15 Important High Emotional Intelligence Benefits

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, has gained significant attention in recent years. It's the ability to understand, use, manage, and express your emotions, as well as the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of others. 

I have been helping people build their emotional intelligence for decades. I am more and more convinced that it is the key to personal happiness, successful relationships, and healthy communities. 

While writing my most recent book, Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook, I became aware that some of the sweeping declarations made about the crucial value of emotional intelligence—such as it being more important than intellectual intelligence in determining career success—aren't fully supported by research, so I wanted to sort out fact from fiction.  

In this article, we will explore the research-based benefits of having a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ). So, if you're curious about how emotional intelligence can benefit you and the people you care about, keep reading to discover the key advantages it offers.

What's in This Post

Terms Used for Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is also known as emotional intelligence quotient (EQ). 

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs used in schools include lessons and activities that help students build emotional intelligence, such as teaching them how to recognize and manage their emotions.

Sometimes, especially in work contexts, emotional intelligence skills are called soft skills. 

Emotion regulation is another term that we hear a lot when talking about these subjects. Emotion regulation is the ability to control the intensity and duration of emotions and manage your behavioral response. 

IQ vs EQ: What's More Important? What's the Difference?

For a number of years, people got so excited about emotional intelligence that they were making sweeping claims that it is more important than intellectual intelligence.  

While the absolute statement that EQ outweighs IQ is questionable since their relative importance can depend on the situation and the specific skills required for a given job, there is no doubt that high emotional intelligence provides many advantages in many aspects of life. (I'll get into those research-backed advantages in a minute.)

What's the difference between IQ and EQ?

Besides that IQ is about intellectual intelligence and EQ is about emotional intelligence, a huge difference is that IQ is baked in—you are born with it—and EQ is learned. This is great news!

Wherever you are with your emotional intelligence level, you can build on it and improve your knowledge and skill level. 

What are Emotions?

From my perspective, emotions are information. Emotions (AKA feelings) let us know what is going on between us and the world. They give us direction and motivation. They help us survive. And they help us go beyond mere surviving to thriving.

My Emotional Intelligence Definition

Emotional intelligence is wisdom about, and ability to deal with, emotions—yours and other people’s. It is a skill set that can be learned and developed.

Mayer and Salovey Emotional Intelligence Definition

John Mayer and Peter Salovey, two of the founders of emotional intelligence theory, offered this definition:

“We define EI as the capacity to reason about emotions, and of emotions, to enhance thinking. It includes the abilities to accurately perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth.”

While many others have added to their work, Mayer and Salovey (currently the President of Yale University) remain prominent figures in the field of emotional intelligence.

Daniel Goleman's Definition of Emotional Intelligence

Publication of Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ brought the idea of EI into everyday conversation.

The book’s long-lasting success landed it on Time Magazine’s twenty-five most influential business management books list. Goleman, a psychologist and science journalist, has gone on to publish many books focusing on EI in the workplace and leadership. He also co-founded the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, bringing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs into schools around the world.

“Emotional Intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” —Daniel Goleman

Emotional Intelligence Helps You Deal with Emotional Pain and Boosts Happiness

Emotional intelligence helps you understand both your "negative" emotions and "positive" emotions.

Note about emotion labels: I prefer the terms uncomfortable or painful, and comfortable or feel-good, to describe groups of emotions to get away from the judgment associated with calling one group of emotions negative and another positive. It's not that some emotions are bad and some are good. All emotions are information. It's just that some of them feel good and some don't.

Many people who write about EI only focus on helping you understand emotional pain, but I think that it is equally important to learn how to get more happiness in your life and savor the feel-good emotions.

The field of Positive Psychology has added to our knowledge base around the advantages of feel-good emotions from healthy sources and exercises to help boost "positive" emotions.

I spend equal time on effectively dealing with emotional pain and boosting feel-good emotions in my book Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook.

The Benefits of Emotional Intelligence

High emotional intelligence helps you use your emotions to your advantage and understand the emotions of others.

EI helps you manage your emotions (emotion regulation) and deal better with difficult situations. It is a key part of stress resilience. It boosts your social skills, strengthens your relationships, and helps you work more effectively with people around you.

While emotional intelligence skills aren't the only ones needed by leaders, they have been proven to be a vital skill set in leadership role success.

Research-Based High Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Benefits

In my Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook, I provide more references for each of the benefits listed below. I'll include a sampling here.  

