Positive attentional bias mediates the relationship between trait emotional intelligence and trait affect

Abstract

Emotional intelligence and, in particular, the component emotion regulation may increase well-being and improve mood and coping with negative emotions. In the present eye-tracking study, we examined whether attention allocation to positive stimuli mediates the relationship between emotion regulation abilities and trait affect. Gaze behavior of 104 healthy adults was analyzed in a free-viewing task, in which happy, sad, angry, and neutral faces were shown simultaneously for ten seconds. Dwell time on facial expressions was used as indicator of attention allocation. Trait emotional intelligence was assessed using the Self-Rated Emotional Intelligence Scale. Self-report measures of state and trait positive and negative affect, trait anxiety, and depression were administered. In general, participants viewed longer at happy than at negative or neutral faces. The results of mediation analyses indicated that intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation abilities were indirectly related to trait positive affect through attention to happy faces. Moreover, dwell time on happy faces had a mediating effect on the relationship between interpersonal emotion regulation ability and trait anxiety. Preference for positive social signals might form one attentional pathway through which emotion regulation abilities promote positive mood and buffer the development of anxiety reactions in everyday life.

El rol protector de la inteligencia emocional y su lado oscuro

“…También se observa un valor predictivo en ambos estados afectivos. Precisamente, estudios previos (Fernández-Berrocal et al, 2017;Jiménez et al, 2019;Noor et al, 2021;Sánchez-Álvarez et al, 2015;Suslow et al, 2022;Vergara et al, 2015) han mostrado que la Claridad y la Reparación Emocional predicen de forma significativa la AP, la satisfacción con la vida, la autoeficacia y el bienestar psicológico.…”

AI for Psychometrics: Validating Machine Learning Models in Measuring Emotional Intelligence with Eye-Tracking Techniques

“…In addition, through both webcam-based and remote video eye tracking in three experimental conditions, Wisiecka et al ( 2022 ) found that the time to first fixation toward happy faces was significantly shorter than toward sad faces in face-in-the-crowd (FIC) tasks. Similarly, in a study examining the mediating role of attention to positive faces in the relationship between Trait EI and affect, Suslow et al ( 2022 ) found that emotion regulation was associated with fixation time on happy faces in a free-viewing paradigm where four emotional faces (angry, happy, sad, and neutral) were presented simultaneously.…”

“…In contrast to other findings, there were no associations between EI and bias for happy faces. However, it is important to note that Davis ( 2018 ) used a different type of paradigm and assessed early attentional preference compared to sustained attention that was examined by Lea et al ( 2018 ) and Suslow et al ( 2022 ).…”