Emotional Intelligence and Suicide Risk: What Research Shows

RSS

Emotional intelligence has been shown to have many mental health benefits. Research also indicates that it may function as a protective factor in relation to suicide risk.

Because suicide represents one of the most serious mental health outcomes, researchers have paid particular attention to factors that may reduce suicide risk. Emotional intelligence has emerged as one such factor, with studies examining whether differences in emotional awareness, regulation, and coping are associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviors across different populations.

The sections below summarize research that has examined this connection directly, followed by a large international review that helps explain how emotional intelligence may exert a protective influence.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Suicide Risk: Studies That Make the Connection

Researchers around the world have examined the link between emotional intelligence and suicide risk across many different populations and settings.

This is a sampling of studies showing an association between lower emotional intelligence and increased suicide risk.

Low EI Scores Associated with Suicide Attempts

Turkish researchers, Korkmaz, et al (2020), who compared 25 patient survivors of attempted suicide with 25 healthy control subjects, found significantly lower emotional intelligence scores in the patient group.

Suicidal Ideation and EI in Depressed Patients

Suicidal ideation refers to thoughts about suicide, ranging from more passive thoughts of not wanting to live, to preoccupation with suicide, to more active thoughts such as planning suicide.

A study of 65 depressed patients recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Egypt found that lower EI scores were statistically significantly associated with suicidal ideation.

Trauma, EI, and Suicidal Behavior in Adolescents

American researchers Cha and Nock (2009) looked at suicidal behavior in 54 adolescent psychiatric patients who were sexually abused. They reported that childhood sexual abuse was strongly associated with suicidal ideation and attempts in those with low EI, had a weak association in those with medium EI, and was "completely unrelated among those with high EI."

EI, Anhedonia, Loneliness, and Suicidal Ideation

Anhedonia — a reduced ability to experience interest, enjoyment, or pleasure — is associated with increased suicidal ideation and attempts.

A study by Abdollahi, Hosseinian, and Rasuli (2020) examining 217 depressed Iranian adult inpatients found that emotional intelligence moderated the relationship between anhedonia and suicidal ideation.

A 2025 Korean study by Lee and Bae included 390 adults who completed online surveys. They found that:

Individuals with anhedonia had increased loneliness and suicidal ideation
Emotional intelligence had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between loneliness and suicidal ideation. Subjects with high EI experienced less suicidal ideation, even when experiencing loneliness.

How Emotional Intelligence Functions as a Protective Factor: Review Study

Why does this association between emotional intelligence and suicide risk appear so consistently across different populations and contexts?

That question is addressed directly by a large international research review conducted by Elena Domínguez-García and Pablo Fernández-Berrocal of the University of Málaga in Spain. In a 2018 Frontiers in Psychology journal article, the authors examined existing research on connections between emotional intelligence and suicidal behavior.

Their final meta-analysis included results from:

25 experiments published between 2010 and 2018
a total of over 13,000 subjects
articles by researchers from more than ten countries, including Hong Kong, Spain, Iran, Mexico, Egypt, the US, Poland, China, India, Pakistan, and Chile

Their first-level conclusion:

“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 authors didn't stop there. They examined patterns across studies to better understand why emotional intelligence may function as a protective factor in relation to suicide risk.

Possible Reasons for EI Influence on Suicide Risk

Based on their analysis, the study's authors identified several pathways through which higher emotional intelligence appears to exert its protective influence:

Reduced depression and risky behaviors, such as substance abuse
Promotion of stress resilience
Stronger creation and maintenance of close relationships
More effective coping strategies
Reduced emotional distress when facing stressful situations
Higher self-esteem, which helps mitigate the impact of negative events
Greater subjective well-being and life satisfaction

Suicide Prevention Resources

If you or someone you care about is experiencing suicidal thoughts, there is help:

International Association for Suicide Prevention: iasp.info

US and Canada: 988lifeline.org, call 988

More on Emotional Intelligence

These EI posts provide additional background and depth:

🟢➜ What Is Emotional Intelligence (EI)? Definitions, Models, and Skills

🟢➜ Emotion Regulation vs. Suppression: What’s the Difference?

🟢➜15 Research-Based Emotional Intelligence Benefits

Applying Emotional Intelligence in Daily Life: How-To Guide

Understanding emotional intelligence at a research level is one thing. Learning how to work with emotions in real situations is another.

Created out of decades of teaching emotion, communication, and relationship skills, my emotional intelligence workbook, Building Skills to Uplevel Life, is a step-by-step guide to applying emotional intelligence to daily life. It focuses on developing practical emotion skills that support healthier coping, stronger relationships, and better decision-making — especially during stressful or emotionally challenging times.