2025/07/01 by Gilles E. Gignac, Katja Schlegel · 1 citation
Psychology · #Emotional Intelligence and Performance #Personality Traits and Psychology
paper · doi:10.1016/j.intell.2025.101934
openalex publication_date 2025/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
One criterion for considering emotional intelligence (EI) a true intelligence is the observation of an increase in EI across age. However, findings in this area have been mixed and predominantly based on a single measure, the MSCEIT. This study examined the relationship between age and ability-based emotional intelligence (EI) using the Geneva Emotional Competence Test (GECo) in a sample of 456 adults. Results indicated that total EI increases from early adulthood to approximately age 40 (≈ 9 EQ points), after which it plateaus and shows a modest decline in later adulthood. Notably, the emotion regulation subdimension showed no evidence of decline. Overall, these findings support the view that EI may be considered an intelligence, one that may be shaped by gains in crystallized abilities, but also potentially susceptible to later declines in fluid cognitive functioning.