Okay, I was prepared to get drowsy as I opened this book. The subject of social intelligence intrigued me, but books like this can be so chock-full of scientific jargon that your eyes cross before you've finished the first half dozen pages. But what Goleman offers is a highly readable text, revealing much about the brain's role in our social interactions - from the most simple to the more complex. He cites numerous experimental studies that help the reader draw clear conclusions amid the complicated neurological reactions set off in our brains as we interact socially. The book increased my awareness of how I operate in similar situations.
If you're interested in increasing your awareness and looking at how you operate, you may also be interested in Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Can Instantaneously Transform Your Life, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' no-nonsense approach to self-discovery debunks the myth that setting copious goals, making resolutions and being hard on yourself is the way to a better life. Instead, the book shows how transforming your life can be as simple as seeing how you do what you do. The authors also have a great web site with a lot of helpful content, including podcasts and downloads of their weekly radio show called "Being There."

Okay, I was prepared to get drowsy as I opened this book. The subject of social intelligence intrigued me, but books like this can be so chock-full of scientific jargon that your eyes cross before you've finished the first half dozen pages. But what Goleman offers is a highly readable text, revealing much about the brain's role in our social interactions - from the most simple to the more complex. He cites numerous experimental studies that help the reader draw clear conclusions amid the complicated neurological reactions set off in our brains as we interact socially. The book increased my awareness of how I operate in similar situations.
If you're interested in increasing your awareness and looking at how you operate, you may also be interested in Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Can Instantaneously Transform Your Life, by Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes' no-nonsense approach to self-discovery debunks the myth that setting copious goals, making resolutions and being hard on yourself is the way to a better life. Instead, the book shows how transforming your life can be as simple as seeing how you do what you do. The authors also have a great web site with a lot of helpful content, including podcasts and downloads of their weekly radio show called "Being Here."

Social Intelligence is an interesting and readable book that showcases Goleman's (a former journalist) fluid and thought-provoking writing style. The theory the book is based on is essentially a microcosm of emotional intelligence, which makes the overall book not as earth shattering as his landarm tome in 1995. It's still a fun journey and an enjoyable read if you like these types of books.

While these sort of books may not be to everyones taste, I found them to be 'intoxicating'. This book has certainly broadened my outlook on life. I would commend this book to anyone who wants have a better understanding of how their life and everybody elses lives fit together.

For Goleman fans, who seek an in-depth coverage of the scientific
research behind social intelligence, this book will satisfy. It can be an essential resource for researchers and human development practitioners, but may have less appeal for those seeking a more applied, "how-to" explanation. Goleman provides lots of scientific tidbits, but little advice on how to actually describe, assess, or teach social intelligence as a set of practical competencies. As with his first book, "Emotional Intelligence: Why It May Be More Important than IQ," educators and business users will find it necessary to develop their own methods for application.

It's worth noting that this book was published a year after the publication of Dr. Karl Albrecht's book, "Social Intelligence: the New Science of Success." Albrecht's book offers a more practical, "street level" treatment of the subject, with a five-point descriptive model of social intelligence, ("S.P.A.C.E.," which stands for Situational Awareness, Presence, Authenticity, Clarity, and Empathy) and a primary focus on how those dimensions can be measured and developed.

Recommendation: read both books.

Daniel Goleman's book, "Social Intelligence- The New Science of Human Relationships", is a thought-provoking, analytical immersion in how people interact with one another on a daily basis. Goleman is perhaps widely recognized for his earlier success when he wrote about a similar theme in his previous book Emotional Intelligence.

Goleman's theories are intellectually stimulating and applicable in daily living. Case by case, the author is thoroughly able to prove his hypothesis- that healthy human interaction is directly connected to well being, tranquility, and a general sense of happiness. Goleman writes in depth about social awareness and social facility. He states that social awareness is possible by "instantaneously sensing another's inner state" and that this awareness itself can lead to mutually satisfying communication. As we live our daily lives, our social interactions, both with strangers and those within our familiar circle can grow richer and easier each and every day, as long as we remain socially `aware'.

Goleman's insights remind me of two of my favorite authors Ariel and Shya Kane. The Kanes have written two wonderful and inspiring books entitled Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenmentand Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation. Both books are full of incredible and insightful examples of how their friends and family members were able to attain well being and satisfaction in their lives by simply developing self awareness and awareness of others. Their technique is called Instantaneous Transformation. It's easy to understand and apply in your daily life- and the results are really instantaneous! In one of my favorite passages in Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation, the Kanes define awareness as "a non-judgmental witnessing, viewing or seeing of yourself and how you interact with your life." Imagine living a life that is free of judgment- that you could actually allow yourself to interact with others without the need to hide behind societal labels? Imagine living your life with free and easy communication- and interacting with your life exactly as it shows up without predetermined preferences! The Kanes offer numerous insights on how to make all of the above possible.

