Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a construct that describes the use, perception, understanding and management of emotions, as an individual characteristic predictive of success in personal and work interactions (Salovey & Grewal, 2005). It would also imply the ability to monitor emotions, discriminate between them and use this information to guide our actions and thoughts (Mayer & Salovey, 1993).
Going deeper into the term, we would be referring to the ability to be aware of the emotions we experience at a given moment, in addition to identifying which aspects influence their regulation, and finally, to the understanding of the role that emotions can play in establishing interpersonal relationships.
From the context of health, EI is considered strongly linked to better mental and psychosomatic health (Martins, Ramalho & Morin, 2010). In fact, when EI is high, harmful behaviors such as smoking or drinking decrease and, conversely, physical exercise increases (Tsaousi & Nikolaou, 2005). In the same line, those with EI enjoy social support, sleep quality and an adaptive modulation of the physiological stress response (Sarrionandia & Mikolajczak, 2020). Emotional competencies can also be learned and improved, so that in people with Type I Diabetes and Type II Diabetes who underwent Emotional Intelligence training, they could experience positive effects on anxiety reduction, as well as improvement in quality of life and glycemic control (Pérez-Fernández et al., 2021).
But in addition, EI plays an important role in understanding the relationship between stress and mental health problems, such as depression and suicidal ideation (Ciarrochi et al., 2002), and it should also be noted that emotional regulation (one of the components of EI) is closely linked to better mental health and overall health (Baudry, 2018).
The relationship between Emotional Intelligence and better health status seems to be supported by numerous studies. However, the incorporation of specific training plans on this subject within formal education is clearly improvable, with the exception of Early Childhood Education, a stage that includes the schooling period from 0 to 6 years of age. Professionals in infant classrooms are well aware of the importance of stimulating emotional development, putting it on the same level as other skills, such as psychomotor, cognitive, creative or social skills. Unfortunately, interest in emotional skills is decreasing as one moves up the educational pathway, especially in the Higher Education curriculum.
Society in general and the educational community in particular should no longer ignore the importance of emotional education, especially if we take into account the high rates of suicide among the youth population.
References:
Baudry, A., Grynberg, D., Dassonneville, C., Lelorain, S., & Christophe, V. (2018). Sub-dimensions of trait emotional intelligence and health: A critical and systematic review of the literature.. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 59 2, 206-222 . https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12424
Ciarrochi, J., Deane, F., & Anderson, S. (2002). Emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between stress and mental health. Personality and Individual Differences, 32, 197-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00012-5
Martins, A., Ramalho, N., & Morin, E. (2010). A comprehensive meta-analysis of the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and health. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 554-564. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PAID.2010.05.029
Mayer, J., & Salovey, P. (1993). The intelligence of emotional intelligence. Intelligence, 17, 433-442. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-2896(93)90010-3.
Tsaousi, I. & Nikolaou, I. (2005). Exploring the Relationship of Emotional Intelligence with Physical and Psychological Health Functioning. Health Economics. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.1042
Pérez-Fernández, A., Fernández-Berrocal, P., & Gutiérrez-Cobo, M. (2021). The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Diabetes Management: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754362
Salovey, P., & Grewal, D. (2005). The Science of Emotional Intelligence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 281-285. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.0963-7214.2005.00381.X.
Sarrionandia, A., & Mikolajczak, M. (2020). A meta-analysis of the possible behavioural and biological variables linking trait emotional intelligence to health. Health Psychology Review, 14, 220 – 244. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2019.1641423
