🧠 Journal Summary: Ability emotional intelligence profiles and real-life outcomes

🧠 Journal Summary: Ability emotional intelligence profiles and real-life outcomes: a latent profile analysis of a large adult sample

Authors: Christophe Haag, Lisa Bellinghausen and Clément Poirier

Published In: Frontiers in Psychology

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated different types of emotional intelligence (EI) profiles, specifically focusing on “ability” emotional intelligence (AEI), and explored how these profiles relate to various everyday life outcomes such as health, well-being, and decision-making. The primary goal was to identify distinct AEI profiles within a large adult sample and link them to practical, real-world consequences.

The research aimed to provide new insights into how AEI manifests in daily life and its impact on crucial aspects like decision-making, social interactions, and overall well-being.

💡 Key Concepts

• Emotional Intelligence (EI): Defined as the ability to accurately perceive, appraise, and express emotions; to access and generate feelings that facilitate thought; to understand emotions and emotional knowledge; and to regulate emotions to promote emotional and intellectual growth.
• Ability Emotional Intelligence (AEI): An approach to EI that categorizes it as a form of intelligence, which is best measured through “performance-based” tests. This study utilized the QEg model, which describes AEI through three meta-competencies:
  • Identification of Emotions (IE): The skill to precisely recognize emotions in oneself and others by observing physiological signs, interpreting emotional cues (cognitive expressions, behaviors, vocal, postural, and facial signals), and pinpointing emotional triggers.
  • Understanding Emotions (UE): The ability to grasp emotions and anticipate their potential positive or negative effects, including evaluating emotion intensity, predicting changes over time, and foreseeing outcomes.
  • Strategic Management of Emotions (SME): The meta-competency to consciously choose and express appropriate emotions to adapt to a given situation. This involves selecting the desired emotional state and employing effective emotion regulation strategies to achieve it.
• Latent Profile Analysis (LPA): A statistical technique used to identify hidden subgroups or “profiles” within a larger population based on shared characteristics or parameters.
• QEg Model: An online, performance-based assessment tool specifically developed to measure the seven dimensions of AEI in the general adult population, extending a previous model designed for managers.
• Real-life Outcomes: Various aspects of daily life examined in relation to AEI profiles, including stress perception, home-work interaction, levels of gratitude, overall satisfaction with life, emotional burnout, and quality of decision-making.

📊 Key Insights

• The study, using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) on a sample of 2,877 French adults, identified three distinct AEI profiles: Full Emotional Processing (FEP), Minimal Emotional Processing (MEP), and Partial Emotional Processing (PEP).
• The Full Emotional Processing (FEP) profile consistently demonstrated superior performance across all measured AEI abilities when compared to the MEP and PEP profiles.
• Individuals categorized under the FEP profile exhibited several significant positive real-life outcomes:
  • Lower levels of perceived stress.
  • Reduced negative interaction between home and work life.
  • Higher levels of gratitude.
  • Greater satisfaction with life.
  • Lower scores on emotional exhaustion, a key indicator of burnout.
  • A stronger tendency to consider future consequences in their decision-making over immediate gratification.
• These findings collectively indicate that the FEP profile is strongly associated with enhanced mental and physical health, overall well-being, increased life satisfaction, and improved decision-making capabilities.
• The research emphasizes the importance of developing individualized AEI training programs. These programs should be tailored to different profiles, focusing on building foundational emotional skills for those with minimal or partial processing, while further refining the strengths of individuals with full emotional processing.

📘 Example Application

In an organizational setting, a human resources department could implement AEI assessments as part of their employee development program. By identifying employees’ specific AEI profiles (FEP, MEP, or PEP), the company can then design and offer targeted training.

For instance, employees with a “Minimal Emotional Processing” profile might receive foundational training on recognizing and understanding their own emotions and those of others, using practical exercises like role-playing common workplace scenarios. Conversely, employees with a “Full Emotional Processing” profile could be offered advanced workshops on strategic emotion management for complex negotiations or leadership roles, further honing their existing strengths.

This tailored approach ensures that resources are effectively allocated to improve individual well-being, reduce stress and burnout, and foster better decision-making across the workforce, ultimately leading to a more emotionally intelligent and productive organization.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

These findings are crucial because they move beyond simply acknowledging the importance of emotional intelligence and dive into how different levels of emotional processing actually manifest in tangible life outcomes. Understanding these distinct AEI profiles allows educators, leaders, and even individuals to recognize that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to emotional development.

It highlights the potential for highly personalized interventions and training programs, making efforts to improve emotional intelligence far more effective and impactful. By tailoring approaches to an individual’s specific emotional processing profile, we can more effectively enhance well-being, improve decision-making, and build resilience in various personal and professional contexts.

📌 Takeaway

This study powerfully demonstrates that a higher level of ability emotional intelligence, characterized by “Full Emotional Processing,” leads to tangible positive outcomes in health, well-being, and decision-making. Recognizing and nurturing these specific emotional processing profiles is key to fostering improved individual and collective flourishing.