Relationships between Exercise as a Mood Regulation Strategy and Trait Emotional Intelligence

Purpose: the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perception of emotional intelligence and beliefs in the extent to which exercising leads to mood-enhancement. methods: volunteer participants (n= 315) completed a 33-item selfreport measure of trait emotional intelligence and an exercise-mood regulation scale. results: emotional intelligence significantly correlated with beliefs that exercise could be used to regulate mood (r =0.45, p<0 .01). conclusion: findings demonstrate that using exercise to regulate mood relates significantly to emotional intelligence and suggest that individuals who use exercise to enhance mood report higher scores of emotional intelligence.