Happiness, A Function Of Emotional Intelligence: An Analysis Among Dental Students Of Faridabad

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Positive Psychology recognises happiness as an emotion and asserts its importance. It is related to emotional intelligence on a certain level. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to connect, perceive and manage others and our own emotions. In this study we aim to determine the relationship between happiness and emotional intelligence in Undergraduate Dental students in Faridabad.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 students of all the four years of BDS curriculum of a dental school in Faridabad. The age of the participants varied from 18 - 24 years. The data gathering tools were Oxford Happiness Inventory and Shering’s Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire. The significance level was set at p≤ 0.05.

RESULT

The females comprised 82.1% and males comprised only 17.9% of the study population. The students were almost uniformly distributed among the various years of education, the majority being in final year (28%) followed by third year. The mean happiness score of dental students was 125.92+19.46 and mean emotional intelligence score was 126.13+13.43 and were positively correlated with p<0.05. Although, when the linear regression analysis of dependent variable, happiness was assessed it was noted that, independent variables such as sex and age had no significant effect on it.

CONCLUSION

In this study, emotional intelligence was a predictive factor for happiness in medical students. Students with higher emotional intelligence felt healthier.