Unconventional smarts

Put on the market last January by Toronto-based Multi-Health Systems Inc., the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory - or Bar-On EQ-i - is the product of some 16 years of research by Reuven Bar-On, a clinical psychologist and a consultant to the Israel Defense Forces and other Israeli government ministries. The 133-question assessment is a leap toward quantifying and even enhancing emotional savvy. Bar-On defines emotional intelligence as an assortment of 15 different capabilities, competencies, and skills that influence one's ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures, and directly affect one's overall psychological well-being.