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Columnist discusses emotional intelligence

Audience members watch a live stream of David Brook's speech while in a classroom in the Kenan Business Center on Jan 24. Three classrooms were used to hold overflow audience after the 388-seat Koury Auditorium reached maximum capacity in advance of the free lecture.
Audience members watch a live stream of David Brook's speech while in a classroom in the Kenan Business Center on Jan 24. Three classrooms were used to hold overflow audience after the 388-seat Koury Auditorium reached maximum capacity in advance of the free lecture.

Famed New York Times columnist David Brooks deviated from his day job as a political commentator Monday night to discuss what he called the “squishy” side of human capital: emotional intelligence.

Brooks addressed a capacity audience of more than 450 at Koury Auditorium in the Kenan-Flagler Business School as a part of the annual Weatherspoon Lecture series.

The series allows the business school to host a lecturer each year, with the purpose of enriching the professional lives of those in the University community.

Throughout his lecture, Brooks stressed a different way of weighing success — by valuing emotional intelligence over rational intelligence.

“Coming to hear me talk about emotions is like listening to Gandhi speak about gluttony,” Brooks joked. “But we are primarily products of our emotions, and we are primarily products of things happening below the levels of our awareness.”

Brooks received $35,000 for the talk through a gift from Van and Kay Weatherspoon. Last year, Vicente Fox, the former president of Mexico, delivered the speech.

Brooks argued cultivating a strong emotional intelligence begins at infancy. He added the pivotal moment in emotional maturity occurs when people take control of their lives and place themselves in a new, more constructive environment.

“We’re really good at talking about individuals but bad at talking about the quality of our relationships with people,” he said.

Backing his arguments with statistics from psychological studies and cognitive research, Brooks spoke about his new book, “The Social Animal,” which focuses on the mind and its development.

Though the lecture lacked the in-depth political analysis which came with his on-campus talk in 2008, Brooks did discuss the implications of emotional intelligence on the political sphere. The “us versus them” mentality of Congress, Brooks said, is a by-product of a lack of social connection.

“They are never there,” he said, intertwining his fingers for emphasis. “This is the dynamic of partisanship in Congress. They are caught in a dynamic where party loyalty and loyalty to the team matters most.”

Attendee Louanne Watley said she respects Brooks even though she does not always agree with his political views.

“He’s fair, and I think he sees the big picture,” she said.

“He’s what I call a kind Republican.”

Senior Stephen Kennedy said he wondered what effect a model based on emotional intelligence would have on institutions like the business school, where students compete fiercely for the best grades.

“He has a pulse on the actual mood of the country, which I appreciate,” Kennedy said.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.

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