Exploring the Connection between Adult Playfulness and Emotional Intelligence

This studyexplored the connection between adult playfulness and emotional intelligence. Participants were 325 (39 men, 286 women) primarily EuropeanAmerican, (59%), undergraduate students attending a private, four year, liberalarts university in the northeastern United States. Participants completed twostandard measures – The Schutte Self Report EmotionalIntelligence Test (SSEIT) and The Adult Playfulness Trait Scale (APTS). Inaddition, participants completed an open ended query – “How do you defineplay?” to complement the correlation analyses. Correlational analyses revealed strong,positive connections between the SSEIT and APTS subscale and total scores. TheFun Seeking subscale of the APTS positively connected to all subscales of theSSEIT. Engaging in fun and having a good time was a playfulness component andtemperamental disposition that helps one perceive, manage, and utilize emotionsas well as manage the emotions of social others. The Uninhibited subscale ofthe APTS connected positively to two of the SSEIT subscales – Managing one’semotions and Utilizing emotions. Finally, individuals who scored high on theAPTS also scored high on the SSEIT. This study’s findings suggest that the temperamentaldisposition, playfulness connects to an individual’s emotional intelligence.Future studies might investigate different cultural and age groups and utilizemixed method approaches to broaden our understanding of how playfulness helps peopleprocess emotional experience related to the self and social others.