Emotional intelligence, or EQ, refers to a person's ability to recognize, understand, manage, and reason with emotions. It is a critical skill when it comes to interpersonal communication in both personal and professional environments. The term was originally coined by psychologists in the 1990s and became a buzz word in the business world in 1995 when Daniel Goleman wrote Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ. Goreman argues that EQ could be more important than IQ at predicting success in life, and that these emotional competencies play a particularly important role in the workplace.