Sebastiaan ter Burg/Flickr Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify and manage your and others' emotions. Research suggests that high EQ helps people succeed at work and in relationships. There are plenty of easy ways to improve your EQ right away. For example: Learn what sets you off, assign specific names to your emotions, and give people the benefit of the doubt. The term "emotional intelligence" dates back to a scientific paper published in 1990 — but interest in the topic didn't explode until psychologist and former New York Times reporter Daniel Goleman wrote a book about it a few years later. Emotional intelligence (sometimes known as EQ) is the ability to identify and manage emotions — your own and other people's.