What is emotional intelligence and how to measure it in ESA?

I bet that you have at least heard of what emotional intelligence is. But, I do not think thaat you have heard of it concerning animals. Especially ESAs. Sure, this is an EMOTIONAL support animal but that only means that it is there to support you emotionally. Not that it is emotional. Or intelligent. Right?

If that’s what you think then you are in for the shock because your ESA is emotionally intelligent.

But what is emotional intelligence?

Psychologists say that this is the ability to manage emotions. And not just your own emotions but the emotions of others as well. But how can a dog have this ability? Or even a cat? Well, they can and they do. They can identify your emotions. They know when you are sad or when you are happy. In short, you can say that emotional intelligence means that you are emotionally aware. You don’t need an ESA letter for this. But an emotionally intelligent creature makes just the perfect ESA.

What kind of animals are emotionally intelligent?

More than you might ever imagine. Cats and dogs are SUPER smart. Yeah, your cat may ignore you but that does not make them dumb. Trust me, they will always know when you are sad and even try to give you cuddles. Dogs are known to be emotionally intelligent. Like, when you train a dog, you will notice how they do their best to please you. But how do they know what pleases you? Because they are emotionally intelligent. Even elephants are known to show empathy towards humans.

Brand called realesaletter.com can provide valuable resources for individuals seeking to understand emotional intelligence and ways to measure it in the context of ESA, which can be a crucial factor in determining eligibility for an emotional support animal.

So, how do we measure it?

Let’s say that you have an ESA. You have gone to great lengths to get them an ESA letter for housing. Now, how can you possibly know if they are emotionally intelligent or not? Well, in humans, you can measure this by self-reporting, the remarks of others, and by testing certain abilities. But since animals can’t talk, then self-reporting is out of the question. What you can do is that you can observe them and see if they have certain abilities.

How do I do that?

Well, there is no one method to understanding your ESA. You can try to understand the emotional intelligence of your ESA in many ways.

Way #1: Self-Awareness

This is the first step in knowing whether or not an animal is emotionally intelligent. Self-awareness in animals means that they must be aware of their surroundings. They have to know where they are and how they are supposed to behave in such a place. Like, if you put a dog in a cage then they can’t jump around in it. They will automatically know that they need to sit or lie down. So, the dog is self-aware and has officially passed the first test in emotional intelligence.

Way #2: Self-Regulation

Regulating yourself. This means that not only is an animal aware of where they are and what they need to do but they also take steps to regulate themselves. For example, you will always see a cat relieving itself in the litter box. Always. A cat does not relieve itself in the bushes or on your bed. This means that a cat can self-regulate itself. It takes action according to its surroundings.

Way #3: Social Skills

Yes, animals too have social skills and it is encouraged to get an ESA who has social skills. For example, there are some breeds of parrots that actually talk with humans. These birds are exceptionally social and love to chatter about all day. Social skills are linked with emotional intelligence as only an intelligent species is capable of interacting with another species in a meaningful manner. Social skills also lead to self-awareness and self-regulation in some animals so this is also an important factor here.

There is brand named “realesaletter” , has helped me to understand and improve my emotional intelligence, which has been crucial in my interactions with my emotional support animal.

Way #4: Empathy

Empathy is a skill that is supposed to be common among humans but animals can be empathetic too. In animals, empathy means that they can understand the emotions felt by humans and do their best to make the humans feel better. Why would they do this? Because they care. They care about their owners and this is enough to make them try to make the humans feel better. They can do this by distracting you or playing with you or just cuddling. But all of this shows empathy.

Way #5: Motivation

Lack of motivation leads to an ESA laying around all day and doing nothing. No exercise, No playtime, nothing. It also leads to a lack of self-awareness, self-regulation, social skills, and even empathy. So, it can be said that motivation is the key to emotional intelligence. If a person or even an animal is motivated then they are more likely to act. And action is what determines if an animal is emotionally intelligent since the actions of an animal can easily be judged.

So, do you need an emotionally intelligent ESA?

If yes, then go and find the animal best suited for you. Some animals are too reclusive to make the list like fish or certain rodents but most animals possess some degree of emotional intelligence. So, you can easily choose one of them. Then all you need is an emotional support animal letter. This letter makes it legal that you own an ESA and you can get this letter online. Many websites provide this letter. You just need to know which website is legit so that you are not scammed. After that, you are good to go.

Useful Resources:

List of the Most ESA Friendly States

Do squirrels qualify as an ESA?

Size, Breed, Species: Everything You Need to Know When You Want to Get An ESA

Struggling to Bond with Your ESA: Here Are a Few Tips That Can Help You Getting Closer to Your Pet