30 Best Books On Emotional Intelligence

Posted by Tisa Delillo on Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Having emotional intelligence skills helps people to respond to challenges, express emotions, and effectively interact with others. While this may come naturally to others, some do not know how to go about it. 

If you are looking for books to help you deal with stressful situations and learn how to empathize more, this post will be your guide. Below are some of the recommended books:

Table of Contents

30 Helpful Books On Emotional Intelligence 

1.    Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ- 

  • Authors: Daniel Goleman
  • First Published: January 1, 1995
  • Number of Pages: 352

In this book, Daniel Goleman provides startling new insights into the rational and emotional minds of people. Using groundbreaking brain and behavioral research, the author shows the factors at play when people of high IQ flounder and those of modest IQ do surprisingly well.

2.    Emotional Intelligence 2.0

  • Authors: Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
  • First Published: January 28, 2003
  • Number of Pages: 255

Bradberry and Greaves combined forces to help people increase their emotional intelligence by giving practical ways to identify their EQ skills, and build them into strengths. This book prepares the reader to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

Read Also: Trust The Process Quotes

3.    How to Win Friends and Influence People

  • Author: Dale Carnegie
  • First Published: October 1, 1936
  • Number of Pages: 288

This book’s popularity continues to soar decades after it was published. Dale Carnegie’s words keep pushing people to be the best versions of themselves both in business and their personal lives. He provides six ways to make people like you, 12 ways to win people to your thinking, and nine ways to change people without causing resentment.

4.    Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

  • Authors: Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
  • First Published: January 1, 2002
  • Number of Pages: 352

Daniel Goleman is back again but this time, he partners Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee to write about the consequences of emotional intelligence for leaders and organizations. They detailed how the reader can become a resonant leader and ignite outstanding performance in an organization.

5.    Thinking Fast and Slow

  • Author: Daniel Kahneman
  • First Published: October 25, 2011
  • Number of Pages: 499

Daniel Kahneman enlightens readers about the pros and cons of fast (system 1) and slow (system 2) thinking. His work helps people to identify situations and apply the right thinking approach to tackle challenges.

6.    Go Suck a Lemon: Strategies for Improving Your Emotional Intelligence

  • Author: Michael Cornwall
  • First Published: November 2, 2010
  • Number of Pages: 254

Michael Cornwall through his book provides readers with cognitive skill-building techniques to improve their intelligence.

7.    The Gifts of Imperfection

  • Author: Brene Brown
  • First Published: August 27, 2010
  • Number of Pages: 137

Brene Brown’s The Gifts of Imperfection is a book that hopes to improve the emotions of readers by encouraging them to embrace their flaws, celebrate their wins, and speak up when all isn’t well with them.

8.    Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t StopTalking

  • Author: Susan Cain
  • First Published: January 24, 2012
  • Number of Pages: 333

Susan Cain’s book is a nonfiction that hopes to change the way people view introverts. She talks about how much the world loses for undervaluing those who try as much as they can to avoid the spotlight. She also points out successful introverted people who have positively impacted society.

9.    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- Stephen R.  Covey

  • Author: Stephen R. Covey
  • First Published: January 1, 1989
  • Number of Pages: 372

This self-help book was an instant hit when it first got published. It is meant to help people navigate their lives correctly and to set them on the right course if they’ve gone the wrong way.

10.  Emotional Intelligence For Sales Success

  • Author: Colleen Stanley
  • First Published: January 1, 2012
  • Number of Pages: 224

Colleen through her book shows how sales success is tied to emotional intelligence. She offers tips on how to sharpen this skill.

11.  The Emotionally Intelligent Manager: How to Develop and Use the Four Key Emotional Skills of Leadership

  • Authors: David R. Caruso and Peter Salovey
  • First Published: January 1, 2004
  • Number of Pages: 320

Caruso and Salovey believe that it is not unprofessional to express emotion while on the job. In their book, they talked about the importance of emotions and how they help people make good decisions, solve problems, cope with change and success.

12.  At the Heart of Leadership: How To Get Results with Emotional Intelligence

  • Author: Joshua Freedman
  • First Published: 2013
  • Number of Pages: 144

This book demonstrates that leadership is accessible to millions globally, not just the privileged few. The Heart of Leadership serves as a guide for anyone who aspires to lead, to become a leader people want to follow, and to make a positive impact on their lives.

13.  Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child- John Gottman

  • Author: John Gottman
  • First Published: 1997
  • Number of Pages: 240

Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child is a guide that helps parents teach their children how to understand and manage their emotions effectively. According to John Gottman, mastering emotional intelligence can result in a range of benefits for children, including increased self-confidence, better physical health, improved academic performance, and healthier relationships with others. He provides parents with a five-step emotion coaching process.

14.  How to Raise a Child with a High EQ: A Parents’ Guide to Emotional Intelligence

  • Authors: Lawrence Shapiro
  • First Published: 1997
  • Number of Pages: 348

How to Raise a Child with a High EQ is a helpful guide for parents. It is filled with games, checklists, and practical techniques for parenting that will aid your child in coping with emotional stress, normal problems of growing up, and the challenges of modern times.

