# Emotional Intelligence **Domain:** Cognition / Emotion / Self-Knowledge **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Emotional intelligence is the capacity to perceive, interpret, regulate, and use emotional information in thought, conduct, and relationships. ## Mechanism and Significance Emotion can signal needs, values, threats, attachments, and conflicts. Intelligence grows when those signals are examined alongside evidence rather than either obeyed automatically or dismissed as defects. ## Evidence Boundary Emotions carry information without being infallible conclusions. Their meaning depends on context, history, physiology, and interpretation. ## Relationships [[wiki/Affective-Symbolic Systems|affective-symbolic systems]] · [[wiki/Embodied Cognition|Embodied Cognition]] · [[wiki/Metacognition|Metacognition]] · [[wiki/Behavioral Signal|Behavioral Signal]] ## Related Articles and Collections - [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - [[articles/Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity|Analog Cognition and the Architecture of Continuity]] - [[articles/Thank You for Your Attention to This Matter!|Thank You for Your Attention to This Matter!]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Emotions are part of total intelligence. Anger, upset, and inner turmoil carry information about what matters. Treating feelings as broken parts silences an important voice.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Identity Beyond Confidence and Social Agreement, Part 2 - Livestream (Apr 2016)* [[reminders/Consciousness/Emotions Are Part of Total Intelligence by Bryant McGill|Emotions Are Part of Total Intelligence by Bryant McGill]]