ABSTRACT
This study examined whether the status (central or peripheral position) of individuals in a friendship network and the quality of a friendship network represent key mechanisms in determining how emotional intelligence is associated with subjective well-being. Using data collected from 217 Chinese senior undergraduates, we found that the interaction of the quality of a friendship network and a peripheral position in a friendship network mediated relations of emotional intelligence with subjective well-being. Although a central position in a friendship network did not interact with the quality of a friendship network, it did mediate the relations of emotional intelligence with subjective well-being on its own. The findings expand the growing body of research findings on the association between emotional intelligence and subjective well-being by investigating the role of friendship networks and highlight the importance of a network perspective in understanding the association.
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The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at materials presented in appendix and not online.
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This article has earned the Center for Open science badges for Open Materials through Open Practices Disclosure. The materials are openly accessible presented in appendix and not online.
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Hui-Hua Zhang
Hui-Hua Zhang is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Shanghai Normal University, China. His research interests lie in the areas of positive psychology, with an emphasis on emotional intelligence. His research in the area of emotional intelligence focuses on the measurement of emotional intelligence, the relationships between emotional intelligence and important outcomes in workplace and daily life, and interventions to increasing emotional intelligence.
Rui Li
Rui Li is a Professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Business, Soochow University. He received his PhD from Jinan University, China. His research interests include leadership, proactivity, constructive deviance, and social network.
Nicola S. Schutte
Nicola S. Schutte is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New England, Australia. Her research interests lie in the area of positive psychology, with a focus on emotional intelligence. Together with research colleagues, she has investigated the assessment of emotional intelligence; the dimensional nature of emotional intelligence; outcomes associated with emotional intelligence, including aspects of mental health, relationships, workplace functioning, and telomere length; and approaches to increasing emotional intelligence.