15.  The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success

  • Authors: Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book
  • First Published: 2000
  • Number of Pages: 304

Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book explain how emotional intelligence functions dynamically. By comprehending EQ, you can foster deeper connections, increase your self-assurance and positivity, and tackle difficulties with eagerness – all of which are fundamental components of achievement.

16.  The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings are Trying to Tell You

17.  The Emotional Life of Your Brain

  • Authors: Richard J. Davidson and Sharon Begley
  • First Published: March 1, 2012
  • Number of Pages: 304

Richard J. Davidson tells readers that everyone has an Emotional Style, composed of Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention. Where we fall on these six continuums determines our emotional fingerprint.
The Emotional Life of Your Brain offers a new model for treating conditions like autism and depression as it empowers us all to better understand ourselves–and live more meaningful lives.

18.  Dare to Lead

  • Authors: Brene Brown
  • First Published: October 16, 2018
  • Number of Pages: 332

“Leadership does not depend on titles, status, or authority over others. True leaders are those who take responsibility for identifying the potential in individuals and ideas, and then working to develop that potential. This is a book that can inspire anyone willing to step outside their comfort zone, choose courage over fear, and take on a leadership role to make a difference.”

19.  In My Heart: A Book of Feelings

  • Author: Jo Witek
  • First Published: 2014
  • Number of Pages: 28

This a children’s book with illustrations that enable them to practice and identify their emotions.

20.  EQ Applied: The Real-World Guide to Emotional Intelligence

  • Author: Justin Bariso
  • First Published: May 1, 2018
  • Number of Pages: 210

EQ Applied teaches the reader to control their emotional reactions, break bad habits, and escape emotional hijacks.

21.  Ruby Finds a Worry

  • Author: Tom Percival
  • First Published: July 18, 2018
  • Number of Pages: 32

This is another children’s book on emotional and mental health with a captivating storyline.

22.  Emotional Agility

  • Author: Susan David
  • First Published: 2016
  • Number of Pages: 288

Based on her extensive professional research and international consulting work, as well as her own experiences growing up in Apartheid-era South Africa and losing her father at a young age, David explains how anyone can develop greater emotional agility and thrive in an uncertain world.

23.  The Empathy Factor: Your Competitive Advantage for Personal, Team and Business Success

  • Author: Marie R. Miyashiro
  • First Published: 2011
  • Number of Pages: 256

This book explains the benefits of learning about and teaching empathy in the workplace, such as improved productivity, innovation, and profitability. Additionally, it offers a unique framework for leaders to meet the six universal needs of the organization while also respecting the needs of individual employees and customers.

24.  Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy

  • Authors: Dev Patnaik
  • First Published: December 23, 2008
  • Number of Pages: 251

Dev Patnaik explains how organizations can thrive by leveraging a power that we all possess: empathy. This is the ability to extend ourselves beyond our perspective and connect with others. When individuals within a company share a common understanding of the world around them, they can identify new opportunities more quickly than their rivals.

25.  The Language of Emotional Intelligence

  • Author: Jeane Segal
  • First Published: 1997
  • Number of Pages: 240

Dr. Jeanne Segal’s program guides you to use emotional intelligence tools to improve work, home, and life relationships.

26.  Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Leader

  • Author: Christian D. Connors
  • First Published: May 5, 2020
  • Number of Pages: 210

This guide is designed to teach you the key aspects of high emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership. You will learn how to develop self-awareness, empathy, and other useful skills through a series of simple exercises. Additionally, you will discover how successful leaders have utilized emotional intelligence to achieve their goals.

27.  Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

  • Authors: Chip Heath and Dan Heath
  • First Published: February 16, 2010
  • Number of Pages: 305

The Heaths present a captivating narrative that incorporates years of research in psychology, sociology, and other related fields. They reveal new insights into how we can bring about significant changes by uniting our minds. The authors illustrate how ordinary individuals, such as employees, managers, parents, and nurses, have harnessed the power of collective thinking to achieve remarkable outcomes.

28.  The Invisible Boy

  • Author: Trudy Ludwig
  • First Published: October 8, 2013
  • Number of Pages: 32

This children’s book tells the story of Brian who nobody ever seems to notice or think to include him in their group. Justin, the new boy, arrives, and Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. They both team up to work on a class project together.

29.  Master Your Emotions

  • Author: Thibaut Meurisse
  • First Published: 2018
  • Number of Pages: 217

It is a book about understanding how negative feelings and emotions work. Then learning how to reprogram those emotions and turn them around.

30.  Your Brain at Work

  • Author: David Rock
  • First Published: October 1, 2009
  • Number of Pages: 246

David Rock explores two characters Emily and Paul to show readers how the brain works. The book teaches people how to succeed and survive in an overwhelming work environment.

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