The Social Side of Emotional Intelligence: Bad Habits to Avoid

Recent studies show likability can be traced back to a few social skills such as sincerity, transparency, and understanding. According to Travis Bradberry, author of the best-selling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0, people with high emotional intelligence often possess such skills. They also tend to avoid the following bad behaviors, which can make you unlikeable:

• Humble-bragging and self-deprecation
• Being too serious or unsociable
• Not asking enough questions during a conversation
• Emotional instability, e.g., throwing things, screaming, etc.
• Using your phone while interacting with people
• Name-dropping to seem important or interesting
• Gossiping
• Being close-minded
• Over-sharing personal information or problems

“When you build your awareness of how your actions are received by other people, you pave the way to becoming more likable,” wrote Bradberry.— Adapted from “7 Things Wildly Successful People Do Before 7:30 A.M.,” by Travis Bradberry, Forbes.com, Jan. 24, 2017.