Researchers have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and abilities to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships." – John Gottman Emotional intelligence (EI), sometimes referred to as one’s emotional quotient (EQ), refers to the ability to perceive, evaluate, monitor and control one’s emotional state. It refers also to the social intelligence involved in deciphering other people’s emotional states as well as the ability to influence them. The term “emotional intelligence” first appeared in the 1960s. Two major researchers on the subject, Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, have defined emotional intelligence as, “the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions" (1990). Many researchers agree that while any given person may possess an innate level of emotional intelligence, steps can be taken to further emotional awareness, producing positive outcomes on multiple levels.