I think I'm developing a strong preference for The School of Life's workbooks over their guidebooks. Similarly to "How Ready Are You For Love?", "How Emotionally Mature Are You?" left me underwhelmed.

At a first glance, the quiz that's spread out throughout the book, seems like an interesting idea, yet the answers to the posed questions lack nuance. Because of this the results at the end of the book should be taken with not a pinch but a handful of salt. As a mental health professional, I am aware how hard it is to simplify complex concepts and make them digestable, but I didn't feel that this publication tries to do that. Quite the contrary - in my opinion, the writing style made emotional maturity sound even more complicated!

This book could have been salvaged if the end chapter that summarises the traits of emotional maturity would be moved to the very beginning. Starting from there, the follow up chapters would serve as philosophical musings on the topic. In the current shape I have the feeling that the book is going to leave its readers non the wiser.

The School of Life always hits it out of the park! "How Emotionally Mature Are You" was a wonderful guide into looking in yourself and assessing what you're ready to handle and what you could work on. A great read!

Structured round a questionnaire with binary options, I found it fascinating to monitor my reactions. Mostly I think we all know the emotionally mature path, but our akratic natures result in often taking the “not so emotionally mature” path. By highlighting the all to common and emotionally mature options it forces me to question why more that what or how. I am very glad I read it.

I have loved all The School of Life books I’ve read but the structure of this one I found a bit different. It alternates between a questionnaire and short chapters on topics. I don’t think I’m much convinced by questionnaires as I struggle to definitively choose an answer and feel good about it. Maybe i’m taking it too seriously but I like to feel on board about the answers if im to be on board with what that then is saying about me. So this made it difficult to see myself in the results which was frustrating.

The mini essays were simple to read but weren’t backed by research so felt more like an overview which would be ideal perhaps for someone new to the topic but less so for someone who already understands emotional maturity and wants to go further with it.

Thanks to Net Galley and The School of Life for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review.

In How Emotionally Mature Are You?, The School of Life offers a thoughtful and practical guide to understanding emotional maturity and how to cultivate it. The book serves as a roadmap for anyone seeking to grow into a more balanced, resilient, and self-aware adult. Through a series of questions, essays, and reflections, it explores the psychological markers of maturity and invites readers to assess where they stand emotionally.

The core of the book centers around a series of introspective questions that prompt readers to reflect on their emotional responses to life's challenges—like rejection, frustration, anxiety, and hope. It asks, How much do we like ourselves? Are we too concerned with others’ opinions? and What can we do to become more interesting or authentic? These questions are not only designed to encourage self-awareness but also to foster a healthier relationship with ourselves and others.

What makes this book particularly insightful is its approach to the complexities of emotional growth. It touches on topics like the impact of childhood experiences, the dangers of perfectionism, and how self-love and self-belief are essential components of emotional maturity. The book gently explores how to combat feelings like impostor syndrome and how to grow beyond limiting beliefs about ourselves.

One of the standout features is the inclusion of a series of essays that go deeper into the theory behind emotional maturity, offering a reflective space for readers to gain insight into their inner emotional landscape. These essays serve as a great companion to the self-reflection process and give concrete suggestions on how to cultivate emotional maturity. Additionally, the book includes the Emotional Barometer, a tool to help readers better understand their emotional states, which provides a clearer picture of their inner emotional weather.

Ultimately, How Emotionally Mature Are You? is not just a questionnaire, but an invitation to embark on a journey of self-discovery and emotional growth. Whether you're dealing with frustration, insecurity, or the pressures of perfectionism, this book encourages you to face your emotions with poise and intelligence, cultivating the confidence and kindness that come with psychological adulthood.

For anyone looking to navigate the complexities of life with greater emotional intelligence, this book is a valuable resource. It’s both a reflective tool and a source of practical wisdom, offering a clear path towards emotional maturity.

I had high hopes for this book. Having previously read a School of Life book that broke down a complex topic in a clear, memorable way, I expected a similarly thoughtful approach here. I also enjoyed Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett and was looking for something that would expand my understanding of emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver.

The structure alternates between a questionnaire and short essays on the corresponding topics, but the execution left me frustrated. The questionnaire felt oddly designed—rather than straightforward yes/no responses, many answers were phrased in a way that seemed to prioritize cleverness over clarity. This made it difficult to see myself in the results, and at times, the options felt so far removed from how people actually think and behave that they lost their usefulness. A more direct or nuanced scale would have been much more effective.

The essays, meanwhile, felt oversimplified. Rather than offering research-based insights or compelling new perspectives, they read like introductory reflections for someone entirely new to the concept of emotional intelligence. Take this passage, for example:

"Truly clever people know that they can only be clever some of the time. Scepticism towards oneself lies at the heart of emotional intelligence."

It’s not necessarily wrong, but it’s not particularly thought-provoking either. Many sections felt like they were restating common wisdom rather than engaging with the complexities of emotional maturity. I kept waiting for a deeper exploration—something that would challenge or expand my thinking—but that moment never really arrived.

While I can see this being useful for someone encountering these ideas for the first time, I was hoping for something with more depth. Instead, it felt like a surface-level guide that never quite engaged with the richness of the topic.

fab book - fun, quick and educational. made me reflect on myself and my maturity way more than I assumed it was going to!

