A meta-analysis of the possible behavioural and biological variables linking trait emotional intelligence to health

ABSTRACT

Trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) is a constellation of correlated emotion-related traits that capture an individual’s typical way of processing emotion-related information and reacting in emotional situations. Numerous studies have shown that trait EI is a significant predictor of both subjective and objective health. This correlational meta-analysis (k = 106, N = 45,262) aims to explore the behavioural and biological variables that could account for these effects. It also aims to provide a roadmap for future research by identifying what should be studied (pinpointing dead-end roads and promising paths) and how (methodological improvements needed to draw stronger conclusions). The results revealed large associations of trait EI with social support, sleep quality, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity in challenging situations as well as medium associations with dietary habits, physical activity, and substance use. Other candidate pathways have given rise to much less research. Based on both theoretical predictions and preliminary findings, the paper categorises these pathways as promising or not promising. Future research would benefit from using more diverse samples, measuring behavioural variables more objectively, controlling for personality, and systematically examining to what extent changes in EI (e.g., following training) lead to changes in behaviours and/or biological parameters.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotional competence
• disease
• illness
• behaviours
• physiology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 We originally aimed to include all three levels in the paper, and we did the literature search to this end. We also did the meta-analytical analysis. However, most cells in Table 1 were empty for knowledge and ability EI, and there was not a single cell for these two levels of EI where k > 5. We finally removed knowledge and ability EI from the paper.

2 As noted by Andrei et al. (2016), it is even more remarkable that analyses always test the incremental validity analyses of trait EI at the global level against either the Giant Three or the Big Five. Indeed, while the personality constructs comprise three or five different variables, trait EI at the global level represents only one. Based on this statistical advantage alone, higher-order personality dimensions are much more likely than trait EI to be significantly associated with criterion variables.

3 Effect sizes (aggregated correlations) smaller than .09 are considered small, between .09 and .26 are considered medium, and greater than .26 are considered large.

4 AUC refers to cortisol Area Under the Curve. The Area under the Curve is the total amount of cortisol secreted during the time under consideration. The AUCg refers to Cortisol Area Under the Curve with respect to ground (zero); it thus reflects the total amount of cortisol during the time under consideration. The AUCi refers to Cortisol Area Under the Curve with respect to the Increase; it thus reflects the amplitude of the increase in cortisol secretion from baseline to peak (Pruessner, Kirschbaum, Meinlschmid, & Hellhammer, 2003).

5 In case of anticipatory stress before the experiment (influencing ‘baseline’ cortisol secretion), the AUCg will reflect the total stress experience better than the AUCi (see Pruessner et al., 2003).

6 with the exception of the large effects observed on HPA reactivity and blood glucose.