1. Happiness, Subjective Well-being, and Life Satisfaction

Numerous studies have consistently found a positive connection between higher emotional intelligence and a sense of well-being. Emotionally intelligent people tend to report higher levels of happiness and overall life satisfaction. 

Sánchez-Álvarez, N., Extremera, N., & Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2016). The relation between emotional intelligence and subjective well-being: A meta-analytic investigation. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(3), 276–285. 

2. Stress Resilience (The Ability to Withstand Stress, Bounce Back, and Thrive)

Research shows that people with higher emotional intelligence have increased stress resilience. They are better able to withstand the impact of stressors, recover more effectively from challenging situations, and thrive in the face of adversity. 

Schneider, T. R., Lyons, J. B., & Khazon, S. (2013). Emotional intelligence and resilience. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(8), 909–914. 

3. Stronger Relationships

Research consistently shows that individuals with higher EQ are more likely to create and maintain healthy, happy relationships.

Their ability to understand and work through their own emotions and manage their emotional reaction, along with understanding the feelings of others, contributes to:

• effective communication,
• empathy, and
• conflict management.

Malouff, J. M., Schutte, N. S., & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2014). Trait Emotional Intelligence and Romantic Relationship Satisfaction: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(1), 53–66. 

4. Better Job Performance and Satisfaction

According to many studies, people with higher EQ tend to perform better at work and feel more satisfied with their jobs.

Higher emotional intelligence is connected to:

• Superior interpersonal skills
• Effective leadership qualities
• Adaptability in the workplace
• Increased job satisfaction and success

Dogru Ç. (2022). A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence and Employee Outcomes. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 611348. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.611348

5. Academic Achievement Across All Levels From Elementary School to University

Emotional intelligence makes a big difference in schools. Students with strong emotional skills often do better academically—at every level, from elementary school to college.

This is one reason why Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an important part of our kids' education.

MacCann, C., Jiang, Y., Brown, L. E. R., Double, K. S., Bucich, M., & Minbashian, A. (2020). Emotional intelligence predicts academic performance: A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 146(2), 150–186. 

6. Self-Control and Motivation

People with higher emotional intelligence demonstrate greater self-control and motivation.

Emotional intelligence helps people:

• Regulate their emotions
• Resist impulsive behaviors
• Stay motivated to pursue goals

These benefits contribute greatly to personal and professional success.

Dumciene, A., & Sipaviciene, S. (2021). The Role of Gender in Association between Emotional Intelligence and Self-Control among University Student-Athletes. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(22), 11819. 

7. Reduced Risk of Depression

Lower emotional intelligence has been consistently associated with a higher risk of depression.

Not being able to recognize, understand, and manage emotions can lead to feelings of depression and keep the depression going. 

Low EI contributes to depression by reducing emotion regulation and stress resilience, and also by interfering with your ability to create and maintain positive relationships.

Amirifard, N., Payandeh, M., Aeinfar, M., Sadeghi, M., Sadeghi, E., & Ghafarpor, S. (2017). A Survey on the Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Level of Depression and Anxiety among Women with Breast Cancer. International journal of hematology-oncology and stem cell research, 11(1), 54–57.

8. Reduced Risk of General Anxiety 

Lower emotional intelligence is also associated with a higher risk of generalized anxiety.

People with lower emotional intelligence may struggle to deal with various stressors, leading to persistent feelings of worry, nervousness, and anxiety. 

Wells, J., Watson, K., E Davis, R., Siraj A Quadri, S., R Mann, J., Verma, A., Sharma, M., & Nahar, V. K. (2021). Associations among Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Emotional Intelligence among Veterinary Medicine Students. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(8), 3934. 

9. Less Social Anxiety

When it comes to social anxiety, having lower emotional intelligence plays a big role. Research shows that people with lower emotional intelligence might struggle with social interactions, making their social anxiety worse. They might have a hard time understanding other people's emotions, expressing themselves clearly, and picking up on social cues, which can lead to more anxiety in social situations.

Cejudo, J., Rodrigo-Ruiz, D., López-Delgado, M. L., & Losada, L. (2018). Emotional Intelligence and Its Relationship with Levels of Social Anxiety and Stress in Adolescents. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(6), 1073. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15061073

10. Protects Against Eating Disorders

Difficulty recognizing and coping with emotions (low EI) can lead to eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and compulsive overreacting.

Romero-Mesa, J., Peláez-Fernández, M. A., & Extremera, N. (2021). Emotional intelligence and eating disorders: a systematic review. Eating and weight disorders: EWD, 26(5), 1287–1301. 

