What You See First In This Visual Test Reveals How Emotionally Intelligent You Are
Some people are better able to understand and deal with feelings than others.
Shutterstock / Max4e Photo There are different kinds of intelligence, and this visual personality test reveals how emotionally intelligent you are.
Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman explains that there are four key elements of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, and empathy. More broadly, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and be aware of emotions in yourself and others. Being emotionally intelligent means knowing that you're expected to hug someone who is crying, not yell at them; or recognizing that the real reason you got so mad at your friend was that you were hungry, not that they did anything wrong.
So how about you? Are you emotionally intelligent, or do you spend your days having tantrums or wondering why people act the way they do. It's hard to be objective enough about yourself to really know for sure, and that's where this personality test comes into play.
This easy visual personality test reveals how emotionally intelligent you are (or are not).
Just look at the optical illusion image below and pay close attention to the first thing in the image that catches your eye. Once you're done, scroll down to find out how emotionally intelligent you are.
1. If you saw the grass first...
If you saw the grass first, you're the kind of person who cares deeply about the people in their lives. But, heaven help you, sometimes it's difficult for you to see the forest for the trees.
You aren't generally that emotionally intelligent, but you're never afraid to ask for help from those around you when you need it or when you fear you've strayed from the path and potentially hurt someone else's feelings.
2. If you saw the girl first...
If you saw the girl first, you're the kind of person who puts the feelings, thoughts, and problems of others well before you own needs and concerns.
It's great to be selfless, and people definitely rely on your emotional intelligence (sharp as a knife) to help them sort out their own emotional issues. But if you aren't very careful, you'll find yourself feeling exhausted and depleted by how often your super skills are called into action.
3. If you saw the mirror first...
If you saw the mirror first, you're the kind of person who is in the possession of tremendous emotional intelligence. But there's a problem: you tend to make all of your insights about you.
If you notice someone's sad, it's usually because you assume you've done something wrong. If someone is angry, it's got to be because you made them mad. You're great at reading emotions, but it takes work for you to successfully track them to their source.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a freelance writer, editor, former Senior Editor of Pop Culture at Newsweek, and former Senior Staff Writer for YourTango. She has a passion for lifestyle, geek news, and true crime topics. Her bylines have appeared on Fatherly, Bustle, SheKnows, Jezebel, and many others.