Log in or become a subscriber

Researchers have found emotional intelligence training boosts performance in high-pressure situations, while lowering stress levels.

In their study, co-authors Dr Jemma King from the University of Queensland's School of Psychology and associate professor Yiqiong Li from UQ's Business School provided EI training to Australian Special Forces soldiers, aiming to build their skills in emotional perception of self, emotional understanding and emotional regulation.

Specifically, the training included: a "name to tame" exercise, to aid with labelling and processing emotions; breathing techniques; mood utilisation strategies to "downregulate" or "upregulate" emotions effectively in high-pressure situations; and a storytelling component, illustrating cases where applying EI skills had helped someone achieve success or ensured their survival.

Participants then underwent three realistic, high-pressure "stress activities". These tested their memory recall of tactical combat information, shooting accuracy, and maths performance under stress...