Are you Socially Intelligent?

It is not enough to be intelligent, or even emotionally intelligent. The rules of the game have changed: we also have to be socially intelligent. So concludes Dr. Daniel Goleman, the bestselling author who first coaxed the idea of emotional intelligence into public consciousness. In his recent book, "Social Intelligence," Goleman presents a manifesto for a more compassionate, more socially interconnected, world. Mirror neurons -- the special brain cells that allow us to empathize and "catch" each other's emotions -- mean that human beings can wield great emotional power over others. Goleman finds this troublesome: "Mirror neurons make us far more neurally connected than we ever knew; this creates a pathway for emotional contagion. If you really care about people, it gives a new spin to the term social responsibility: what emotional states are you creating in the people you're with?"

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