“What really matters for success, character, happiness and lifelong achievements is a definite set of emotional skills – your EQ – not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests.” Do you agree with this view? Give reasons in support of your answer.

Both EQ and IQ play important roles in our lives. While cognitive abilities remain vital in many domains, emotional intelligence provides the critical human skills for thriving.

Success: IQ helps in academic and technical feats like solving complex problems. But EQ drives the perseverance, motivation and people skills needed to excel in careers and leadership. Steve Jobs succeeded through vision and ambition – EQ strengths.

Character: IQ aids ethical analysis but EQ traits like empathy, integrity and compassion shape one’s character. Nelson Mandela’s magnanimity in fighting apartheid showed tremendous character forged by EQ.

Happiness: IQ enables analysing ideas but happiness comes from emotional factors – relationships, gratitude, resilience and self-awareness. Dalai Lama highlights compassion as the key to true and lasting happiness.Lifelong Achievement: While IQ can help strategize goals, EQ provides the persistence to follow through over decades. Pioneering scientist Marie Curie’s lifetime dedication to research was fuelled by passion – an EQ trait.

For fulfilling achievement in all aspects of life, both forms of intelligence are vital – IQ gives the means but EQ provides the meaning. Developing emotional skills to complement our cognitive tools is essential for leading a wise, balanced and impactful life.