Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the secret ingredient for most top performers in the workplace. This is according to research presented in Emotional Intelligence 2.0, written by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. This study found that 90% of the top performers had a high EQ, while only 20% of lower-performing employees had a high EQ. So, what does that mean? The chances of a top performer having a low EQ are slim.
Fluid vs. Crystallized Intelligence
Research from MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital found that fluid intelligence (quick thinking and recall) peaks around age 20, but different components peak at different ages, some as late as 40.
The Seattle Longitudinal Study demonstrated that fluid abilities peak in early middle adulthood and remain stable until showing a reliable decline in the mid-sixties, while crystallized abilities like vocabulary don’t peak until middle age and show a decline later in the mid-seventies.
The MIT research also found that crystallized intelligence (vocabulary) peaks in people’s late 60s or early 70s, even later than previously thought, possibly due to higher education levels and more intellectually stimulating jobs.
Emotional Intelligence and Aging
Psychologist Robert Levenson’s team from UC Berkeley studied 144 adults in their 20s, 40s, and 60s, finding that older participants were significantly better at emotional regulation techniques like “positive reappraisal” when viewing emotional film clips. The research showed that EQ generally increases steadily throughout working lives, peaking at the mature age of 60.
Multiple studies using different measures of emotional intelligence consistently found that older adults scored higher than young adults. A 2025 study using the Geneva Emotional Competence Test showed that overall emotional intelligence increases from early adulthood to about age 40, then levels off, with emotion regulation showing no sign of decline.
The 55-60 Peak
A 2025 study published in Intelligence journal created a Cognitive-Personality Functioning Index combining cognitive abilities, personality traits, emotional intelligence, financial literacy, moral reasoning, and other factors, finding that overall functioning peaks between ages 55 and 60. This timing aligns closely with when career achievement typically peaks.
Research does appear to support the general pattern that older workers have much to offer!
So, for all of us with grey hair and a longer resume, keep your chin up and remember that you haven’t hit your peak yet. Walk into business settings with greater confidence and see what happens!!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/does-age-affect-your-emotional-intelligence-mitch-douglass-wkree/