Emotions matter. They impact learning, decision making, relationships, well being and mental health, and our overall effectiveness. In this presentation, I will discuss the ways in which emotional intelligence training can enhance children’s and adult’s lives. I will discuss the five key emotional intelligence skills of recognizing emotions in oneself and others, understanding the causes and consequences of emotions, labeling emotions using a sophisticated vocabulary, expressing emotions in socially appropriate ways, and regulating emotions to achieve one’s goals. I also will discuss how RULER, our center’s evidence-based approach to teaching emotional intelligence (1) fosters emotional intelligence skills, (2) improves academic performance, (3) enhances well being, (4) reduces bullying, and (5) enhances classroom and school climate.
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Senior Research Scientist in Psychology, and Faculty Fellow in the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and Social Policy at Yale University. Dr. Brackett is an author on over 100 scholarly publications which focus on (1) the role of emotions in learning, decision making, relationship quality, and mental health, (2) the measurement of emotional intelligence, and (3) experiments to demonstrate how emotional intelligence training improves peoples lives. Dr. Brackett is the developer of RULERa CASEL SELect social and emotional learning program that has reached nearly 1 million students from kindergarten to high school as well as school leaders, teachers, staff, and families. RULER has been shown to boost academic performance, decrease school problems, enrich classroom climates, and enhance teacher instructional practices. Dr. Brackett is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Joseph E. Zins Award for his research on emotional intelligence, and he serves on a wide-range of advisory boards, including CASEL and Lady Gagas Born This Way Foundation. Dr. Brackett consults with school systems and corporations around the world and his research has been featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. Currently, he consults with Facebook on two projects. The first is a large-scale study to prevent and decrease bullying and the second is an online bullying prevention center to help children, families, and schools better manage bullying. He also holds a 5th degree black belt in Hapkido, a Korean martial art.