Neurological Basis and Potential Modification of Emotional Intelligence through Affective/Behavioral Training

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is defined as the ability to accurately perceive, understand, and use emotional information toward adaptive functioning. The goal of the present investigation was to understand the neurobiological basis of EI and to develop a training program to enhance these capacities. During the first 3 years of this study, 70 participants completed neuroimaging and EI testing. Analyses revealed that the functioning of inhibitory brain regions was related to facets of personality, daytime sleepiness, and gender. Higher EI was associated with greater responsiveness within core emotion processing circuitry of the brain. Furthermore, psychometric analysis suggested that trait and ability EI are in fact unique constructs, with Trait EI closely related to personality and Ability EI more correlated with standard cognitive intelligence (IQ). These findings then formed the basis for the development of an EI modification program during an additional supplemental year of funding. During this final phase of the study, we developed a preliminary version of a 6-module internet-based training program for enhancing EI skills, requiring less than 6 hours of time. This pilot version was evaluated in a randomized placebo controlled investigation with 62 healthy participants (31 active EI training; 31 non-EI placebo training). The preliminary program significantly enhanced EI capacities, including Total EI, Perceiving Emotions and Facilitating Thought subscales of a primary outcome measure of EI. These findings suggest that it is possible to enhance EI skills with a brief on-line training program. Future work will focus on optimizing the pilot training program.