it was found that IQ scores didn’t increase much between kindergarten and adulthood, no matter how much education people received, many IQ experts argued that intelligence is inherited and can’t be changed. They endorsed widely different estimates of the heritability of intelligence, ranging from 40 percent to 80 percent. [1]

Reuven Bar-On, a clinical psychologist and lecturer in medicine at the Tel Aviv University Medical School, coined the term emotional quotient (or “EQ“) in 1985. Bar-On devoted more than fifteen years of research to developing a formal psychological survey that aims to measure people’s emotional intelligence. Based on his research and results, Bar-On summarized the qualities that contribute to emotional intelligence as follows:

It is thought that the more emotionally intelligent individuals are those who are able to recognize and express their emotions, who possess positive self regard and are able to actualize their potential capacities and lead fairly happy lives; they are able to understand the way others feel and are capable of making and maintaining mutually satisfying and responsible interpersonal relationships without becoming dependent on others; they are generally optimistic, flexible, realistic and are fairly successful in solving problems and coping with stress without losing control. [2]

In 1996 Daniel Goleman wrote his groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence. Goleman’s exhaustive research confirmed that success in life is based more on our ability to manage our emotions than on our intellectual capabilities and that a lack of success is more often than not due to our mismanagement of emotions. His research helps explain why many individuals with a high IQ falter in life while others with only a modest IQ do exceptionally well. According to Goleman, the good news about emotional intelligence is that, unlike IQ, it can be developed and increased throughout life.

In his book, Goleman says that the ABCs of emotional intelligence include “self-awareness, seeing the links between thoughts, feelings and reactions; knowing if thoughts or feelings are ruling a decision; seeing the consequences of alternative choices; and applying these insights to choices.”

Before moving on with this section some terms must be explained. [3]
Biofeedback is a form of alternative medicine that involves measuring a subject’s bodily processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, galvanic skin response (sweating), and muscle tension and conveying such information to him or her in real-time in order to raise his or her awareness and conscious control of the related physiological activities.
Neurofeedback (NFB), also called neurotherapy, neurobiofeedback or EEG biofeedback (EEGBF) is a therapy technique that presents the user with realtime feedback on brainwave activity, as measured by electrodes on the scalp, typically in the form of a video display, sound or vibration. The aim is to enable conscious control of brainwave activity. If brain activity changes in the direction desired by the therapist, a positive “reward” feedback is given to the individual, and if it regresses, either a negative feedback or no feedback is given (depending on the protocol).

Biofeedback researchers and practitioners are enthusiastic about the emergence of this new Biofeedback tool. Like Neurofeedback, Heart Rate Variability’s (HRV) simple technical name belies its power and importance in the rapidly evolving field of life, performance enhancement and longevity. However, its effectiveness is amplified even more when combined with Neurofeedback training. Heart rate variability is a measure of the naturally occurring beat-to-beat changes in heart rate, a powerful, non-invasive measure of autonomic nervous system function and an indicator of neurocardiac fitness. The heart and brain maintain a continuous two-way dialogue, with each influencing the other’s functioning. It is now known that the signals the heart sends the brain can influence perception, emotional processing, and higher cognitive functions.

Throughout history spirituals and philosophers have asserted that “when the heart enters the brain wisdom emerges”. Now, neurocardiology has demonstrated that there are physiological correlations for this ancient concept. Furthermore, these discoveries have been translated into a fascinating and enjoyable form of Biofeedback with enormous potential. Part of the reason for this potential is that people are attracted to the simple, common sense notion that there is something that can be done to assure that their thinking will be positively influenced by their hearts. Of course, heart represents one’s humanity, compassion, wisdom etc., but most people are keenly aware that feelings in the heart profoundly affects health.

With HRV hard science is being applied in order to achieve the physical and psychological objectives of improved health and enhancement of intelligence. And skillful HRV training is doing so by increasing EQ (Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman) and integrating all of that with attention and improved brain coherence. Using non technical language we can describe the process as follows: unhealthy stress causes thinking to become relatively incoherent and that correlates with incoherent brain wave activity. Incoherent (dysfunctional) brain wave activity leads to a decrease in general health and increases mistakes, lowering performance and enjoyment of life. This kind of dysfunctional thinking also influences the variability and coherence of EKG (heart rate) activity. The two dynamics then potentate each other leading to a downward spiral of quality of health and thinking.

