Study on Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Regulation Among Young Adults Across Genders

Abstract

Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in shaping how young adults regulate their emotions during a phase marked by multiple developmental challenges. The present study adopted a cross-sectional design with 200 participants aged 18–26 years to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and emotion regulation strategies. Emotional intelligence, measured using the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), showed a significant positive correlation with cognitive reappraisal (r = .227, p = .001), assessed through the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), whereas its relationship with expressive suppression was not statistically significant (r = .122, p = .085). Regression analysis further indicated that emotional intelligence significantly predicted cognitive reappraisal  but not expressive suppression. Gender differences revealed that females scored higher than males in emotional intelligence and cognitive reappraisal, with no significant differences observed in expressive suppression. These findings emphasize the role of emotional intelligence in facilitating adaptive emotion regulation among young adults.