January 2007:  Chief Learning Officer :: Industry News

Emotional Intelligence and Age

There are many assumptions about emotional intelligence and age. Popular literature and “common sense” assert older people are wiser and more aware, but is this true?

Existing research indicates a slight relationship between emotional intelligence and age.

Using the Six Seconds’ Emotional Intelligence Assessment (SEI), a study of 405 Americans shows emotional intelligence (EQ) increases slightly with age. The relationship is r = 0.13 (p < 0.01) — slight but significant.