Daniel Goleman is an internationally known psychologist who gives lectures to students, professionals, and business conventions on the importance of emotional intelligence in success.

Goleman completed undergraduate studies in anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked with the social psychologist Erving Goffman. Goleman then pursued a doctorate in clinical psychology at Harvard, where, under the guidance of psychologist David C. McClelland, he studied standardized assessments of excellence like IQ. Goleman decided to apply an interdisciplinary approach to his study of neurobiology and human behavior.

While at Harvard, Goleman traveled to India to study the neurobiological aspects of ancient traditional practices of mental well-being, including meditation. This led him to begin studying meditation as a form of intervention in stress arousal. He wrote his first book, The Meditative Mind, on the neurobiology of meditation and its effects on human consciousness.

After the publication of The Meditative Mind, Goleman took a job writing for Psychology Today, and soon he was recruited to work as a science journalist for The New York Times. Goleman’s work at the Times allowed him to collect a wide range of information and research about emotional intelligence. His book, Emotional Intelligence, grew directly from this experience. The success of his book led Goleman to leave journalism and devote his working life to teaching and promoting emotional intelligence.