Students with impressive emotional intelligence perform better at school

Study shows that children with above-average emotional intelligence perform better in school activities.

A study on emotional intelligence

According to a recent study published in the journal of Psychological Bulletin, emotional intelligence is an essential mental trait. Along with academic intelligence and well upbringing, mental excellence can lead to academic success.

Students with a great understanding of their emotional capacities are more effective leaders during class activities.

Researchers from the University of Sydney, have processed data of more than 160 researches published between 1998 to 2019. The data consists around 42,000 student respondents from 27 countries.

75% of the respondents were from English-speaking countries with education level ranging from elementary to college.

Findings of the study

The study aimed to incorporate emotional quotient (EQ) with having higher grades and better test scores.
After thorough analysis, the researchers’ hypothesis was true about the involvement of emotional intelligence in a student’s academic performance.
According to co-author Carolyn MacCann:

Students with higher emotional intelligence are better in handling negative emotions such as anxiety, disappointment, and boredom, that can negatively affect academic performance.

Having control over your emotions makes an individual more friendly, which leads to better relationships with classmates, teachers, peers, and family.
Human emotion is also a key instrument in studying history and language; being emotionally independent gives an individual an overall advantage over those subject areas.
But researchers believe that emotional skills are different if taught instead of naturally discovered. Which is why they still encourage school intervention like adequate staffing and teacher aides are more effective rather than investing in programs that would develop a student’s emotional skills.