Emotional Intelligence and Athletic Performance

According to Salovey and Mayer (1990), “understanding emotions involves comprehension of how basic emotions are blended to form complex emotions, how emotions are affected by events surrounding experiences, and whether various emotional reactions are likely in given social settings. Regulating emotions encompasses the control of emotions in oneself and in others. An individual’s emotional intelligence is an indication of how he or she perceives, understands, and regulates emotions. In sum, emotional intelligence is a form of 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” (Salovery and Mayer, 1990, p. 189). After investigating two research studies related to emotional intelligence and performance, it is quite evident that emotional intelligence can have some effects on one’s performance; therefore, it is important for athletes to know how to recognize and regulate their emotions during their performances and for coaches/trainers to understand the significance and benefits of EQ in a giving performance.

High levels of performances, particularly in team sports, require members of a group to communicate and work together to achieve common goals. In order to do so, it is important to be aware of the feelings of the other group members and to act accordingly so as to not disrupt the balance (Abraham, 1999; Mullen & Copper, 1994). Research exploring this relationship should include concurrent measures of performance outcomes to add validity to the hypothesis that psychological skills play a role in athletic performance (Rogerson & Hrycaiko, 2002; Smith et al., 1995). Athletes must learn to recogn...

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