Do Emotional Intelligence and Self-compassion Affect Disordered Eating Perceptions?

Background: Self-compassion (SC) allows people to cope with negative perceptions, and thus, may act as a buffer in people with disordered eating in terms of body image and eating behaviors. Higher emotional intelligence (EI) may play a similar role. However, few studies have explored their association. Objective: In this study, we tested a correlation model to determine how SC, EI, and subjective well-being (SWB) interact and affect disordered eating (DE) perceptions and which variables (SC, EI) predict SWB. Method: Overall, 156 participants completed a questionnaire assessing their levels of SC, EI, and SWB. Results: Participants who perceived themselves as having DE had significantly lower levels of SWB and SC but a significantly higher EI level. SWB was predicted by high scores in SC and low scores in EI. Conclusion: We propose a mediating model explaining the contribution of EI and SC to the SWB of those with DE perceptions.