Social neuroscience studies have shown that the human brain is sociable by nature and that it instinctively receives signals from other brains. It is as though each person were “wired” to connect with each other. Not only that: the relationships that we have, shape our minds and influence our bodies. Social intelligence is the human ability to interact with other people, creating relationships based on listening, which can promote positive change in ourselves and in our relationship with others. It is the ability to interpret social situations, emotions and other people’s feelings correctly, and then act accordingly. The foundation of social intelligence is empathy, a precious ability which allows us to put ourselves in another person’s position and acquire a strong sense of their state of mind and of their feelings, whether they are positive or negative. Social intelligence has a profound impact on every aspect of our lives because it helps us to understand the world and it allows us to respond appropriately to other people’s behaviour. Since, as humans, we are purely social animals, we are biologically programmed to cooperate, to be altruistic and empathic. So, to be truly happy, knowing how to manage our emotions is not enough, we need to learn to relate to others and to get along with people. The more we are able to create connections with other people, the better. This is also due to the fact that the way we interact with our social environment has profound consequences on our mental and physical health. This is precisely why it is so important to train our social intelligence: this is the only way we can experience our relationships to the fullest – whatever their nature – and actively build a dialogue with other people.
