Emotional Awareness - People strong in Emotional Awareness are acutely aware of the emotions and feelings of others.

When you think of Emotional Awareness, who comes to mind? We have asked ourselves this style of question sixty times over as we've worked on the Hall of Fame entries for The Strengths Book (released 28 April). You might readily think of your favourite therapist (actual or admired) - we did, and took a look back in history to include the German psychotherapist Karen Horney. We also turned to literature and included Kiran Desai, the Man Booker Prize-winning novelist, and to music, for Robert Smith, lead singer of The Cure.

As you can see, Emotional Awareness can manifest itself in many different ways. How does your own Emotional Awareness play out? To improve it, pay attention to the small nuances of behaviour that may reflect how people are feeling: a knitted forehead, a crinkled smile, a guilty laugh. Remember the patterns of your interactions with people, and be alert for anything that is different. Ask gentle questions to try and confirm your hypotheses - but be emotionally aware enough to hold back when you need to! A growing literature attests to the value of understanding emotions: Emotional Awareness is a social good - we all benefit from it.