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Advances in medical technology have increased human life expectancy by decades relative to ancient times and have eliminated many diseases on a physical level. Therefore, the term health has expanded its meaning, and it no longer refers only to physical health. In 1990, the World Health Organization included mental health, moral health, and good social adjustment among the criteria for individual health (Yanyu & Jizu, 2022). In the same year, the concept of emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient (EQ), was first introduced by the famous Swiss psychologist Professor Salawi and Meyer. She defined emotional intelligence as the ability of human beings to recognize their own and others' emotions and to take active measures to control and influence them (Zhu et al., 2022). Emotional intelligence research tends to obtain evidence of its impact on individual academic and career success in the fields of career and life, highlighting the regulation and promotion of emotional intelligence on cognitive activities. In recent years, emotional intelligence has been applied to the study of individual social adaptation, life satisfaction, and subjective well-being, thus opening the way to explore the introduction of emotional intelligence into individual psychological adjustment and social adaptation.
The scope of EQ research covers emotion recognition and expression, emotion regulation and self-management, self-awareness and social awareness, interpersonal and social skills, and the relationship between EQ and the domains of academics and work. By studying these areas in depth, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the composition and development of emotional intelligence and its impact on individuals in different domains. This is of great significance in promoting the cultivation and enhancement of emotional intelligence and provides scientific basis and guidance for practice in the fields of education, mental health, and human resource management.
In the decades since then, emotional intelligence and mental health have been more comprehensively defined and more widely studied as technology has evolved. The American psychologist, Goleman, included the ability to recognize, understand, and regulate emotions and manage interpersonal relationships in the scope of emotional intelligence (Wei et al., 2022). In the 2000s, a Chinese researcher, Professor Zhiyuan Xu, introduced the concept of emotional information, broadening its definition. In contemporary times, from the perspective of positive psychology, mental health is also a personal competence that includes the ability of a person to strive to achieve goals, to fully enjoy their personal life, and to balance real life and behavior (Mérida-López et al., 2022). The university period is a critical period for the development and shaping of individual cognitive structure. During this critical period, in addition to the development of students' academic intelligence, which has attracted much attention from society, schools, and families, emotional intelligence has also been increasingly valued by educators and even society as a whole. The purpose of improving college students' emotional intelligence can be achieved by discussing the problems related to college students' emotional intelligence and mental health.
In recent years, the rapid development of big data technology has profoundly changed all walks of life, including the field of education. The emotional intelligence and mental health of college students play a crucial role in their personal development and academic performance (Rashid et al., 2022). At the same time, English language performance is gaining global attention as an important academic indicator (Wu et al., 2022). Understanding the relationship between these factors is crucial for improving the overall quality and academic performance of university students.