By IANS
London : Students who regularly smoke tobacco or cannabis obtain lower scores in questions related to emotional regulation, a team of Spanish researchers has found.
Also, students less able to regulate their emotional state – or those low on Emotional Intelligence (EI) — are more tempted to consume tobacco or cannabis, the researchers at Barcelona-based UAB university said.
EI is defined as the capacity to perceive, comprehend and regulate one’s own emotions and those of others so as to be able to distinguish between emotions and use this information as a guide for one’s thoughts and actions.
An important benefit of EI is the ability to learn how to interact with others and to face an ever-changing social and cultural world more effectively.
According to the study, titled ‘Perceived emotional intelligence and its relation to tobacco and cannabis use among university students’, the level of emotional comprehension also seems to be related to the sporadic use of cannabis, since those who consumed less were the ones who scored highest in this category.
The study indicates that personal abilities are a key element in adapting to he demands of each person’s surroundings and developing one’s EI could help keep teenagers away from the temptation of taking drugs.