Under which conditions can introverts achieve happiness? Mediation and moderation effects of the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability on happiness

Implicit theories of women preschool pre-service teachers and emotional intelligence

Introduction

Pre-service teachers should be prepared to face the emotionally demanding situations associated with the profession. The previous literature suggests that two variables are important for managing teaching demands: emotional intelligence (EI) or the ability to perceive, facilitate, understand, and manage emotions and implicit theories (ITs). ITs refer to the beliefs about the malleability of various life domains. Individuals can be divided into incremental theorists (believing that attributes are malleable) and entity theorists (attributes are fixed).

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of ITs of intelligence and EI on self-report and ability EI in a sample of female preschool pre-service teachers.

Method

In total, 224 participants (M = 21.27, SD = 4.72) were assessed on ability EI (performance and self-report instruments), ITs of intelligence, ITs of EI, age, and parental education.

Results

In our sample, incremental EI-but not intelligence-theories predicted higher scores on self-report and ability EI. In particular, being an incremental theorist of EI predicted 11 and 20% of the variance of the global EI and the managing branch of the ability EI, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest the importance of ITs of EI for pre-service teachers' emotional intelligence and open the door to implementing ITs of EI training in this population. These theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Ability Emotional Intelligence and Subjective Happiness in Adolescents: The Role of Positive and Negative Affect

Adolescence is an increasingly vulnerable period for the onset of affective disorders and other mental health issues that can significantly impact an individual's subjective well-being. This study aims to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (ability EI), measured with a performance-based instrument, and Subjective Happiness in adolescents. It also explores the mediating role of positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) in this association and the moderating role of gender. The sample consisted of 333 first-year secondary school students from five centers in Spain, with an average age of 12.11 years (SD = 0.64), ranging from 11-14 years. Path analysis revealed an indirect effect (through NA and PA jointly) of Total Ability EI on Subjective Happiness and a positive direct effect that was observed only in females. Furthermore, this association was explored through various branches of ability EI. The results of this study suggest that interventions aimed at improving emotional abilities in adolescents while modulating the intensity of their emotions could significantly impact their overall well-being.

Emotion Regulation Ability: Test Performance and Observer Reports in Predicting Relationship, Achievement and Well-Being Outcomes in Adolescents

This paper examines emotion regulation defined as one of the components of emotional intelligence ability and tests how emotion regulation predicts academic achievement, relationship quality, and affective well-being outcomes in adolescents. Specifically, we examine two ways of measuring emotion regulation ability—using performance test scores and through knowledgeable informant observations (teachers). While previous research supports the predictive validity of performance on ability tests of emotion regulation observer reports of emotion regulation have not received much empirical attention. In a sample of high school students, we test whether performance-tested and observer-assessed emotion regulation ability predict a range of outcomes beyond the Big Five personality traits and gender and whether the two measures of emotion regulation ability predict outcomes independently. Our hypotheses are supported for outcomes of relationship quality and academic achievement, but not for affective well-being outcomes. We discuss the implications for assessment of emotion regulation ability and the nature of outcomes predicted by emotion regulation ability.

Loneliness and Well-Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations with Personality and Emotion Regulation

The present study examined how neuroticism, extraversion, and emotion regulation were related to loneliness and well-being during 6 weeks of major public life restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Cross-sectional results from 466 participants showed that neuroticism and emotion regulation strategies were associated with higher loneliness and lower well-being. However, in contrast to prior research, associations of extraversion with loneliness and well-being were weak and were qualified by interactions with emotion regulation. For introverts, maladaptive cognitive strategies such as rumination or catastrophizing were related to higher levels of loneliness. For extraverts, emotion suppression was related to lower levels of affective well-being. Individuals with low maladaptive regulation reported higher well-being the longer the public life restrictions were in place at the time of study participation. These findings suggest that first, extraversion may lose some of its protective value for loneliness and well-being when opportunities to engage in social activities are limited; second, that loneliness and well-being do not decrease over 6 weeks of public life restrictions; and third, that future studies should further investigate the moderating role of emotion regulation on the link between personality, loneliness, and well-being.

Physical activity and emotional intelligence among undergraduate students: a correlational study

Background

Physical activity (PA) can be a mechanism that develops emotions. Emotional intelligence (EI) is related to significant public health and psychological benefits. However, there is little information about the relationships between PA and EI dimensions: emotional attention, clarity, and repair. This study examined the possible relationships between these variables in undergraduate students from Madrid. As a secondary aim, sex differences in PA domains and EI dimensions were examined.

Methods

A total of 2960 (21.34 ± 4.34 years) undergraduate students from Madrid (Spain) fulfilled the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). We used a MANOVA to compare EI and PA levels according to sex. Different linear regressions were conducted to calculate the PA and age prediction power based on EI.

Results

We found a significant association between EI dimensions and PA levels, although these relationships were small. Fully adjusted linear regression showed that sex and leisure-time PA (LTPA) were associated of emotional attention (r²_c = .025). Sex, age, and LTPA were associated of emotional repair (r²_c = .024). There were statistically significant differences in EI by sex (p ≤ .001; η²_{p =} .039), with higher scores in emotional attention for women (p ≤ .001) and emotional clarity (p ≤ .001) and repair (p ≤ .001) for men. PA levels differed according to sex (p ≤ .001; η²_{p =} .038). Men show higher scores in LTPA levels (p = .002) and occupational PA (p ≤ .001).

