How Is Emotional Intelligence Linked to Life Satisfaction? The Mediating Role of Social Support, Positive Affect and Negative Affect

This study investigated the role of social support and affective experience (i.e., positive affect and negative affect) in the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Participants included 748 Chinese adults with an age range of 16–60 years who completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support, the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that social support, positive affect and negative affect independently mediated the effect of trait emotional intelligence on life satisfaction, consistent with the social network and affective meditation models. More importantly, the identified serial mediation model indicated that emotional intelligence could influence life satisfaction through the chain mediating effect of “social support–positive affect” and “social support–negative affect”. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the links between these factors and suggest that high emotional intelligence may promote well-being from the social support and affective perspectives.