11. Less Likely to Smoke, or Abuse Alcohol and Drugs

Individuals with lower emotional intelligence are more likely to engage in harmful behaviors—like smoking or developing addictions to drugs and alcohol. Difficulty managing emotions effectively may drive them to rely on these behaviors as coping mechanisms.

People with lower emotional intelligence may turn to substances to cope with stress, and they can have a tougher time staying sober and smoke-free when they try to quit. 

Emotional growth can stunt out at whatever age someone begins using substances to cope. When I work with clients on quitting unhealthy habits, I always like to start by working on emotion skills.  

Leite, K. P., Martins, F. M. P., Trevizol, A. P., Noto, J. R. S., & Brietzke, E. (2019). A critical literature review on emotional intelligence in addiction. Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy, 41(1), 87–93. 

Berking, M., Margraf, M., Ebert, D., Wupperman, P., Hofmann, S. G., & Junghanns, K. (2011). Deficits in emotion-regulation skills predict alcohol use during and after cognitive-behavioral therapy for alcohol dependence. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 79(3), 307–318. 

12. Reduced Risk of Internet Addiction

Having lower emotional intelligence is linked to a higher risk of internet addiction. Difficulties in emotional regulation may contribute to excessive and problematic internet use.

Khoshakhlagh, H., & Faramarzi, S. (2012). The relationship of emotional intelligence and mental disorders with internet addiction in internet users university students. Addiction & health, 4(3-4), 133–141.

13. Reduced Aggression and Hostility

Challenges in understanding and managing emotions may contribute to interpersonal difficulties and conflict. Individuals with lower emotional intelligence are more likely to become angry and aggressive.

García-Sancho, E., Dhont, K., Salguero, J. M., & Fernández-Berrocal, P. (2017). The personality basis of aggression: The mediating role of anger and the moderating role of emotional intelligence. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 58(4), 333–340. 

14. Protects Against Job Burnout

Having lower emotional intelligence is connected to job burnout. Struggling to handle work stress and deal with coworkers can lead to higher burnout rates.

Michinov E. (2022). The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence on the Relationship Between Conflict Management Styles and Burnout among Firefighters. Safety and health at work, 13(4), 448–455. 

15. Reduced Risk of Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior

Most concerningly, lower emotional intelligence is associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation (thoughts) and behavior. The inability to effectively cope with and regulate emotions may contribute to severe mental health challenges, leading to hopelessness and suicide. 

Abdollahi, A., Hosseinian, S., & Rasuli, R. (2020). Emotional Intelligence Moderates Anhedonia and Suicidal Ideation in Depressed Patients. Psychological reports, 123(3), 660–673. 

How Emotional Intelligence Helps

Elena Domínguez-García and Pablo Fernández-Berrocal from the University of Málaga in Spain provide a dramatic summary of EI benefits in their 2018 Frontiers in Psychology journal article.  They performed a search for English and Spanish language research projects about a possible connection between suicide and EI.

Their final meta-analysis included results from 25 experiments (with a total of over 13,000 subjects) published between 2010 and 2018 by researchers from more than ten countries, including Hong Kong, Spain, Iran, Mexico, Egypt, the US, Poland, China, India, Pakistan, and Chile.

I'm going to quote from their summary of results but break the quote into bullet points to make it easier to digest.

“The results strongly agree with those found in the literature on the association between suicide risk and EI, and the role of the latter as a protective factor. The reasons for why EI has a protective capacity could be linked to

•  its negative correlation with depression and risky behaviors such as substance abuse;
• its role in promoting positive emotions and resilience;
• the creation and maintenance of close relationships;
• the use of effective coping strategies rather than maladaptive strategies;
• the experience of less emotional distress when coping with a stressful situation;
• the maintenance of higher self-esteem and self-efficacy that mitigates the influence of negative events; and
• the increase of subjective well-being and life satisfaction.”

Emotional Intelligence Workbook

When I was pregnant with my first child, long before I became a counselor, I dove into learning everything I could about good parenting because I didn't want to parent the way I had been parented. That self-help quest led me to learn a lot about emotions: how to handle your own and other people's. 

I eventually started teaching parenting classes and studying to become a counselor. 

After decades of helping clients improve their personal and relationship skills, I created  Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook to put all that learning in a format that could be used by a broad range of individuals, and by other counselors and helping professionals. 

Building Skills to Uplevel Life is full of practical, tried-and-tested explanations, tips, and techniques, as well as simple EQ-building exercises to make your life better. 

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