Conclusions

Undergraduate students with higher levels of LTPA showed a better score on EI, specifically in emotional attention and emotional repair. However, these associations and the predictive power of LTPA regarding emotional attention and emotional repair were weak. Men engaged in more LTPA and occupational PA and had higher emotional clarity and emotional repair than women. However, women had higher emotional attention.

A Comparison of the Ability Emotional Intelligence of Head Teachers With School Teachers in Other Positions

Head teachers are exposed to a highly emotional and stressful job, and they need a sufficient combination of professional competencies in order to deal with daily challenges in schools. Recent studies have shown the importance of developing emotional competencies such as emotional intelligence (EI) in teachers in order to improve their professional development and to ensure the adequate functioning of the school. However, rather less is known about the ability EI of head teachers. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability EI of public school head teachers and compare this ability with those working in other positions within the school. For these purposes, 393 participants (35 head teachers, 39 middle leaders, 236 tutors, and 86 teachers) aged between 24 and 62 years (M = 40.26; SD = 9.27) completed the mayer-salovey-caruso emotional intelligence test (MSCEIT). The results revealed a significantly higher total EI for head teachers than teachers, along with higher scores in the understanding branch of the MSCEIT for the head teachers compared with workers in other positions. In addition, on this EI branch, tutors also achieved higher scores than the teachers. We also evaluated the alternative hypothesis that years of teaching experience could explain the relationship between work position and the EI scores, and found no evidence in support of this possibility. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

The relationship between aggression and ability emotional intelligence: The role of negative affect

This study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between aggressive behaviour and individual levels of ability emotional intelligence (EI). Three hundred and ninety-five participants took part in this study. Participants were assessed on ability EI, negative affect (NA), and aggression by the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Buss-Perry Aggression questionnaires, respectively. The results revealed a negative relationship between aggression and ability EI, but this relationship depended on multiple factors: the type of EI branches and aggression dimensions, the influence of NA, and gender. Emotional management ability showed a direct relationship with aggression, while emotional perception ability presented an indirect relationship with aggression through the effect of NA. These EI abilities were related to different aggression dimensions, highlighting the direct relationship with physical aggression. Moreover, gender differences showed that women possess greater EI abilities, higher levels of NA, less aggressive behaviour, and a lower relationship between NA and aggression compared with men. This research offers a better understanding of the psychological processes explaining aggression. The inclusion of our findings in the design of prevention and treatment programs could be of great help in the control of aggressive behaviour.

Teachers' Affective Well-being and Teaching Experience: The Protective Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence

Teaching is a highly emotional and demanding profession. Developing emotional well-being among teachers will benefit not only the teachers themselves, but also their students. Previous studies have shown the protective role of emotional intelligence (EI) as well as inconsistencies in the years of teaching experience variable on positive and negative work-specific variables. The aim of the present study was to analyze how EI and years of teaching experience are related to affective well-being in teachers. Further, we analyze the moderator role of perceived EI on the link between level of teaching experience and affective well-being. For these purpose, 524 teachers from different Spanish public schools took part in the study. They first completed the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24) for measuring perceived EI, which evaluates three scales: Attention to one’s Feelings (Attention), Emotional Clarity (Clarity), and Mood Repair (Repair). Secondly, they completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) for affective well-being, which measures Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA). Finally, teachers indicated their years of teaching experience. The results revealed that teaching experience and attention variables are counterproductive in determining lower PA and higher NA, respectively. Clarity and Repair appeared to be a significant determinant of PA and NA, with higher Clarity and Repair determining higher PA and lower NA. Moderator analyses showed how teaching experience significantly decreased PA in teachers who had average or low levels of Repair, but not for those with higher levels of this variable, emphasizing the important role of Repair as a protector of affective well-being in teachers. Limitations and future areas for research are discussed.

The Three Models of Emotional Intelligence and Performance in a Hot and Cool go/no-go Task in Undergraduate Students

Emotional intelligence (EI), or the ability to perceive, use, understand and regulate emotions, appears to be helpful in the performance of "hot" (i.e., emotionally laden) cognitive tasks when using performance-based ability models, but not when using self-report EI models. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between EI (as measured through a performance-based ability test, a self-report mixed test and a self-report ability test) and cognitive control ability during the performance of hot and "cool" (i.e., non-emotionally laden) "go/no-go" tasks. An experimental design was used for this study in which 187 undergraduate students (25% men) with a mean age of 21.93 years (standard deviation [SD] = 3.8) completed the three EI tests of interest (Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test [MSCEIT], Trait Meta-Mood Scale [TMMS] and Emotional Quotient Inventory-Short Form [EQi:S]) as well as go/no-go tasks using faces and geometric figures as stimuli. The results provide evidence for negative associations between the "managing" branch of EI measured through the performance-based ability test of EI and the cognitive control index of the hot go/no-go task, although similar evidence was not found when using the cool task. Further, the present study failed to observe consistent results when using the self-report EI instruments. These findings are discussed in terms of both the validity and implications of the various EI models.