The relationship of heart rate variability measures with trait emotional intelligence in the presence of acute mental stress

Objective: Emotional intelligence (EI) is essential for effective stress management and may influence cardiac responses. This study seeks to investigate the relationship between EI and heart rate variability (HRV) due to limited physiological data, contributing valuable insights into this unexplored connection and its potential impact on overall well-being. Results: In a study of 55 participants, mainly undergraduate students (45.5%) and single (70.9%), females constituted 56.4% of the sample. The highest well-being score was 5.187 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.76). One-way repeated measures ANOVA showed significant HRV differences across time points. Median HF at stress induction was 0.193 (IQR: 0.160–0.217), significantly decreasing from baseline (Z = -4.926, p < 0.001). LF/HF ratio increased at T2 (M = 0.579, p < 0.001), with SD2/SD1 ratio rising to 2.171. Pairwise comparisons indicated differences between baseline and stress induction (M = -0.018, p < 0.001), and stress induction and post-induction periods (M = 0.174, p = 0.032). SDNN correlated positively at T1 (r = 0.321, p = 0.020) and T3 (r = 0.280, p = 0.045). pNN50% correlated positively at T1 (r = 0.332, p = 0.020), while stress index showed negative correlations at T1 (r = -0.318, p = 0.023) and T3 (r = -0.337, p = 0.012). Sociability negatively correlated with HRV measures (r = -0.407, p = 0.002), indicating autonomic nervous system activity links.