Self

What You See First In This Visual Test Reveals How Emotionally Intelligent You Are

Photo: oneinchpunch / Shutterstock
woman with reflection

There are different kinds of intelligence. There's being book smart, acing every test you take and dominating trivia night at the bar. There's being street smart, where you know how to keep your wits (and your wallet) about you in scary situations.

But there's another kind of intelligence that doesn't usually get as much hype as the other two. And that, my friends, is emotional intelligence. While this one isn't easy to quantify, it is easy to explain.

Emotional intelligence is the implicit understanding and awareness of other people and their feelings. It's knowing that you're expected to hug someone who is crying, not yell at them; it's understanding why it's not okay to go after a friend's boyfriend even though she dumped him.

For obvious reasons, emotional intelligence is something that's hard to quantify, but most people can agree on one thing about it: you either have it or you don't.

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So how about you? Are you emotionally intelligent or do you spend your days worrying and wondering about every single interaction you had out of concern that you overlooked something crucial?

It's hard to be objective enough about yourself to really know for sure, but that is where this free personality test comes into play.

If you want to find out how emotionally intelligent you are (or are not), look no further than this quick, easy visual personality quiz.

Just look at the optical illusion image below and pay close attention to the first thing in the image that catches your eye. It's as easy as that.

Once you're done, scroll down and read about how what you saw first reveals how emotionally intelligent you really are, for better or worse.

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1. If you saw the grass

If you saw the grass first, you're the kind of person who cares deeply about the people in their lives.

But, heaven help you, sometimes it is difficult for you to see the forest for the trees.

You aren't generally that emotionally intelligent, but you're never afraid to ask for help from those around you when you need it, or when you fear you've strayed from the path and potentially hurt someone else's feelings.

2. If you saw the girl

If you saw the girl first, you're the kind of person who puts the feelings, thoughts, and problems of others well before you own needs and concerns.

It's great to be selfless, and people definitely rely on your emotional intelligence (sharp as a knife) to help them sort out their own emotional issues.

But if you aren't very careful, you'll find yourself feeling exhausted and depleted by how often your super skills are called into action.

3. If you saw the mirror

If you saw the mirror first, you're the kind of person who is in the possession of tremendous emotional intelligence.

But there's a problem: You tend to make all of your insights about you.

If you notice someone's sad, it's usually because you assume you've done something wrong. If someone is angry, it's got to be because you made them mad.

You're great at reading emotions, but it takes work for you to successfully track them to their source.

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Rebecca Jane Stokes is a freelance writer, editor, former Senior Editor of Pop Culture at Newsweek, and former Senior Staff Writer for YourTango. She has a passion for lifestyle, geek news, and true crime topics. Her bylines have appeared on Fatherly, Bustle, SheKnows, Jezebel, and many others.