Emotional Intelligence (EI) is held to explain how emotions advance life goals. While different theories of
EI have been proposed there is still controversy about how EI should be conceptualised and measured. It is
agreed, however, that EIs relevance depends on it being able to predict significant life outcomes. A study of
246 predominantly first-year tertiary students investigated relationships between EI and a number of life
skills (academic achievement, life satisfaction, anxiety, problem-solving and coping). Correlations between
EI and academic achievement were small and not statistically significant, although higher EI was correlated
with higher life satisfaction, better perceived problem-solving and coping ability and lower anxiety. However,
after controlling for the influence of personality and cognitive abilities, shared variance between EI
and life skills was 6% or less.