Professionalism hinges on a fine balance of all sorts – cognitive, emotional and social. That’s why, all workplaces are fenced by invisible codes of conduct. Still, it’s amazing how, emotions seep into all professional situations & scenarios and work beneath all the sophisticated moves, impacting their outcomes. It’s a reality, and that’s why it is important for every professional to pay heed to the caveat of emotional transgressions, often termed as moods.
Yes, whenever an emotion comes into our mind, while leaving, it increases the probability of similar emotions – leaving us vulnerable towards a comeback of such emotions. This is especially true in case of negative emotions. Well, before we discuss it in some details, watch this video to get the gist of what we are discussing, why it is important, and how it has relevance in professional as well as personal context…
You heard it right! Brain doesn’t have an F5 (refresh) button. Every emotion leaves its traces. As video discussed, the rationale behind this point is rooted in neuroscience. If we will look at our brain then we will find that whenever we feel an emotion – especially a negative one – then even after the conscious feeling of the emotion has passed, a residual activity of that emotion still keeps lingering in its brain circuits and we pass into an irritable mood – proneness to a negative emotion – which is actually a reflection of the remaining traces of the emotion that has passed. In general terms, we call it mood – a state of enhanced readiness to experience a certain emotion.
This ‘mood’, as an intrapersonal construct, impacts our interpersonal interactions and their outcomes. For instance, if a person is in a disturbed mood due to what transpired in the domain of personal relationships, there is a high probability that in the professional domain, while doing any emotionally taxing task, they will get reactive or impulsive. In such case, getting it out of one’s system through taking a break, discussing or reappraisal is the only way to cleanse those emotional traces. Well, to acknowledge this fact, track one’s state and do the needful, social & emotional intelligence is required.
This ‘emotional & social intelligence’ is a function of one’s awareness of the ‘design and function of human brain’ blended with psychological concepts. This coming together of applied neuroscience and behavioral science sets the foundation for developing emotional & social intelligence – the skill of managing self and connecting with others. Yes, it is a skill that can be learnt, practiced and mastered. However, it all begins with some important realizations like…‘Every emotion leaves its traces’.
Dr. Sandeep Atre
‘Emotional & Social Intelligence’ Expert
Founder – Socialigence
Note: Socialigence (www.socialigence.net) offers self-paced video-based online course on ‘Social & Emotional Intelligence’ with content that has relevance across the globe, and delivery specifically customized according to the work-scenarios in India.