3 Takeaways From the Latest Emotional Intelligence Study

emotional intelligence

A new review paper shows the secrets to success of having a high EQ.


You’ve undoubtedly heard of the concept of “emotional intelligence,” or “EQ.” It took hold in the 1990s and has only continued to attract the attention of both everyday people and academic psychology. Claims about its contribution to success in life, announced even before its heyday, still remain somewhat controversial, however. In part, this is because the concept has become so blurry and all-encompassing that some of the original subtleties in its definition have since become long lost.
To understand whether EQ really matters for life success, it’s necessary to dig down deep into its original meaning and then take a clear-headed look at the available research. Fortunately, this is now possible due to the publication (in press) of a new major review article that does just that.
What Is Emotional Intelligence?
According to this new paper headed up by UCLouvain’s Thomas Pirsoul and colleagues (2023), this blurring of definitional lines is a major problem in evaluating EQ’s role in promoting life success. In their words, the “plethora of definitions and conceptualizations” can be categorized into two main areas: EQ as a trait-like quality or ability (personal resources approach) and EQ as a behavioral disposition that helps people feel better about their ability to navigate emotional situations (self-efficacy approach).
From the standpoint of EQ’s role in promoting life success, the Belgian authors narrowed their search through the vast literature to studies specifically focused on career. If EQ helps promote career success, it would do so by “developing awareness of one’s emotions” (p. 3). Defined as a general form of adaptive functioning, EQ allows people to “identify, understand, express, regulate, and use one’s own and others’ emotions” (p. 2).
Think now about people you would consider high in EQ. Perhaps you know someone at work, or who works with someone you’re close to, whom you regard as not just friendly but also sensitive, kind, and willing to listen. You trust this individual to show consideration to you but also to make good choices in their own life. They seem confident but not conceited, and you’ve seen them progress through their career in ways that you admire. Importantly, they are liked both by coworkers and supervisors, meaning that their progress up their career ladder seems that it should be easier for them than is true for most people.
EQ and Job Success
The route from high EQ to career ladder progression, as the UCLouvain authors propose, is charted through the intermediary step of adaptability. As you no doubt know from your own life experiences, being adaptable means that you can anticipate problems and then cope with them once they arise. If you are high in EQ, you can use your emotions to guide yourself through these difficulties.
High self-efficacy can build upon the strengths gained through career adaptability by helping individuals feel more confident about their ability to navigate work-related decisions. If you can, as high EQ implies, listen to your “gut,” you’ll feel that you have a more accurate career compass.
Self-efficacy can also contribute to an individual’s confidence in their so-called “entrepreneurial” skills. The belief that you can sell yourself, which is part of this skill, can help you be a more effective communicator of your own personal strengths. You might also be better able to read people, making you a better negotiator. Finally, you could be better able to launch new ventures based on EQ’s role in helping you manage the stress associated with striking out on your own.
The ability to manage stress becomes its own contributor to occupational success for those high in EQ. There are many situations in work settings, from job interviews to performance evaluations, in which people have to exert effort as they try to keep their stress down to manageable levels.
In evaluating the contribution of all of these factors to career success, the authors contrasted two theoretical models. In the trait or resource model, EQ alone would be enough to predict the objective favorable career-related outcome of salary and the subjective outcomes of feelings of job and career satisfaction. If career adaptability and self-efficacy serve as the intermediary influences on these outcomes, then this would support a model in which factors involving these two components are statistically better predictors than EQ is on its own.
After extracting data from more than 150 samples representing nearly 51,000 participants, Pirsoul and his collaborators concluded that the behavioral, rather than the trait or resource model, proved to have the strongest relationship to measures of objective and subjective career success. Supporting what they call the “career self-management model,” these findings show that people high in EQ do well because they are higher in self-efficacy. Supporting the “career construction model,” the findings also showed that people high in EQ do well because they can adapt to their circumstances, and they can also make better career decisions.
One set of findings also provided intriguing support for the notion that people high in EQ are lower in career turnover intentions, meaning that they are less likely to decide to quit their jobs or abandon their careers. Their greater self-understanding means that they choose a pathway that will be consistent with their needs and interests. Their better emotional self-regulation could also make them less likely to have problems with their coworkers and supervisors, going back to the idea that people high in EQ are just nice to have around.
Supporting the idea that EQ can continue to grow in adulthood, as is evident from prior research, the effect sizes for EQ and career outcomes were stronger for older samples included in the meta-analysis. It is possible that as people gain greater self-understanding, their EQ growth is reflected in these career adaptability and self-efficacy dimensions.
3 Ways to Get EQ to Work for You
These three takeaways from this study suggest that IQ is more than just a popular idea without academic merit:
1.People high in EQ do well in their careers, not just because they possess an overall higher level of knowledge about themselves but also because they know how to make good decisions and can approach work-related challenges with expectations that they can succeed. They also have greater internal self-awareness, allowing them to have a better idea of what they want out of their work lives. They can also negotiate with others more effectively, meaning that they are both better collaborators and also better strategists.
2.The UCLouvain study focused on work and, therefore, wouldn’t have direct applicability to relationships or other areas of adult life. However, given the importance of satisfaction with and success in one’s work role, it would make sense that the EQ findings would have favorable implications for well-being in general. There is extensive evidence throughout the career–family literature showing that satisfaction at work is related positively to satisfaction with one’s home life.
3.The final important conclusion of this study was the view that EQ isn’t a “thing” that you have or don’t have. Although high EQ may help improve an individual’s adaptability and self-efficacy, these latter two components of the Belgian model are behavioral in nature and, therefore, can be acquired.
To sum up, if you’re not naturally high in EQ, the Pirsoul et al. findings suggest that by using the skills that high-EQ individuals seem to have cultivated, you can find fulfilling outcomes in your most important life pursuits.