The Kanes' books allows for practical application that seems to nicely compliment Goleman's theories. I highly recommend that you read all three books as companion pieces.

Dr. Goleman writes a compelling book, filled with interesting findings. We learn that we are predisposed to connect with others, and the role of the brain, dopamines etc. in our relationships. I loved reading about how our emotions are involved in our relationships. Any reader who is interested in social neuroscience, should read this book. As I am a great fan of Rosalene Glickman's philosophy "The purpose of relationships is to be our best self regardless of the circumstances", I recommend Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self. Read both books!

This book has some interesting new ideas, spread thinly among pages of personal anecdotes and wishy-washy prose. The part that really killed it for me was where Goleman casually dismisses Richard Dawkins' "Selfish Gene" theory with an explanation "it works in some cases, but here's what I think is _really_ going on..." Way to tackle an argument buddy.

You will understand less after reading this book.

In 1995, as an officer in the US Submarine force, I read Goleman's first book - "Emotional Intelligence". It was an eye-opener for someone in a leadership role operating under unusual and extremely stressful conditions. None of my military leadership training, nor any of my mentors in the military, had prepared me for leading people on an emotional level.

Naturally, Goleman's most recent book strikes a similar chord. Whether it's a social, business or casual interaction, this book explains many of the fundamental dynamics of the human brain when interacting with another person. While much of it seems intuitive, and many of the referenced sytudies have been cited in other works, this book packages it all together rather nicely. Fans of the Cameron Diaz/Ben Stiller movie "There's Something About Mary" will even recognize a scientific correlation to the famed "don't go out with a loaded gun" discussion. (No, not the unconventional hair gel, but the condition of the male brain after the fact.)

Combined with "The Tipping Point", this book makes the required reference library for any marketeer.

I have listened to the taped version of this book and I must admit it was hard to turn it off each morning and evening when I had reached my destinations. There was such intense revelations within the prose of this book again again... I found myself being validated again and again. I am in the medical field and I deal with patients every day. Being a Nurse Practitioner and not a physician I am constantly being told how I am not dealing with the patients in this difficult correctional setting like I should be, detatched and scientific. I have been recognized by the jail administrators to be who I am because we have recently passed an NCCHC certification inspection with a fantastic testimonial that expressed how the inspecting team has not seen our equal but once before in 10 years of inspections as a team. We were sited for cooperation and consideration in all areas that this team evaluates and were not found difficient in even one of the 40 criteria that encompasses the core of the certification process. This I attribute to my own approach to people using the concepts that Daniel Goldman has finally scetched out as being so productive in may aspects of human relationships and interactions. The easy manner of the prose made listening to this so much more enjoyable then if it had been presented in a more scientific manner. I do not think that Daniel Goldman was trying to prove anything with this treatise, he was only presenting gleefully to the world. Any critisim of his methodology might be truly justified if you are a one of the experts that might be used by a journal to justify its publication in your scientific publication. However, if you are a person wishing to validate how you communicate with the world around you, while others consistantly critize your approach you may be pleasantly suprised to find that your actually on track when the science is applied to really quantify your "feelings" about how things should be done. It was a pleasant epiphany for me. I would hope it would be for you as well.

This is a well thought out, well organized and very insightful work. In my opinion it is heavy reading. I generally can read a book a week. This one took about 50% longer. There are a number of reasons for this. There is very little white space on any page. The subject matter is new and different and unless you have made a deep study of the brain, its various parts and functions, you will often need to refresh your memory about what the various parts do.

Having said that, I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wishes to learn more about why we do what we do. There are some very valuable lessons that have application in everyday life. For example, Goleman talks about how fear in social situations engages the the flight or fight part of the brain, overriding the cognitive part. He gives everyday examples of how this shows up in our daily lives. The teacher randomly calling on students in the classroom can evoke social fear, shutting down the cognitive/learning part of the brain.

Goleman deals with numerous other social situations in life - love, anger, empathy, prejudices, crime and punishment. His insights are sharp and easy to understand. Some are real eye-openers.

The book is long, some 334 pages with 65 pages of notes. This means that the concepts set forth in the book have been well researched and he provides the sources for those who wish to do additional research on a particular point of view.

If you have any interest in why people do what they do, then this is an important book. Just realize that it requires some thought to read and grasp all the concepts put forth in the book.

I enjoyed this book a lot; especially the parts about narcissism, the Machiavelli and the psychopath. Soon after that it got really into martial relationships, which, me not being in one, didn't apply to be immediately, but very insightful. Overall a good read and worth your purchase if your into finding out about how the brain works and how we get in tune with one another.

an amazing book about the importance of social interactions throughout life. filled with scientific proof and real life examples. this book will help you better your own social life and give you an understanding of your actions/reactions in all sorts of situations. it will give you all the tools to change your social life for the better.

