Perceiving emotions

Perceiving emotions is the base of the emotional intelligence pyramid. Without the ability to accurately perceive and identify emotions in physical states (including body expressions) and thoughts, none of the other skills can be developed. However, the ability to tell the difference between real and false emotions is considered an especially sophisticated perceiving ability when we are able to identify emotions in stimuli such as artwork and music using cues such as sound, appearance, and colors.

How can we begin to develop and improve the ability to perceive emotions? You can always begin by identifying your emotions. To identify your emotions, it is helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I know what am I feeling now?
2. Can I label it, correctly?
3. Do I know what am I feeling now?
4. Do I feel this way often?
5. At this time, is it appropriate to feel the way I feel?
6. Did I properly express my feelings to others?

In identifying emotions in others, be aware of the following set of cues:

• Look for facial expressions. Does their smile reflect what is going on with their eyes?
• Be aware of tone, pitch, and pace in their voices. Are their voice and words consistent or inconsistent?
• Look at the body language. Please note, that identifying only one cue can be misleading, that is why we strongly advise to always search for a set of three clues: body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.