Know anyone who wants to make more money? They’ll have to get in line. I think we’d all be hard-pressed to find a coworker, family member or friend who wouldn’t like to make more money. The trouble with earning more money is that it often requires a great sacrifice. With a higher salary come the demands of longer hours and stress by the shovel-load. Quality time with friends and family falls by the wayside.

What if we told you there is a direct route to a higher income that improves your relationships at work and home? Does it sound too good to be true? It isn’t. New TalentSmart^® research shows that the road to higher income is paved with the quality of your relationships. People earn more money as they become more emotionally intelligent.

In a recent study, using the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal^®, we tested the emotional intelligence (EQ) of over 42,000 people, and compared their scores to their annual incomes. We found that people with high EQs make an average of $29,000 per year more than people with low EQs. On average, every point increase in emotional intelligence adds $1,300 to an annual salary.

Annual salary by emotional intelligence (EQ) score: the strong, linear relationship between EQ and salary shows that—regardless of the current EQ score—increasing EQ equals a higher salary.