You could open this book anywhere and read something within the scope of the subject you may not have known before. What jumps out the most for me is the authors way of communicating a subject with his words. When a person is in love with his craft and wants to share and WANTS to help you understand(like any fine teacher) it shows, and with Daniel Goleman it shows in a very big way.

This is both an important book in terms of human social developement and one that is easy to read no matter what your academic background may be.

The ability to be socially aware (empathic, attuned, cognitive) and develop social facility (synchrony, concern, influence) is both a neurological reaction and a learned faculty according to this summary of biologic and brain science research by famed, "Emotional Intelligence", author Daniel Goleman. According to Goleman, social intelligence should be defined as what we sense about others:
* Primal empathy - sensing emotional signals and feeling with others
* Attunement - listening with full receptivity
* Empathic accuracy - understanding other's thoughts, feelings, and intentions
* Social cognition - knowing how the social world works
And, what we then do with that awareness by way of:
* Synchrony - interacting smoothly at the nonverbal level
* Self-presentation - effectively presenting ourselves
* Influence - shaping the outcome of social interactions
* Concern - caring about others' needs and acting accordingly.
These factors operate at both a neurological reaction level to signals from others - the `low road' in our emotional economy, and through choice at the more thoughtful `high-road' which gives us some control over our inner life. A warm smile in response to a hateful glare is possible, if we think about what is happening as the contagion of the glare threatens our mood.

Now, if you think that Goleman is going to provide help with this `high-road' of relationship management, think again. This book is about an emerging science, (studies with regard to the brain's responses to social interactions) and not about the how-to of relational management. I found the book to be a heavy read, although Goleman often uses stories from everyday life to introduce topics and the supporting research results. This book is recommended for people who not only have an interest in social science but also have the time to study it. Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"

Daniel Coleman's Social Intelligence is a very interesting work dealing with social relationships. It is a popular yet scientific work. By reading this book I learned a lot about human behavior and the development of social relationships. I enjoyed the fact that Coleman added much up-to-date scientific knowledge to explain how social behavior works. The book is not hard to understand also for people who do not have a scientific background. It may not meet the requirement of details for scientific scholars, but for anyone else it definitely makes for good reading.

As usual, Daniel Goleman is totally on target with this newest book. Every chapter is filled with thought-provoking insights into people and all kindso of relationships. I haven't been able to put the book down.

Is it just me, or is this the exact same book as Emotional Intelligence?

I thought Emotional Intelligence was a good book, but it seemed like in this book Goleman just replaced the word "Emotional" with "Social" and sold us a new book.

If you have already read Emotional Intelligence, save your money on this book. If not, an interesting read.

This book (audio version) really tracks how and why EQ is neurally connected in the human mind. This provides more then I will ever know on human behaviors. Recommend to read or listen several times to realise the wealth of information provided. A great resource book for training, research and general interest.

Social Intelligence tells the "real" story of life. It is absolutely and completely about people and relationships. Excellent read.

1. Please note: I ordered 1-hard cover..."working with emotional intelligence, received.

2. I ordered two "SOFT COVER.."working with emotional intelligence" Recieved ONE only.

3. I was shipped ONE "SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE" which I was careful not to order because I noticed the attempt to package it together with "working with emotional intelligence"

3. "Social intelligence" is a vain attempt to sell another book off the reputataion of "emotional...& working with "emotional intelligence'

Please send me 1-soft cover "working with emotional Intelligence" to replace the worthless "social intelligence" soft cover.Do you wish that I return "social intelligence"??????

Please respond ASAP to confirm the exchange.
Thank you for the cooperation.

Peter Kosick

You may not have the time to read the book. So, have Mr. Goleman be your companion while you are driving along the high way or commuting to work.
I have found this an interesting source to be utilized in our leadership development and trainings.
I highly recommend it for those who seek to improve their leadership skills and learn about this very important ingredient in leadership.

Daniel Goleman has created another educational masterpiece to follow up his book Emotional Intelligence (which taught us we could have a high IQ but act emotionally unintelligent). This book teaches us we can have excellent analytical skills but be very unintelligent in how we interact with people. He classifies social intelligence as our ability to listen, talk appropriately in conversations, tell "white lies" when necsasary to value peoples feelings over blunt truth, and understand how to react with people as to create rapport and trust. He believes that SQ in many ways is more important than IQ because the success in the world is more determined by how you get along and relate to people as opposed to how many A's you received on your report card. He writes about the importance of doctor's treating their patinces as people, it has proven that this dramatically reduces the amount of malpractice suits. He discusses what people care most about in bosses great listener, encourager, communicator, courageous, sense of humor, empathy, decisive, humble, takes responsibilty, and shares authority. He discusses how through inmate interactions prisons are breeding grounds for life long criminals and how to change that. If you are interested in the above read this book. It is a detailed road map of how our brains loop with other people to create interactions. You will learn a lot, I did.

