Emotional Intelligence, Vigor, and Authentic Leadership: Their Underlying Relationship and Combined Influence on Life Satisfaction, Academic Performance, and Mental Health

In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between vigor and authentic leadership. Although these concepts have not yet been studied together, they were expected to positively correlate with each other. Moreover, we expected emotional intelligence to play a mediating role in the relationship between the two types of leadership. We also expected this mediational relationship to be more predictive of the outcome variables mental health, academic performance, and life satisfaction than the predictive variables considered separately. We tested a sample of 97 Dutch students (20 males and 77 females, mean age 20.55) through online questionnaires. Our results show that emotional intelligence, vigor, and authentic leadership are all positively related. Also, a partial mediation of emotional intelligence was found. Mental health was significantly predicted by emotional intelligence and authentic leadership, academic performance was significantly predicted by the vigor and emotional intelligence. Satisfaction with life was significantly predicted by vigor, emotional intelligence, and authentic leadership. The strength of relationships decreased when the predictor variables were considered together, therefore rejecting our hypotheses that the mediational relationship had a predictive value of our outcome variables. Keywords— Education, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Life  Satisfaction, Vigor