title: Increasing emotional competence improves psychological and physical well-being, social relationships, and employability.
abstract: This study builds on earlier work showing that adult emotional competencies (EC) could be improved through a relatively brief training. In a set of 2 controlled experimental studies, the authors investigated whether developing EC could lead to improved emotional functioning; long-term personality changes; and important positive implications for physical, psychological, social, and work adjustment. Results of Study 1 showed that 18 hr of training with e-mail follow-up was sufficient to significantly improve emotion regulation, emotion understanding, and overall EC. These changes led in turn to long-term significant increases in extraversion and agreeableness as well as a decrease in neuroticism. Results of Study 2 showed that the development of EC brought about positive changes in psychological well-being, subjective health, quality of social relationships, and employability. The effect sizes were sufficiently large for the changes to be considered as meaningful in people's lives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liége, Liége, Belgium. delphine.nelis@ulg.ac.be
authors.forename: Delphine
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nelis
authors.forename: Ilios
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kotsou
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quoidbach
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hansenne
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weytens
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dupuis
authors.forename: Moïra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mikolajczak
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013663:Teaching