HOW EMOTIONS INFLUENCE SUCCESS
Emotions are strongly tied to physical and psychological well-being. For example, some studies have suggested that cancer patients who have strong EI live longer than those with weak EI. People who are aware of the needs of others tend to be happier than people who are not. An extensive study done at the University of Pennsylvania found that the best athletes succeed in part because they’re extremely optimistic. A number of studies link strong EI skills to college success in particular. Studies indicate that emotionally intelligent students get higher grades. Researchers looked at students’ grade point averages at the end of their first year of college. Students who had tested high for intrapersonal skills, stress tolerance, and adaptability when they entered in the fall did better academically than those who had lower overall EI test scores. Here are a few other highlights of those studies:
- Motivation: Motivation is one of the most important attributes that college students can have. Figuring out what actually does motivate anyone is complex, but striving to find out and nurture these motivations is the goal.
- Resilience: We discussed resilience above—stronger emotional intelligence leads to greater resilience. Students with healthy emotional intelligence might act proactively by asking instructors for feedback on projects, papers, and tests, participating in classroom discussions, and joining study groups. Students with unhealthy EI are likely to struggle academically, panic before taking tests, have trouble concentrating on coursework, and engage in risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse in an effort to cope. Dr. Richard Kadison, a former director of mental health services at Harvard University, noted that “the emotional well-being of students goes hand in hand with their academic development. If they’re not doing well emotionally, they are not going to reach their academic potential.”2
- Persistence: Some college students develop persistence in spite of the obstacles and challenges during their college experience. Persistent students make forward progress through challenging situations, even if progress is slow.
- Delaying gratification: Research has shown that students who can delay gratification tend to do better overall. Impulse control leads to achievement. A study conducted in the 1970s looked at the case of willpower in children. It is referred to as the Stanford Marshmallow Study.3 The study observed children’s behavior when they were left alone at a table with a marshmallow. They were told that they could have a second marshmallow if they waited 15 minutes before eating the first one. Fourteen years later, the children who had immediately eaten their marshmallow were more likely to experience significant stress, irritability, and an inability to focus on goals. The children who had waited to eat their marshmallow scored an average of 210 points higher on the SAT; had more confidence, better concentration, and reliability; held better-paying jobs; and reported being more satisfied with life.