The most basic moral impulse—altruism—has its root in empathy: the ability to feel what another person feels. Those who can place themselves in someone else’s position are more likely to act with compassion, offer help, and avoid harm. In contrast, emotional coldness, the inability to connect with others’ pain, is often the precursor to cruelty. Indifference is fertile ground for injustice.

Emotional self-control also has an ethical dimension. Not giving in to anger, knowing how to wait, measuring one’s words, avoiding humiliation, not responding to violence with more violence—all of this requires trained willpower, which is nothing less than the backbone of character. Moral strength often lies in the ability to delay a destructive impulse in the name of a higher value.

People with low emotional intelligence are not only more prone to impulsive acts; they also struggle to repair the damage they cause, to recognize the effects of their actions, to take emotional responsibility for their decisions. Without empathy, there is no remorse. Without self-regulation, there is no repair.