Emotional Intelligence and Life Satisfaction among College Students in Ranchi: The Role of Ethnicity and Gender

Background: Emotional intelligence and life satisfaction are key indicators of psychological well-being, particularly during the college years—a phase marked by identity formation, social adjustment, and career planning. Individual differences such as ethnicity (tribal vs. non-tribal) and gender (male vs. female) may significantly influence these variables. Method: The present study aimed to examine the effects of ethnicity and gender on emotional intelligence and life satisfaction, and to explore the relationship between these two psychological constructs among college students in Ranchi. A total of 120 college students (60 tribal and 60 non-tribal; with equal representation of males and females) were selected using stratified random sampling. The study employed a 2×2 factorial design and correlational research design. For data collection, tools such as personal-socio demographic data sheet, the Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS), developed by A. K. Singh and Shruti Narain (2014) and the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS), developed by Q. G. Alam and Ramji Srivastava (2001), were used. Two-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of ethnicity and gender on emotional intelligence and life satisfaction, and Pearson’s correlation was used to assess the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. In addition, a simple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine whether emotional intelligence predicts life satisfaction. Results: The findings revealed that non-tribal students reported significantly higher emotional intelligence and life satisfaction compared to their tribal counterparts. Ethnicity had a statistically significant main effect on both variables, whereas gender showed no significant main effect on either emotional intelligence or life satisfaction. Additionally, no significant interaction effects of ethnicity and gender were observed on either variable. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Furthermore, regression analysis confirmed that emotional intelligence significantly predicts life satisfaction, accounting for a substantial proportion of its variance. Conclusion: The present study concludes that ethnicity significantly influenced both emotional intelligence and life satisfaction, with non-tribal students scoring higher than tribal students. Gender and interaction effects were non-significant. Emotional intelligence showed a strong positive relationship with life satisfaction and significantly predicted it, underscoring its role in promoting psychological well-being. These insights can guide educators, counselors, and policymakers in developing culturally responsive programs to enhance emotional competence and overall life satisfaction among college students.