Every day, emotions shape the path of our lives and influence our decision-making. Our emotional actions and reactions affect every aspect of who we are and how we live. Having control over our emotions enables us to pursue and achieve our goals. What is 'Emotional Intelligence'? First made popular in Daniel Goleman's book, Emotional Intelligence, this concept has heavily influenced how many psychologists understand emotional development and its effects on personal success. 'Emotional Intelligence' refers to our ability to manage our emotional mind with intelligence in every facet of life. In a very real way, our human intelligence affords us the ability to regulate our emotions. Every decision we make is directly influenced by our emotions—a specific part of the brain, the amygdala, handles all basic emotional reactions, such as fear and anger. The neocortex, or "thinking" part of the brain, allows us to fully comprehend situations—our reactions are the result of our unique and individual combination of "thinking" and "feeling". Our specific manner of comprehending situations dictates our subsequent reactions.