Social intelligence is a matter of primary needs and human nature: being in a relationship. Neuroscience has discovered that our brain’s very design makes it sociable, and it is inexorably drawn into an intimate brain-to-brain linkup whenever we engage with another person. People are drawn towards relationships and social intelligence reflects whether we are capable of creating, nurturing, maintaining and growing interpersonal relationships, either in a family or work environment.
Social intelligence is a combination of skills that are needed for interacting successfully with people, and a combination of abilities to understand people. It comes from social awareness. Simply put, social intelligence is the ability to get along with other people.
Social intelligence is a measure of self-awareness and social awareness that involves social attitudes and beliefs. People with well-developed social intelligence can manage complex social changes in their lives and they can adapt to different stressful events.
Social intelligence can be thought of as encompassing four dimensions:
Awareness - Social awareness means that a person has knowledge of what is going on in society. It is the ability to understand social contexts (which consist of social situations). When a person is aware of a situation, they can choose the appropriate behavior.
Presence - This characteristic relates to how an individual’s sense of self reflects outwards and how it is experienced by other people. People who are confident, who respect and value themselves, also reflect these qualities outwardly and that is how other people experience them when they come into contact with them.
Authenticity - A person with this quality reflects sincerity and loyalty, and acts in such a way as to give the impression of credibility and trustworthiness. It is the quality of being authentic or genuine.
Empathy - This is the ability to put oneself in somebody else’s shoes, to understand them and their feelings. Empathy is very important in a relationship because people use it to connect, to help and encourage one another, and to be effective and authentic.
As human beings, we connect through shared values, experiences and beliefs. From political preferences, education choices and down to our favorite shops, we gravitate towards those with whom we have something in common. In times of crisis, like COVID 19 pandemic, we share concerns around trust, communication, engagement, and support. Such “people skills” named also life skills are essential in overcoming these concerns, by exploring the relationships between the construct of social intelligence composites of self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, and stress management during a time of crisis.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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