reference:
psychology today

link:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/fulfillment-at-any-age/202305/4-takeaways-from-the-latest-emotional-intelligence-study
58 replies
  1. zeinab rostami
    zeinab rostami says:

    EQ, defined as a general form of adaptive functioning, allows people to identify, understand, express, regulate, and use their own and others’ emotions. Supporting what they call the career self-management model, these findings suggest that people with high EQ They perform well, because in terms of supporting the “career construction model.”
    Personal opinion: IQ means the right hemisphere of feelings and emotions, and it is the right hemisphere that is suppressed from birth, that is, the same feelings and emotions that a person suffers from all kinds of disorders by suppressing the right hemisphere. Those who have a high IQ face life They are better than high IQ

    Reply
  2. Aida fallah zadeh
    Aida fallah zadeh says:

    Proved to be behavior rather than pattern of adjective or resources that proved to have the strongest relationship with objective and mental job success actions.

    Reply
  3. Aida fallah zadeh
    Aida fallah zadeh says:

    If job adaptation and self -efficacy are intermediary impacts on these results, it supports an allegation in which the two components are statistically better predictable than EQ in itself.

    Reply
  4. Aida fallah zadeh
    Aida fallah zadeh says:

    In an adjective or resource pattern, EQ alone will be sufficient to predict the desired outcome of the job and the mental results of the job and job satisfaction

    Reply
  5. Bahar aghamiri
    Bahar aghamiri says:

    Emotional intelligence affects people’s self-confidence, jobs, and interpersonal relationships. People who have higher emotional intelligence have better knowledge and control over their emotions and feelings and feel more satisfied in life. People can live a happier life by strengthening their emotional intelligence. and have more success

    Reply
  6. mohammad parsa younesi
    mohammad parsa younesi says:

    in my opinion, beside with education and IQ, an other Intelligence effects succession which is called EQ. EQ includes self-awareness , self-management , social awareness and relationship management and otherwise than IQ,EQ can be taught.

    Reply
  7. ghazal moulayi poor
    ghazal moulayi poor says:

    Hello Professor, thank you for your efficient article. My definition of emotional intelligence is two fold. One part is being able to understand and process your own emotions in a healthy way, one part is being able to recognize and respond to the emotional state of others in an appropriate way.

    Reply
  8. Mahdi afsharmehr
    Mahdi afsharmehr says:

    a person who has this type of emotional intelligence to a high degree, with a lot of self-confidence, can have a very high control over her personal emotions and can manage and control herself well against the tensions

    Reply
  9. مبینا محمدزاده
    مبینا محمدزاده says:

    Professor, in my opinion,They are mostly mentally healthy.In fact, according to research, EQ is different at different ages.we can strengthen emotional intelligence with special exercises.Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    Reply
  10. Mobina Mohammadinia
    Mobina Mohammadinia says:

    Hello, emotional intelligence can definitely be strengthened, having high intelligence is useful for a person in many things, such as success in the workplace, etc.
    In the field of emotional intelligence, there are skills that can be used to strengthen EQ

    Reply
  11. Fatemeh Ebrahimi
    Fatemeh Ebrahimi says:

    In my opinion, having awareness of IQ is necessary and useful, and it causes flourishing of human creativity, and it should be paid attention to so that a person can understand herself

    Reply
  12. Rezvan Vaghefi
    Rezvan Vaghefi says:

    Hi Dr.
    In my opinion, having emotional intelligence can be a characteristic for choosing people for a job or even a life partner, it is very important for me.

