The power of emotional intelligence on older adults resilience

Background and objective: Aging implies important adaptive changes for people. Emotional intelligence can be a key factor in the development of adaptive strategies. This research aimed to study whether emotional intelligence could predict the resilience capacity of older adults. Materials and methods: Resilience and the dimensions of emotional intelligence were assessed in a sample of 214 older adults. Regression analysis was applied to study whether the dimensions of emotional intelligence predicted resilience. Results: Significant and positive correlations were obtained between the dimensions of emotional intelligence and resilience; the dimensions of clarity and emotion regulation significantly and positively predicted resilience. Conclusions: Clarity and emotion regulation facilitate adaptation in aging as they help to understand which emotions are being experienced, their causes and consequences, leading to an effective reduction in the subjective experience of negative emotion.