Teachers’ Subjective Happiness: Testing the Importance of Emotional Intelligence Facets Beyond Perceived Stress

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is typically linked to higher subjective happiness scores in human service professionals. It is unknown which EI facets are more predictive in explaining subjective happiness beyond that accounted for by other key predictors such as perceived stress. This study investigated which EI facets were the most predictive in explaining subjective happiness above perceived stress in a relatively large sample of Spanish teachers. Methods: The sample was composed of 1323 Spanish teaching professionals (821 females and 529 secondary school teachers) from different educational centers located in Southern Spain. A student-recruited sampling technique was used, and the surveys included the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Subjective Happiness Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Predictive and incremental validity was assessed with SPSS, and hierarchical regression analysis was used to predict subjective happiness from EI facets beyond that accounted for by perceived stress. Results:The results showed that all four EI facets correlated significantly with each other. Also, they all were positively and significantly associated with subjective happiness, whereas perceived stress was negatively associated with happiness scores. Moreover, self-emotion appraisal, use of emotions and regulation of emotions accounted for a significant amount of variance in the prediction of satisfaction with life beyond the effects of sociodemographic variables and perceived stress. Conclusion:This study extends the specific contribution of EI facets in predicting subjective happiness, rather than EI as a unified construct, in a relatively large sample of Spanish teachers. Self-focused dimensions involving appraisal, use and regulation of emotions appeared to be the most important predictors of happiness beyond stress experienced by teachers. Improved knowledge of the link between specific dimensions of EI and global subjective happiness might improve training in a well-being prevention program for professional development.

The role of teachers' socio-emotional competence in reducing burnout through increased work engagement

“…We found that even socio-emotional competence had an effect on work engagement, as expected (H3). This finding aligns with previous research indicating that individuals with higher socio-emotional competence are more likely to be engaged in their work (Mérida-López et al, 2022), and emphasizes the importance of developing and promoting socio-emotional skills among teachers to enhance their job satisfaction, performance, and overall wellbeing. Previous studies have documented the protective role of socio-emotional competence, especially emotion regulation skills, in reducing the negative effect of stress and anxiety, which are feelings that are frequently experienced in the teaching profession.…”

“…Teachers' social and emotional competence can be an important factor in preventing burnout and fostering a positive attitude toward their work (Montgomery and Rupp, 2005;Mérida-López et al, 2022). The ability to control one's emotions, one's empathy, one's capacity to form positive connections, and ability to manage positive and negative conflict effectively are all examples of social and emotional competences.…”

Emotional Intelligence as Intangible Class Content for Effective Communication in Managing University Classes: A Bibliometrics Analysis

“…(Tuyakova et al, n.d.), -Trait Meta-Mood Scale‖, the -Spanish Burnout Inventory‖ and -Psychological Well-Being Scales‖, (Lucas-Mangas et al, 2022). Some other scales used to measure are -Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale‖, the -Subjective Happiness Scale‖, and the -Perceived Stress Scale‖ (Mérida-López et al, 2022). Till date, a very significant gap is visible on cross-dimensional research covering EI , especially while measuring impact and performance of EI (Algozhina et al, 2022).…”

Emotional Intelligence and Perceived Social Support: Its Relationship with Subjective Well-Being

“…Alongside ability models and trait models are the so-called mixed models, which define emotional intelligence as a set of cognitive abilities, emotional competencies, and stable personality traits [16]. Several studies have shown a positive relationship between self-perceived emotional intelligence and personal well-being, both in its cognitive and affective components [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Likewise, meta-analytic studies have also shown a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and subjective well-being in various populations [25][26][27].…”