This is a fun introduction to reflect on what emotional maturity is and what it may look like. The test and short chapters make it an easy read to get through. Scenarios are presented to make one think about our internal life and how we might overcome limiting personal beliefs.

I found this book pretty dull... (not sure what that says about my emotional maturity haha)
It just felt like endless questions, but with very little detail and new information. Lots of the book felt very repetitive.
Didn't enjoy this, and definitely would not recommend. I think I am done with the 'School of Life' books now...

As a fan of other books by The School Of Life, How Emotionally Mature Are You, Book 2 of Questionnaire series, didn't resonate as well. The 150 page book invites the reader to take a 42 question quiz to help determine their level of emotional maturity - the ability to recognize, control and express emotions in such a way that they are able to have healthy relationships with others. The questions and choices, cleverly taking the place of chapter headings, range from the ridiculous to the sublime. As do much of the content following each question. I feel as though many of the questions are obvious, with one of the answers being very obviously the correct one, the other being so simplistic or ridiculous enough to be obviously wrong. And while each lesson given in response to the questions is an important one, and some of the statements were profound, sometime the answers felt glib and/or unwieldy in terms of the vocabulary used. As though using the biggest words to convey the simplest message was a sign of both maturity and intelligence. The final chapter consists of a score summary and a Cliff's Notes version of the twenty most important concepts to understand in order to achieve emotional maturity.

The book, overall, has some good concepts that make you think, and some profound statements that the reader will adopt as a soundbite to their life. It is a good beginners book for those wanting to understand emotional maturity.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is a helpful book to evaluate my own maturity and find areas that I can work on for my own personal development. It handles the topic in a non-shaming and non-judgemental manner, even if the score found out you’re emotionally “immature”. It’s interesting to have a question then the facts on the topic and then another question.

Great book. There's always lots of good content from the school of life. A very interesting read.
Thank you for the advance reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly wasn’t super impressed with this.

I like how this book is divided into short chapters with a question at the beginning. Emotional maturity is something that we need to realize to help us better. Sometimes we think we're doing fine, but turns out we still have emotional issues going on. For example, how we manage our temper, and what triggers us to be angry.
This book helps me to get a better understanding of that, and I hope it does the same for you.
Thank you, Net Galley and The School of Life for providing a digital ARC. I truly enjoyed reading this book.

From all The School of Life I try to read on Netgalley, this book is the first one which connect me well. It contains what I need and helps me to identify my maturity. Glad the result is good, I'm mature enough although just the average mature 😅

But one thing that impresses me hard is: about how parents treat their children. Parents shouldn't project their emotions, especially the anger or other negative feelings to their children, which still happening to me. The writer mentions, parents shouldn't bully their children and it hits me hard and be my wake up call. I need to improve myself and handle myself properly first, then educate my son. I won't be a good mother if I can't be kind to myself and handle/express my emotions in the right way without hurting others, especially my son.

This was a mediocre read. It doesn't make sense in book format to have questions that you tally up to determine your emotional maturity. The advice was moot.

As in other books in this series, a reasoned questionnaire guides us to a response that shows our level of emotional maturity (in this case). For me it is a disturbingly superficial book and sits a small step above horoscopes, but surely it is because of my work as a psychologist/psychotherapist that some books that simplify things so dramatically give me hives.

Come anche in altri libri di questa serie, un questionario ragionato ci guida ad una risposta che ci mostra il nostro livello di maturità emotiva (in questo caso). Per me é un libro di una superficialità preoccupante e si situa un piccolo scalino sopra gli oroscopi, ma sicuramente é per via del mio lavoro come psicologa/psicoterapeuta, che alcuni libri che semplificano le cose in modo cosí drammatico mi danno l'orticaria.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This is an exercise book which the reader should fill the blank. It would give you explanatory paragraph before the exercise materials. At the end of this book, you will get to know The School of Life ideal of what "mature" is. Spoiler alert: it is not a romantic one. It is realistic one.

This book reminds me of the teen quizzes in the 90's. "How Emotionally Mature Are You?" is great not so much for the quiz, but for the analysis of our choices.

There is, however, a contradiction in this book that we are encouraged to seek depth in life, but on the other hand, should not to waste precious moments of our lives on things that don't interest us. How do you grow if you never do anything uncomfortable? Overall, this is an entertaining book.

One of the great things about our current societal mood - amidst what seems to be a breakdown - is that more and more people are becoming aware of their own mental and emotional well-being. We are so quick to react negatively without understanding we all share similar weaknesses. We have been so distracted by arbitrary career and relationship goals that we have not been honest with ourselves about what we REALLY need and want from life. The book does a great job of touching on these points and more.

Thanks for the advanced copy!

I found this book quite a struggle to engage with and at times the tone felt condescending.

I did enjoy the conversations this book entertains about what defining emotional maturity and how fuzzy the topic can be. Moreover, I did think it made some interesting points about what looks like emotional immaturity can actually be a sign of maturity and the naturalness of being emotional immature rather than pathologising it.

However, overall this book felt more like an opinion piece than a factual evaluation of emotional maturity which made a lot of the points made feel quite subjective. The structure felt a bit like an extended questionnaire which whilst being a decent way of raising points, made it kind of boring to get through as it was essentially an opinion piece q&a spread over many pages.