Emotional intelligence and individual differences

The assumption of individual differences in emotional intelligence and the ability to identify emotions is based on the idea that there are universally evolved emotions that people differ in their ability to label. However, research suggests that the mind in the eyes test, which assesses the ability to identify emotions based on eye expressions, does not show universal agreement when words are taken away and people are asked to freely label. In fact, studies have shown that different cultures and individuals may have different interpretations and label emotions differently. Additionally, research on naturalistic face expressions has revealed variability in the expressions of emotions, with low reliability and specificity in the recognition of specific emotions. These findings suggest that variability is the norm in the expression and labeling of emotions, challenging the notion of universal emotional intelligence.