The author discusses the importance of relationships and how they impact both our experience and biology. The book provides a good foundation upon which the reader can further explore the field if interested.

Social intelligence is broken down into two facets: social awareness and social facility (how we act in response). Drawing on the behavioral and biological effects of our interactions, the author provides some helpful guidance in areas from parenting to our health care system.

Although first part of the book reads like a textbook, it becomes more engaging as the reader progresses.

I'm a fan of Daniel Goleman and his wife as well. I have read Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition; Why It Can Matter More Than IQ and her book on Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart. In general, the writing of both these authors are well-researched and powerfully presented.

In this book, Daniel Goleman goes beyond the concepts in EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE to explore social bonding and the underlying mechanisms and connections that are being discovered in neuroscience. There are many fine reviews of this book and I don't feel I need to provide anything but a further endorsement of it's credibility and some additional suggestions for more.

According to Buddhism and congruent with modern physics, everything is interrelated and somehow connected. In fact, our nervous systems are open-ended and we even regulate each others nervous systems. Phenomenon are also much more complex than they appear having various dimensions... e.g. an internal subjective component, an objective observable aspect and a systems dimension when interpreted from without or a cultural one when interpreted from within the group. Daniel Goleman does a great job of exploring this territory in a very understandable way.

If you like this book, you may also want to pick up A General Theory of Love and A Brief History of Everything. I believe these two books compliment this one and they cross fertilize each other in some interesting and provocative ways.

This is more a book on how the body chemistry effects our behavior. It has scant information on social intelligence, and you have to plow through miles of academic filler to get to the heart of anything. a bad read, but it has changed my outl ook on a few things.

Goleman has done it again. This is a phenomenal companion to his successful book, Emotional Intelligence. Social Intelligence is very well-written, easy to follow book, and will give anyone who reads it a deeper understanding of what relationships are all about. I doubt the reader will ever look at relationships the same. It certainly gives a greater glimpse into the nature of the world we live in and why things are the way they are.

One of the best books I read last year! Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, has written a new book that focuses on how humans beings connect to each other and how those connections are learned or formed. He does a good job of balancing very interesting anecdotes with descriptions of how all of this works at the biological level.

He spends a lot of time explaining how these social connections are learned as a child and how what we do or don't learn when we are young affects us later. As a mom with a new baby, some of the experiments were actually scary! He talked about how some moms can naturally tell when their babies need a break and leave them alone for a while and how others continue to "get in their face" and how this changes how the baby interacts with people as an adult!

If you've ever wondered how you knew someone was annoyed when they didn't say anything (or how someone else did and you didn't) or why you seem to connect so well with some people and not others, or how you could tell if someone is lying, or how much of our behavior is nurture versus nature, ... well then you should definitely read this book. It's much more of a "why" book than a "how-to" book and it makes for some fascinating reading.

I just found out last week that Daniel Goleman used to teach at the massage school I'm studying at, Boulder College of Massage Therapy. I wish I'd had a chance to take a class from him! (He now writes books and writes for the New York Times.)

Dr. Goleman's "Emotional Intelligence" was the harbinger of a new way of thinking about human interactions, and how each of us is affected on many different levels by our human interactions.

"Social Intelligence" is a step beyond the previous book, in that it shares anecdotal and scientific evidence that we are deeply affecting each other every day, and how important it is to maintain human connectedness in a world when we're all typing on computers, just as I am right now. What with blogging, ipodding, cellphones, and computers, it's a little too easy in our digital high-tech world, to spend the day exercising our brains but not our hearts.

With digital advancements, we are fast becoming a society of isolated individuals, able to maintain constant contact with everyone, but over a distance. Dr. Goleman talks about the cost of this level of isolation, and how important it is to connect face-to-face in heartful, caring relationships

This book is an eye-opener, particularly for those of us who have embraced the digital world either voluntarily or reluctantly. The digital age is here to stay, and this book is a valuable resource in helping us to understand it's relative cost and gains, and how important it is to reduce the associated, but avoidable personal isolation.

At times, a bit heavy on the social science but overall, a good book. Goleman's analysis of the healythcare system is spot-on in describing how the training system essentially blanches out empathy, how the system treats patients as "things" instead of people. Anyone who has been in the hospital can likely relate to this.

His main point is that connections and relationships matter. This sounds fundamental but is easy to overlook in today's isolated, atomized societies where many folks don't know their next door neighbors.

An effective presentation on the importance of social connections....