We examine the relationship between the general factor of personality (GFP) and emotional intelligence (EI) and specifically test the hypothesis that the GFP is a social effectiveness factor overlapping conceptually with EI. Presented is an extensive meta-analysis in which the associations between the GFP, extracted from the Big Five dimensions, with various EI measures is examined. Based on a total sample of k = 142 data sources (N = 36,268) the 2 major findings from the meta-analysis were (a) a large overlap between the GFP and trait EI (r ≈ .85); and (b) a positive, but more moderate, correlation with ability EI (r ≈ .28). These findings show that high-GFP individuals score higher on trait and ability EI, supporting the notion that the GFP is a social effectiveness factor. The findings also suggest that the GFP is very similar, perhaps even synonymous, to trait EI.

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The link between emotional intelligence (EI) and job performance was examined focusing on the interplay between self-and other-focused EI dimensions. Two diary studies were conducted among divorce lawyers and salespersons. We adopted a two-level perspective including individual differences in EI (person-level EI) and within-person fluctuations in the usage of EI (enacted EI). It was hypothesized that a focus on others' emotions predicts job performance in social jobs. Multilevel analyses showed that others-emotion appraisal contributed more to subjective (Studies 1 and 2) and objective (Study 2) job performance than other EI dimensions. This link was more apparent in person-level EI in Study 1 and in enacted EI in Study 2. Furthermore, EI dimensions interacted with regard to job performance, such that appraising the emotions of one person was more effective than appraising the emotions of two persons (other and self), and appraising others' emotions was more effective when one's own emotions were also used or regulated. The introduction of emotional intelligence (EI)-the capacity or knowledge to effectively deal with emotions-gave rise to high expectations about its ability to predict job performance. This initial enthusiasm was tempered by the relatively modest meta-analytic correlations that were found, ranging between .15 and .25 (Joseph & Newman, 2010; O'Boyle, Humphrey, Pollack, Hawver, & Story, 2011). In the present research, we take a closer look at the EI-job performance link and address two limitations of conventional procedures in EI research. One is that most previous studies have combined the different dimensions of EI into an overall EI score to predict job performance. Yet this common practice may mask the unique effects of specific EI dimensions. The second limitation is that EI is usually measured at a single point in time. Although this method allows the assessment of an individual's potential to use EI, it does not reveal the situations in which one tends to apply EI (Elfenbein, 2016). In fact, this traditional approach cannot reveal direct associations between the way people deal with emotions during particular work episodes and their job performance during those episodes. Therefore, the present research highlights the potential value of distinguishing EI dimensions in the prediction of job performance and studies this link in vivo. The definition of EI is a subject of debate. Some scholars have even argued for abandoning its label and rather refer to emotional competencies (

A previous meta-analysis (Van der Linden et al., Psychol Bull 143:36–52, 2017) showed that the General Factor of Personality (GFP) overlaps with ability as well as trait emotional intelligence (EI). The correlation between trait EI and the GFP was so high (ρ = 0.88) in that meta-analysis that these two may be considered virtually identical constructs. The present study builds on these findings by examining whether the strong phenotypic correlation between the GFP and trait EI has a genetic component. In a sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, the heritability estimates for the GFP and trait EI were 53 and 45%, respectively. Moreover, there was a strong genetic correlation of r = .90 between the GFP and trait EI. Additional analyses suggested that a substantial proportion of the genetic correlations reflects non-additive genetic effects (e.g., dominance and epistasis). These findings are discussed in light of evolutionary accounts of the GFP.

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