An examination of the relationships between trait emotional intelligence and health behaviour

Objective: There is some evidence that emotional intelligence (EI) is significantly related to mental, physical and social health (Extremera & Fernández-Berrocal, 2006). Moreover, although it has been suggested that EI is related to individual health-related behaviours, research in this field is sparse and has limitations. The aim of the present study was to examine inter-relationships between EI and both positive and negative health-related behaviours. Design: A cross-sectional, correlational design was utilised. Method: 139 participants (70 per cent female with a mean age of 39 years) completed a range of questionnaires. EI was measured by the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (Salovey, Mayer, Goldman, Turvey & Palfai, 1995), comprising mood clarity, attention and repair. Positive and negative health behaviours were measured by scales adapted from the Reported Health Behaviours Checklist (Prohaska, Leventhal, Leventhal & Keller, 1985) and the General Preventive Health Behaviours Checklist (Amir, 1987). Results: Significant positive correlations were observed between positive health behaviours and global EI (p<.05) and with two of the subscales, Clarity (p<.05) and Repair (p<.01). No significant relationships were found between global EI or any of its subscales and negative health behaviours. Conclusions: These findings suggest that future research might investigate aspects of EI as a possible mechanism through which positive health behaviours might be developed and maintained. Further, it is suggested that interventions based on cognitive behavioural therapy might be utilised to enhance people’s skills in the identification of positive and negative emotions by exploring more adaptive positive behavioural options (for example, exercise) rather than negative ones (such as substance abuse).