Introduction – Intelligence Beyond Numbers
In a world where intellect defines intelligence, appearance becomes a first impression, and academic scores dictate self-worth, one might ask: why should emotional intelligence be taught as a subject in schools? Though practicality often rules educational policy, it is worth remembering that, as Dale Carnegie once said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”¹This essay argues that emotional intelligence is an essential but overlooked component of modern education, one that must be incorporated into school curricula to foster holistic student development.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
When it comes to emotional intelligence, one of the most widely accepted definitions is that offered by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer: “We define emotional intelligence as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.”²
In simpler terms, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and embrace our own emotions so that we, as human beings, learn to respond rather than react. It includes empathy, the perception and comprehension of both personal and external emotions, and the capacity to use emotional insight to guide our lives toward more positive, intentional paths.
The Real Impact of Emotional Literacy
Imagine a child once regarded as the “golden one” for their academic excellence, who later faces what our generation now knows as academic burnout. For someone without the tools to process failure or disappointment, recovering from such emotional exhaustion can feel nearly impossible—and their full potential remains stifled.
This is not a hypothetical concern but a deeply real one. In Spain, a study involving 400 medical students found that 13 percent met the criteria for Academic Burnout Syndrome (ABS). Notably,
52.5 percent exhibited insufficient emotional clarity, and 36.3 percent struggled with emotional repair. Female students showed significantly higher deficiencies in both emotional attention and regulation, correlating with increased burnout.
Similarly, a large-scale study of 22,983 Chinese university students revealed that nearly 60 percent experienced academic burnout. The research linked factors such as gender, academic year, monthly living expenses, smoking habits, and parental education to varying burnout levels.⁴
In India, UNICEF’s State of the World’s Children 2021 report found that 14 percent of youth aged 15–24 reported frequent feelings of depression or disinterest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alarmingly, only 41 percent of young people in India believed it was acceptable to seek support for mental health struggles—far below the global average of 83 percent.⁵ This persistent stigma surrounding mental health likely worsens the effects of academic burnout.
Emotional Intelligence as a Preventive Tool
Now, imagine an alternative case—one in which a student is equipped with the awareness and tools to manage overwhelming emotions. Emotional well-being is foundational to both mental and physical health. As leadership expert Dave Lennick stated, “Emotional competence is the single most important personal quality that each of us must develop and access to experience a breakthrough. Only through managing our emotions can we access our intellect and our technical competence. An emotionally competent person performs better under pressure.”⁶
Several recent studies support this relationship between emotional intelligence and reduced burnout. At the University of Lampung in Indonesia, a study of 237 final-year medical students found that 22.4 percent experienced burnout. Crucially, it revealed a significant inverse relationship between emotional intelligence and burnout levels, suggesting that students with higher EI reported fewer symptoms of exhaustion.⁷
Similarly, research among master’s degree students studying nursing pedagogy in Morocco found that
36.1 percent faced academic burnout. Again, higher emotional intelligence correlated with lower levels of emotional exhaustion and a reduced sense of inefficacy.⁸
Conclusion: Toward Emotionally Literate Classrooms
In an ever-evolving world, adapting to change while remaining grounded in essential values is vital. Education has traditionally centered around intellectual pursuits, yet it is increasingly clear that emotional regulation and self-awareness are equally fundamental to a student’s growth. Numerous studies have demonstrated that students with high emotional intelligence perform significantly better than their peers with lower levels of EI.⁹
The reasons for integrating emotional intelligence into the school curriculum are extensive—and they continue to grow. As psychologist David Caruso aptly stated, “It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head—it is the unique intersection of both.”¹⁰
Emotional intelligence begins forming in the earliest stages of life, through the small but meaningful interactions children share with parents, teachers, and peers. These exchanges carry emotional messages that shape a child’s understanding of themselves and the world around them.¹¹
Schools hold the power to redefine the pillars of intelligence. They can become spaces where intellect and emotion coexist—where appearance becomes confidence, and self-worth is measured not by academic scores alone, but by how a student learns to navigate their mental, physical, and emotional world.
References:
- Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1936)
- Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, “Emotional Intelligence,” Imagination, Cognition and Personality 9, no. 3 (1990): 185.
- M. Fernández-Castillo, “State and Trait Anxiety in Students of the Faculty of Education: A Study from the Perspective of Emotional Intelligence,” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 132 (2014): 277–283.
- Yan Yao et al., “Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Academic Burnout: A Cross-sectional Study Among Chinese University Students,” Frontiers in Psychology 13 (2022): 1–10.
- UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, Protecting and Caring for Children’s Mental Health (New York: UNICEF, 2021), 105–107.
- Dave Lennick, quoted in Daniel Goleman, Working with Emotional Intelligence (New York: Bantam Books, 1998), 34.
- Eva R. Wulandari, et al., “Emotional Intelligence and Burnout among Final-Year Medical Students at the University of Lampung,” Journal of Education and Health Promotion 12 (2022): 185.
- Loubna El Kettani and Rachida Marhoum El Filali, “Emotional Intelligence and Academic Burnout Among Nursing Students in Morocco,” Journal of Nursing Education and Practice 11, no. 2 (2021): 23–31.
- David Caruso, quoted in Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (New York: Bantam Books, 1995), 28.Ibid., 31.