    Reply
  13. parsa younesi
    parsa younesi says:

    people with self awareness can identify their strengths and weaknesses and this will will help them in their social life.

    Reply
  14. iliyamojir
    iliyamojir says:

    Emotional intelligence or emotional intelligence is another type of intelligence. Just as the ability to express and manage individual emotions is essential in life, the ability to understand, recognize and react to the emotions of others is also necessary. Imagine a world where one cannot tell if a friend is sad, or a classmate is angry. Psychologists refer to this awareness as emotional intelligence, and even some experts believe that this type of intelligence can be more important than IQ in a person’s overall success throughout life.

    Reply
  15. زهرا بابائی
    زهرا بابائی says:

    Your article was read, sir, and it was interesting for me, because I have a younger sister, I taught her to memorize some of the poems by repeating and practicing them, and by doing this, I realized that intelligence can be strengthened.

    Reply
  16. Sevda_jafari
    Sevda_jafari says:

    In the same way that humans differ from each other in terms of appearance and appearance, there is also an obvious difference in terms of psychological characteristics such as intelligence, talent, desire and other psychological and personality characteristics. Since the way people deal with different situations of daily life and their ability to solve life problems shows different levels of their abilities, thinkers and scientists have paid attention to a kind of talent or general ability that is necessary for success in these situations. Is.

    Reply
  17. Niloofar Nikooie
    Niloofar Nikooie says:

    What I understood from the article is that the people with higher Emotional intelligence are more successful because they equipped with higher self-awareness!
    Not only they are successful in work environment but also, their career accomplishments lead to their personal lives prosper. which is fantastic!
    Another point is that there are some skills that can be learnt in order to empower one’s EQ.

    Reply
  18. zahra moradi
    zahra moradi says:

    If a person has a healthy and appropriate level of self-awareness, he will be in control of his strengths and weaknesses and how his behavior will affect others. A self-aware person can usually learn from constructive criticism better than others.

    Reply
  19. Hannanekazemi
    Hannanekazemi says:

    From the research articles of some scientists, those who have emotional intelligence can control their and others’ emotions, distinguish between the positive and negative consequences of emotions, and use emotional information to guide the process of thinking and personal actions. Emotional intelligence is a learning term that encompasses a wide range of individual skills and characteristics, and is usually referred to as interpersonal and interpersonal skills that go beyond a specific circle of former science, such as intelligence and technical or professional skills. 

    Reply
  20. Atiyeh soleymanian memandi
    Atiyeh soleymanian memandi says:

    Then the higher the EQ, the more correct and logical decisions are made .

    Reply
  21. Razie nazari rad
    Razie nazari rad says:

    in the point of my view Emotional intelligence can be developed emotional intelligence is not fixed and can be developed over time with practice. 

    Reply
  22. Razie nazari rad
    Razie nazari rad says:

    Hi dr
    in the point of my view Emotional intelligence can be developed emotional

    Reply
  23. Omid Takook
    Omid Takook says:

    Omid Takook

    As the student of the Feeling and Perception Course on Fridays at 12:30, my opinion and comment about this essay is:

    Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It involves being able to regulate one’s own emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. High EQ refers to a high level of emotional intelligence. People with high EQ are often able to navigate social situations effectively, build strong relationships, and communicate effectively with others. They are also often able to handle stress and difficult situations with resilience and adaptability.

    Reply
  24. Atiyeh soleymanian memandi
    Atiyeh soleymanian memandi says:

    Then the higher the IQ, the more correct and logical decisions are made

    Reply
  25. Vafaii nasim
    Vafaii nasim says:

    In my opinion, having emotional intelligence can be a characteristic for choosing people for a job or even a life partner, it is very important for me.

    Reply
  26. Zahra Ahmadi
    Zahra Ahmadi says:

    Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.

    Reply
  27. هدیه معصومی
    هدیه معصومی says:

    In my opinion, in order to be able to solve our problems, we must manage our emotions, and those who have high EQ can better control their behavior and know how to react in any situation, and this causes They can be more successful in job interview or work and other communication fields.

