The Effects of Emotional Intelligence on Happiness and Well-being: Can E.I predict significant life outcomes?

Abstract

Participants completed questionnaires of trait emotional intelligence (E.I), happiness and well-being, in order to examine a link between the measures. The internal factors of E.I were also investigated to see which parts of E.I would be more or less likely to predict happiness and well-being. E.I was found to correlate with happiness but not with well-being, though well-being and happiness did correlate. No E.I facets correlated with well-being, but all apart from emotion management (others) and trait empathy correlated with happiness. Results suggest that Emotional Intelligence does predict happiness, and that intrapersonal E.I is more important to happiness than interpersonal E.I, but further investigation is needed to properly differentiate the two.