Is emotional intelligence an advantage? An exploration of the impact of emotional and general intelligence on individual performance

J Soc Psychol. 2002 Feb;142(1):133-43. doi: 10.1080/00224540209603891.

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is an increasingly popular consulting tool. According to popular opinion and work-place testimonials, emotional intelligence increases performance and productivity; however, there has been a general lack of independent, systematic analysis substantiating that claim. The authors investigated whether emotional intelligence would account for increases in individual cognitive-based performance over and above the level attributable to traditional general intelligence. The authors measured emotional intelligence with the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence Scale (MEIS; J. D. Mayer, P. Salovey, & D. R. Caruso, 1997). As measured by the MEIS, overall emotional intelligence is a composite of the 3 distinct emotional reasoning abilities: perceiving, understanding, and regulating emotions (J. D. Mayer & P. Salovey, 1997). Although further psychometric analysis of the MEIS is warranted, the authors found that overall emotional intelligence, emotional perception, and emotional regulation uniquely explained individual cognitive-based performance over and beyond the level attributable to general intelligence.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Awareness
  • Cognition
  • Emotions*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intelligence Tests / statistics & numerical data
  • Intelligence*
  • Male
  • Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data
  • Psychometrics
  • Research Design
  • Self Concept*
  • Sex Factors
  • Social Perception
  • Southwestern United States
  • Students / psychology*