Wednesday, April 23, 2014

John D Mayer: "Personal Intelligence: The Power of Personality and How it Shapes Our Lives" | Talks at Google


Psychologist John D Mayer, co-founder of the emotional intelligence theory, stopped by Google recently to discuss his new book, Personal Intelligence: The Power of Personality and How It Shapes Our Lives.

John Mayer, "Personal Intelligence: The Power of Personality and How it Shapes Our Lives" | Talks at Google

Published on Apr 18, 2014


Book: Personal Intelligence: The Power of Personality and How It Shapes Our Lives

John D. Mayer, the renowned psychologist who co-developed the groundbreaking theory of emotional intelligence, now draws on decades of research to introduce another paradigm-shifting idea: that in order to become our best selves, we use an even broader intelligence—which he calls personal intelligence—to understand our own personality and the personalities of the people around us.

In "Personal Intelligence," Mayer explains that we are naturally curious about the motivations and inner worlds of the people we interact with every day. Some of us are talented at perceiving what makes our friends, family, and coworkers tick. Some of us are less so. Mayer reveals why, and shows how the most gifted "readers" among us have developed "high personal intelligence." Mayer's theory of personal intelligence brings together a diverse set of findings—previously regarded as unrelated—that show how much variety there is in our ability to read other people's faces; to accurately weigh the choices we are presented with in relationships, work, and family life; and to judge whether our personal life goals conflict or go together well. He persuasively argues that our capacity to problem-solve in these varied areas forms a unitary skill.

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