Emotional Intelligence Connected to Academic Success
According to an article recently published in the Psychological Bulletin Journal, research shows that students who are able to understand and manage their emotions effectively (i.e., who have a high emotional intelligence) do better in school than their less skilled peers.
“It’s not enough to be smart and hardworking,” explained Dr. Carolyn MacCann, PhD, of the University of Sydney and lead author of the study. “Students must also be able to understand and manage their emotions to succeed at school.”
By analyzing data from more than 160 studies published over two decades, representing more than 42,000 students from 27 countries, MacCann and her colleagues found that students with higher emotional intelligence tend to get higher grades and better achievement test scores than those with lower emotional intelligence scores. This finding held true even when controlling for intelligence and personality factors, and regardless of age.
As for why emotional intelligence can affect academic performance, MacCann believes a number of factors may come into play. “Students with higher emotional intelligence may be better able to manage negative emotions, such as anxiety, boredom and disappointment, that can negatively affect academic performance,” she explained. “Also, these students may be better able to manage the social world around them, forming better relationships with teachers, peers and family, all of which are important to academic success.”
To help nurture and grow emotional intelligence in students of all ages, MacCann recommends starting early and engaging the entire school through teacher-led programs, thus, increasing skills for everyone. “Programs that integrate emotional skill development into the existing curriculum would be beneficial,” she said.
This article is based on the research article “Emotional Intelligence Predicts Academic Performance: A Meta-Analysis,” by Carolyn MacCann, PhD, Yixin Jiang, PhD, Luke Brown, MSc, and Micaela Bucich, BPsych. The complete article is available at https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/ releases/bul-bul0000219.pdf