Social Intelligence

Social intelligence can be described a an individual's proficiency at social skills and behaviors. Colloquial terms for social intelligence include 'street smarts' and 'common sense.' This type of intelligence is different that the type measured by IQ tests. Social intelligence is mostly influenced by environmental factors and is developed from past experiences with other people in the environment.

Verbal and communication skills are very important for having high social intelligence.

Being able to effectively communicate with a wide range of people in various settings is an indicator of proficient social intelligence. Behaving appropriately in social settings is also an important quality which includes knowledge of social norms and rules. Being a good listener is another integral component of social intelligence.

Social intelligence is correlated with emotional intelligence in that it is important to be able to read others' emotions and feel empathy for other people. Social intelligence is a developed and learned skill that can be improved by an individual taking action and working on their social skills.