    Reply
  28. کیمیا احمدوند
    کیمیا احمدوند says:

    Professor, in my opinion, emotional intelligence can be developed in every person, if we strengthen our EQ, it will increase our decisions related to work and self-confidence. Get a better job

    Reply
  29. Fateme Kamandi
    Fateme Kamandi says:

    Those who do not know much about emotional intelligence, consider the main factor of people’s success to be IQ and their efforts, while EQ also has a direct relationship with career success, life, etc., and by working on ourselves and By studying, we can increase our EQ and consequently our success

    Reply
  30. Zahra Ahmadi
    Zahra Ahmadi says:

    Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments

    Reply
  31. Zahra Ahmadi
    Zahra Ahmadi says:

    Emotional intelligence, emotional intelligence or emotional intelligence (in English: Emotional intelligence | EI) includes knowing and controlling one’s own and others’ emotions. In other words, a person with high EI successfully integrates three components of emotions: the cognitive component, the physiological component, and the behavioral component. Management science texts believe that leaders and managers, with higher emotional intelligence, have more power to lead the organization under their control. New findings show that employees who have a high work conscientiousness and sense of duty, but lack emotional and social intelligence, perform poorly compared to similar employees who have high emotional intelligence.

    Reply
  32. Mohadeseh khan mirzaie
    Mohadeseh khan mirzaie says:

    Hi
    in the point of my view Emotional intelligence can be developed emotional intelligence is not fixed and can be developed over time with practice. This means that individuals who may not have a high level of emotional intelligence currently can work to improve their skills and become more successful in their personal and professional lives.

    By regard mohadeseh khan mirzaie

    Reply
  33. Hannaneh Ghalandari
    Hannaneh Ghalandari says:

    Characteristics of people with high emotional intelligence 1- You are curious about people you don’t know. 2- You are a worthy leader 3. You know your strengths and weaknesses 4- very well 5- you know exactly what you are upset about 6- you get along with most people 7- you have a deep desire to be a moral and good person 8- you help others patiently and patiently 9- in You are good at reading people’s facial expressions 10- After falling, you straighten your back quickly 11- You guess people’s characteristics correctly 12- You trust your inner voice 13- You always motivate yourself, you pay attention to everything 14- May Know when to give a negative answer

    Reply
  34. Dorsa dehghani fard
    Dorsa dehghani fard says:

    Dorsa dehghani fard
    EQ is a vague and comprehensive concept that some subtleties are missing in its definition. A new article by Thomas Pearsall and his colleagues on artificial intelligence says that EQ means blurring the lines of defining the main problem in assessing defects in improving life situations.
    Adaptability means that you can anticipate problems and deal with them using EQ.
    Piersol concluded that the behavioral model, rather than the trait or resource model, has the strongest relationship with objective and subjective measures of job satisfaction.
    Those with higher EQ, because they have more inner self-awareness, have a more satisfying work life, use better strategists, and focus more on their work.

    Reply
  35. Dorsa Dehghani fard
    Dorsa Dehghani fard says:

    Dorsa dehghani fard
    EQ is a vague and comprehensive concept that some subtleties are missing in its definition. A new article by Thomas Pearsall and his colleagues on artificial intelligence says that EQ means blurring the lines of defining the main problem in assessing defects in improving life situations.
    Adaptability means that you can anticipate problems and deal with them using EQ.
    Piersol concluded that the behavioral model, rather than the trait or resource model, has the strongest relationship with objective and subjective measures of job satisfaction.
    Those with higher EQ, because they have more inner self-awareness, have a more satisfying work life, use better strategists, and focus more on their work.

    Reply
  36. kimia aghabeygi
    kimia aghabeygi says:

    Hello Professor, my opinion about this article is that we have different types of intelligence, one of them is emotional intelligence, which we can define as emotional intelligence means the ability to use 4 skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. People who have high emotional intelligence usually become successful people in society

    Reply
  37. Elika Khodadi
    Elika Khodadi says:

    This is the first time, I was reading an article about EQ, it was very interesting and helpful, especially for those who want to start working and want to know what job is best for them

    Reply
  38. Zeynb nami
    Zeynb nami says:

    I personally think that emotional intelligence is very important and has a great impact in our daily life. This type of intelligence helps us communicate better with others, protect ourselves from stress and anxiety, and make better decisions. In my opinion, the future of research in this field is very attractive and we can make a significant improvement in our lives with more research.

