comparison of the effects of emotional intelligence training and yoga exercises on the social anxiety of women with depression

Background: depression is a common mood and emotional disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. social anxiety, which is a common problem among individuals with depression, refers to the fear or discomfort experienced in social situations.objectives: this study aims to compare the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training and yoga exercises in reducing social anxiety in women with depression.methods: this study employed a quasi-experimental research design. sixty women with depression who were receiving counseling and psychotherapy at centers in tabriz city were selected as available. forty-five participants were randomly assigned to either the emotional intelligence training group, the yoga exercise group, or the control group. the emotional intelligence training group received ten sessions, each lasting 90 minutes per week, while the yoga exercises group participated in eight weeks of qigong exercises, with two sessions per week, each lasting 75 minutes. the control group did not receive any training. all participants completed leibovitz’s social anxiety questionnaire before and after the intervention, as well as beck’s depression questionnaire before the intervention. data analysis was conducted using one-variable covariance analysis.results: the results showed that the average scores of social anxiety in the emotional intelligence training group (32/61) and the yoga exercises group (34/38) significantly decreased compared to the control group (38/88) in the post-test (p<0.05).conclusion: the findings suggest that emotional intelligence training is more effective than yoga exercises in reducing social anxiety in women with depression. this study highlights the importance of emotional intelligence training as a potential intervention for individuals with depression and social anxiety. further research is needed to investigate the long-term effects of emotional intelligence training and compare its effectiveness with other interventions for social anxiety.