Emotional Intelligence In Sport, How Does It Help Us?

Sports psychology is a branch of psychology. Study our cognitive processes and our conduct during sporting activity. This applied science seeks to know and optimize the inner conditions of the athlete.

Through the psychology of sport and we try to obtain the expression of the physical, technical and tactical potential acquired during the preparation. Researchers, therefore, study the different cognitive processes that affect the behavior of athletes.

These cognitive processes refer to concepts such as motivation, emotions and their influence on sports performance. Various aspects related to the intervention of psychology in sport are also studied, such as performance, training and health.

In this way, the sports psychologist helps the athlete to keep stress under control, a state that produces an emotional and behavioral disorganization that can compromise their performance.

It is since 1995, with the publication of Goleman’s work Emotional Intelligence , that the study of emotional intelligence in various fields, scientific and otherwise, is started and expanded. From that moment there was an increase in social and scientific interest in emotional processes. However, in the sporting context it will appear only in 2001, the year in which the first studies on it begin. It is therefore starting from 2009 that the first most important studies on the subject are presented.

What do we mean by emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence represents another way of understanding intelligence. It goes beyond the cognitive aspects, such as memory and the ability to solve problems.

The concept of emotional intelligence is, first of all, our ability to effectively address others and ourselves. But not only that, it also allows us to get in tune with our emotions, manage them, motivate ourselves, curb certain impulses, overcome frustrations. Daniel Goleman, the guru of emotional intelligence, explains that this skill is structured in four basic dimensions:

• Self-knowledge. It refers to our ability to understand what we feel and to always be connected to our values, to our essence.

• Self-motivation. It is our ability to orient ourselves towards the set goals, to react to setbacks, to manage stress.

• Social consciousness, or our empathy.

• Relational skills. They certainly represent the cornerstone of emotional intelligence and concern the way in which we establish relationships, communicate, come to agreements in order to connect, with optimism and respect, to others.

Emotional intelligence in sports

In sport, the needs and demands of competence grow dramatically and the differences are determined more and more by factors that do not derive directly from physical training, such as nutrition or psychology. Sports psychology is therefore responsible for analyzing, studying and observing the conduct, reactions and emotional responses of the individual or group.

To do this, you need to positively control your emotions or redirect them so that they don’t negatively affect your sporting activity. And how does emotional intelligence help us? Because in sport you have to make the most suitable decisions quickly.

Emotional intelligence is a subject of great interest for sportspeople. The intrapersonal and interpersonal elements have direct application in physical activity. Knowing oneself, self-regulating emotions, self-motivation, enjoying adequate social skills and empathy are tools that every sportsman controls to a greater or lesser extent.

In the world of sport, for example, many relaxation, concentration and visualization techniques are used that we usually apply in our daily life. Clubs, federations and coaches are increasingly hiring professionals who impart these techniques to athletes in order to improve their performance.

Many tools shared by emotional intelligence and sport have a main characteristic, that is, they are applicable also and above all in everyday life.

Why it is important to exercise control over emotions

Several studies highlight the importance of the athlete’s ability to control his emotions in relation to sports practice. Hanin and Sirja (1995) stated that the emotions related to the sporting success of the single individual enjoy optimal areas.

However, this does not happen with the group. Each athlete reacts differently to stress and requires a certain degree of negative or positive emotions that give him an optimal redemption point during the game.

The study of emotional intelligence in sports, however, has so far been poor. A curious fact if we consider the importance of this process in other areas, such as education or professional (other than sport). The few studies we have available, but growing, tell us that emotional intelligence is very important for performance.

Benefits of emotional intelligence in sports

Emotional intelligence in sports causes less absenteeism, greater sports performance and fewer retirements. On the other hand, it is a construct closely related to the personality that acts as a determining factor when the athlete is under pressure.

In pressure-laden situations, the athlete has to make decisions in tenths of seconds, which generates spikes in stress. For this reason, every sportsman, especially at high levels, must also be trained in this sense. The benefits of emotional intelligence in sport can be summarized as follows:

• Emotional level. Improve goal achievement, competitiveness, identification of sporting and personal values, self-enhancement, teamwork, leadership, empathy, control of negative reactions and emotions.

• Physical level. It helps to know how to organize, not to obsess about sports, to have moments of rest, to better manage time and to create adequate eating habits.

• Social level. Improve the relationship with the team, coaches, trainers, physiotherapists, etc.

• Rational level. It helps to learn how the game works, the technical and tactical aspects.

The benefits of emotional intelligence in sports are numerous, although studies confirming them are still scarce. This number, however, is on the rise; and especially in sport, a world in which a second or two centimeters can make the difference between winning and losing, small-big factors, such as emotional intelligence, are very important.