    Reply
  39. Fatemeh alizadeh
    Fatemeh alizadeh says:

    Thanks to the recpected professor for the useful and interesting information of this articel
    In the modern era,people who have a high eQ and nurtured this quality in them selves have a high social and personal status and enjoy all the elements of nature and their surroundings in the best way and welcome all their opportunities with open arms.
    And they use the smallest surrounding elements to build themselves and those around them.

    Reply
  40. Fateme alizade
    Fateme alizade says:

    Thanks to the recpected professor for the useful and interesting information of this articel
    In the modern era,people who have a high eQ and nurtured this quality in them selves have a high social and personal status and enjoy all the elements of nature and their surroundings in the best way and welcome all their opportunities with open arms.
    And they use the smallest surrounding elements to build themselves and those around them.

    Reply
  41. Mobina Abdollahi
    Mobina Abdollahi says:

    Hi, there were very useful tips in this article, but the site needs some visual update and also the text in not in plain terms.

    Reply
  42. Khadijeh sedaghat
    Khadijeh sedaghat says:

    The components of emotional intelligence include five skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
    In my opinion, having emotional intelligence is necessary for life and is closely related to art, and a person who has emotional intelligence has a valuable impact on others.
    Thank you for the excellent and up-to-date community content that you share with us

    Reply
  43. fatemeh sarhadi
    fatemeh sarhadi says:

    Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to recognize one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, and its purpose is:
    1- Motivating ourselves and others
    2- Using emotions and feelings in establishing effective communication with others

    Reply
  44. fatemeh sarhadi
    fatemeh sarhadi says:

    According to research, unlike IQ, you can work to improve your emotional intelligence (EQ). In fact, according to research, EQ is different at different ages. Emotional intelligence can be acquired and strengthened depending on the activities you do throughout your life.

    Reply
  45. chenarani
    chenarani says:

    I always thought that iq is the most important indicator of human intelligence, but after reading this article, my opinion changed. I think that eq is an important tool for recognizing and controlling emotions and using them in the path of progress and success in mental health and improving the quality of life. and in today’s world where human and social relations are very important, it is a factor to achieve achievement and success.

    Reply
  46. chenarani
    chenarani says:

    I always thought that iq is the most important indicator of human intelligence, but after reading this article, my opinion changed. I think that eq is an important tool for recognizing and controlling emotions and using them in the path of progress and success in mental health and improving the quality of life. and in today’s world where human and social relations are very important, it is a factor to achieve achievement and success.

    Reply
  47. Azadeh shokri
    Azadeh shokri says:

    Hi professor
    It was an interesting article. I think emotional intelligence means the ability to monitor and oversee self _deprivation and self_discipline. Self _awareness, self regulation, motivation, emotional intelligence

    Reply
  48. Sanaz Saadati
    Sanaz Saadati says:

    As you can see, the years 1990 to 2000 should be considered the years of serious growth of emotional intelligence. Those who worked on this topic in those years, each one has built a path that has been extended to this day.

    In addition, the concept of emotional intelligence itself has not been defined precisely and with clear boundaries. Although the message of emotional intelligence is clear and everyone agrees on it: do not limit intelligence to the ability of mathematical calculations and the traditional definition of IQ

    Reply
  49. Fatemeh khorsand fard
    Fatemeh khorsand fard says:

    In my opinion, who has a higher or lover EQ among people is a debate among many people these days. Unlike EQ , which cannot be changed, we can strengthen emotional intelligence with special exercises.
    Thank you for your interesting content.

    Reply
  50. Arefeh akbarpur
    Arefeh akbarpur says:

    Hi In my opinion, in nature, organisms that are more adaptable have a higher probability of survival, not those that are stronger, and EQ is the ability to adapt for survival that is very broad and complex in humans

    Reply
  51. Arefeh akbarpur
    Arefeh akbarpur says:

    In my opinion, in nature, organisms that are more adaptable have a higher probability of survival, not those that are stronger, and EQ is the ability to adapt for survival that is very broad and complex in humans

    Reply
  52. Bahar Javid
    Bahar Javid says:

    Hello dear professor
    Thanks for sharing your experiences, it’s interesting to know and talk about people’s EQ. Who has a strong EQ and who has a weak EQ? Is someone with a higher EQ really successful at everything? How can someone with lower EQ improve their intelligence? Thank you

    Reply
  53. Shirin farrokh
    Shirin farrokh says:

    Not everyone is born with emotional intelligence, but fortunately, unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be strengthened and improved with practice.

    Reply
  54. Zhina Alikhani
    Zhina Alikhani says:

    The theme of your page makes it a little difficult to read.
    They are mostly mentally healthy.

    Reply

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