Think about the biological implications for consciousness. For example, as said earlier, the heart has many “brain cells” of its own, and secretes many “brain chemicals” including two of the most important in life and performance enhancement – serotonin (critical in managing stress) and oxytocin (critical in enhancing relationships or “bonding”). Furthermore it has been demonstrated that as the heart rhythms become more coherent so do the brain rhythms, and as brain rhythms become more coherent, so does thinking. Coherent thinking in turn leads to enhanced creativity or more theta brain waves which are associated with bursts of insight – the “eureka” experience.
This is correlated with a saying from the Prophet Mohammed (SAAS), stating the following:

Whoever purifies (his intent) forty mornings for God’s sake, will come up with fountains of wisdom flowing from his heart to his tongue.
(Nahj al-Fasahah, saying # 3081)

مَنْ أخْلَصَ للَّهِِ أرْبَعِيْنَ صَبَاحَاً ظَهَرَتْ يَنَابِيْعُ الحِكْمَةِ مِنْ قَلْبِهِ عَلى لِسَانِهِ

In other words, if you perform all the compulsory sayings of God (i.e. praying correctly, not committing sins and performing good deeds… etc…) and keep your mouth closed (i.e. impede backbiting tongue) with good clean intent for forty days Allah will reward you by make your heart expose (new) knowledge; not knowing from where these information have originated from.

These rewarded sayings can be about science, moral issues and any other things.

An important thing worth mentioning is that the knowledge that one receives usually cannot exceed the individuals’s intellect. Another thing is that the worth of the information is equivalent to the person’s intention, the level of his faith and especially the weight of his good actions.
And the most important thing is that the knowledge is certainly not a theory but rather a useful fact. So if someone would claim to have been rewarded an information that turns out to be false, then let the person know that he or she has used his intellect through thinking to find it.

As you can see a link between the heart, brain and tongue does exist. Hence let’s analyze the saying of the 6th Imam – Imam Sadiq (AS):

The left and right ears

The heart possesses two ears (see the right/left atrium on the picture); the spirit of belief slowly invites him towards righteous deeds, while the Satan slowly invites him towards evil deeds. Therefore, whoever becomes victorious in this struggle takes over heart’s control.
(Imam Sadiq (AS) – Bihar al-Anwar vol. 70, p.53.

Let’s use this powerful saying from Sadiq (AS) for the person who is rewarded new knowledge from God.
It can be understood that this person has been successful in his daily tests, since his heart has for forty days been under the control of his victorious righteous deeds. This means that positive emotion (in his heart) is strengthened due to the execution of good deeds during forty days. Therefore, Allah rewards him by giving him new useful knowledge, i.e. the emotion (in the form of signals according to scientists) is transferred to the brain that leads in turn to the fact that the person’s tongue starts to narrate new information that correlate with useful facts.

Furthermore it has been demonstrated that as the heart rhythms become more coherent so do the brain rhythms, and as brain rhythms become more coherent, so does thinking. Coherent thinking in turn leads to enhanced creativity or more theta brain waves which are associated with bursts of insight – the “eureka” experience.

What if a person does the same good actions for less than forty days, will he then be rewarded new knowledge?
No, Imam Sadiq (AS) has been clear in that. The number 40 is a specific number that has been seen while the Prophet Moses (AS) endured the people of Israel for 40 years, the Prophet Jonah (AS) being kept in the belly of a whale…etc… where they all got rewarded by God after fassing these tests.
Since the answer was no that happens is that the signals (on positive emotion) from the heart, which demonstrate heart rhythms, become more coherent and are transferred to the brain so that these in turn make the brain rhythms become more coherent. It is the coherent of the brain rhythms that lead to a more effective thinking. Therefore, in this case, the person will expose sayings that may be fact or simply theory, since the sayings are originated by his own intellectual thinking and not granted by God. All this effective intellectual thinking is made possible to us thanks to the good deeds that the person has carried out.

Source:

1. Rosenfeld, S. A. Conversations Between Heart and Brain. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health, 1977; quote p. ii.
2. Bar-On, R. The era of the EQ: Defining and assessing emotional intelligence. Presented at the 104th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, 1996.
[3] http://www.mindfitness.com/imf/hrv.htm