Head injuries sustained by Vietnam veterans have revealed parts of the brain vital for two types of emotional intelligence.

The dorsolateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex of the brain is related to “experiential” emotional intelligence (the capacity to judge emotions in other people), while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is related to “strategic” emotional intelligence (the ability to plan socially appropriate responses to situations).

Damage to these regions didn’t affect cognitive intelligence, suggesting that emotional and general problem-solving tasks are handled independently in the brain.