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With the changing times and the importance of mental health at the forefront of our minds, the significance of emotions and their impact on everyday life (work, school, relationships, etc.) is a noteworthy conversation to have. The best way to start that conversation is, of course, with Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence is a term that wasn’t present in anything I was taught growing up, but the term is important in almost, I dare to say, every aspect of life, especially during contemporary times, with the importance of mental health being on everyone’s radar after COVID. Emotional Intelligence (EI for short) is defined as a set of skills that help to accurately name emotions you yourself or others might be feeling and being able to regulate said emotions in yourself/others.

Understanding EI from that definition is easier said than done but luckily, there is a more simple way to understand EI. EI is formed by four basic clusters which are as follows:

1.Identifying emotions in yourself and in others, through verbal/nonverbal means

2. Understanding how emotion vocabulary gets used, how emotions transition over time (How anger may lead to embarrassment/shame and how that leads to you making an impulsive choice

3. Emotional management which includes not only managing your own emotions but others

4. Using emotions in cognitive activities like solving a problem or making a decision

EI does not come naturally for some, and that is largely because EI is a skill. Like riding a bike is a skill, we learn, cultivate, and improve on our skills as we grow, and this is undoubtedly true for EI as we learn to listen to what our emotions are telling us. Emotions are information that helps us understand a situation we are in and how we perceive that situation. By processing the information and data provided by emotions, a person can make a better decision in a plethora of moments/situations and avoid acting impulsively.

EI is so important to understand in contemporary times because of the plethora of correlations one can make in regards to many subjects, mental health being a notable example. Those who have a good set of emotional intelligence skills are healthier, happier, and more productive. EI can also predict outcomes in school (how well you work in a group) and the workplace (whether you’ll get a promotion or how you handle situations). As seen in a study, those with EI skills can elicit information, and strangers even rated interactions with those having good EI skills as more pleasant.

With all that being said here is one exceptional way to, sooner than later, improve your emotional intelligence skills- extend your emotional vocabulary. By having emotional granularity (precise labeling of emotions) a person can have less serious bouts of anxiety and depression. In a 2015 review of emotional granularity those “who could differentiate their emotions while experiencing intense distress were less likely to engage in potentially harmful coping strategies.” (McCoy 28).

If you would like to find out more about EI and how to improve your EI skill check out our issue of Psychology Today (the specific issue this month is on Emotional Intelligence) and some of our audiobooks/books (such as Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman) in our collection about EI.

Brackett, Marc, McCoy, Katrina, . “The Art of Emotional Intelligence.” Psychology Today, Vol. 57. No.2, April 2024, pp. 26-30 

When I first adopted my cat, I was of the opinion like many that cats would be les social and more independent than dogs. While this may be true in some cases, this is a misconception, and I first noticed it when getting to know my own cat. In cat psychology (Yes, it is a real brand of psychology) one can see that when compared to dogs and infants, cats are not all that different. One aspect that has been studied to explain why a cat’s behavior is commonly seen as aloof/cold, while a dog is happier/caring is their sociability. 

“One of these studies was basically looking at the sociability of cats, and we ran basically the exact same experiment that had already been done with dogs and we look at how a cat reacts to a person, how long they’re going to spend near to them, and we saw that cats spent basically equivalent amounts of times with people as we saw with the dogs.” (Vitale, 2024, 2:35) 

The results between cats and dogs didn’t show any large discrepancies. There were cats that spent a lot of time near/with a person, while some fell in the middle and others spent no time at all with a person. These results were consistent in dogs, considering that all dogs are not hyper-social, contrary to popular belief.  

Through this study, people can see that the attachment a dog/cat portrays for their owner is the same type of attachment styles that infants portray for their caregiver. Another aspect that is important for those thinking of adopting a kitten is that there is a certain age period where socialization is important. If you want to help ease future social anxiety for your cat when being introduced to other animals or new people, you should try to introduce them to different social interactions (dogs, other cats, people) in-between two-to-eight weeks of age.  

Another fun fact about a cats sociability is their ability to be sensitive to social cues which in turn can cause them to mark socially important areas with their scent. This can be a reason why your cat, if like mine, continually scratches at your couch day after day.  

“cats like to scent mark around socially important areas. So, the couch is a perfect example. Everyone’s hanging out on the couch. There’s a lot of smells on the couch. So, the cat’s just trying to add their smell to this socially important area by scratching” (Vitale, 2024, 19:35) 

In case you’re wondering how to stop your cat from scratching at your couch, Vitale says to place a scratching post/cat tree in a socially important area, so your cat doesn’t feel left out. 

For more information on the psychology of cats please check out our databases and check out the particular podcast episode, Speaking of Psychology: “What’s going on inside your cat’s head? With Kristyn Vitale, PhD” 

Extra information from our own catalogue- Changes in sociability of shelter cats, Decoding Your Cat, and more!

Resources 

Mills, Kim, Host. Vitale, Kristyn, Researcher “What’s going on inside your cat’s head?”.” Speaking of Psychology, 275, American Psychological Association, February 2024, https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/cat-human-bond.   

by Dennis Schatz & Andrew Fraknoi, Astronomers/Educators

“On April 8, 2024, there will be a spectacular total eclipse of the Sun, visible on a narrow path that stretches from western Mexico through Texas, and then northeastward toward New York, New England and eastern Canada. In such a total eclipse, the Moon exactly covers the Sun, and our star’s faint atmosphere (the corona) becomes visible. Everyone else in North and Central America will see a partial eclipse of the Sun, with a bigger “bite” taken out of the Sun the closer you are to the path of the total eclipse. If you are on the path, when only a sliver of sunlight remains visible, your surroundings will begin to darken, as if the Sun were setting in the middle of the day. Temperatures will drop and birds will go to roost, thinking that night is coming. Finally, the Sun will be totally covered and the beautiful solar atmosphere (the corona) will become visible. Totality will last four minutes or less and then the Sun will slowly be uncovered.”

Eclipse Links:

Another year, and another chapter closes in the story of Moraine Valley Library Pumpkin Contest. There were a number of amazing pumpkins that ranged in themes from environmental, to pop culture. While all of them successfully fundraised for Moraine Valley student scholarships, one pumpkin caused laughter from nearly every student who passed it, and regret from those who did not purchase it. We will miss you, DoodleBob Pumpkin. Enjoy your new home. ME HOY MINOY!

Sights and Sounds of a Spooky Season

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The Spooky season is upon us! Check out scary movies and frightful music available for free on Hoopla.

Create your free account using your MVCC email. Select Moraine Valley Community College as your library and use your MVCC username in place of a library card #.

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