p102: the relationship between emotional intelligence and anxiety in students payam-e-noor university mashhad

anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive and behavioral component. emotional intelligence (ei) which defines as the ability to perceive, monitor, employ and manage emotions within one’s and others, is strongly related to healthy psychological functioning. various studies have been conducted in this field that reveal the role and importance of el in people’s various aspects of life such as education, employment and living conditions. hence, this study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and anxiety in college students. this research is a correlation study, in which 60 students (32 female and 18 male) of payam-e-noor university of mashhad were selected by convenience sampling. the students completed the bar-on emotional quotient inventory (eq) and beck anxiety questionnaire. afterwards, the data were analyzed using spss software v. 19 through pearson correlation. the findings of the study showed that there was a significant correlation between emotional intelligence and anxiety at (p<0.01) level. also,there was a negative and significant relationship between all eq components (15 components, except empathy p>0.05) and anxiety. regarding the findings of the study particularly the significant correlation between emotional intelligence and anxiety, it seems that attention to emotional intelligence is very effective and valuable in improving mental health and reducing anxiety. the strategies are recommended to improve emotional intelligence, such as through special workshops in the universities.