I read “Social Intelligence” (which I think was meant to be a sequel to this one) many years ago, and then it inspired me so much that I decided to go to grad school in cognitive neuroscience (which didn’t last for a variety of reasons–it was my last stop on the way to deciding on naturopathic medical school). But I’d never picked this one up before. As I was studying AI and how synthetic emotion differed from human emotion, I finally gave it a listen.
I think, had I listened to this all those years ago too, I’d have loved it. Now, though, I’ve read so many books on the research into emotion that I really can’t think of a single stand-out takeaway from this book that I hadn’t already read somewhere else. I certainly was impressed again with the idea that one’s success in life (certainly socially and relationally, but also in career and maybe even in happiness) has a great deal to do with how well we can not only read others’ emotions, but also respond to them appropriately. I winced at some of the chapters depicting socially awkward children, and the impact this awkwardness can have upon their present happiness and future prospects. (A few people I knew growing up immediately came to mind.) Some of the studies designed to coach socially awkward children are very promising, and I hope they will become widespread.
My rating: ****
Language: none
Sexual content: none
Violence: none
Political content: none
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