Proponents claim that EI is more important in life than academic intelligence, while opponents claim that there is no such thing as emotional intelligence. Three key criticisms that have been leveled at emotional intelligence include: (1) EI is poorly defined and poorly measured; (2) EI is a new name for familiar constructs that have been studied for decades; and (3) claims about EI are overblown. While the book presents these criticisms, the final section proposes ways of improving EI research and practice with EI theories, tests, and applications.