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SMARTER

THE BIG STORY EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
AND

SAFER

Emotional intelligence helps workers to mitigate safety

and health risks. How can OSH nurture it?

WORDS ANNA SCOTT

lmost 35 years ago, in what is now a widely Dr Scott Geller, behavioural psychologist and director of
known experiment, Stanford University the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech in
professor Walter Mischel gave four-year- the US, tells this story to illustrate that EQ is ‘likely the most
olds a ‘marshmallow test’ to assess their important psychological capability for effectively promoting

impulse control. The children were given and supporting occupational safety and health’.
a marshmallow and told they could eat it Scott continues: ‘Doing this for safety – from using
now or wait and receive two later (Mischel personal protective equipment to completing behavioural
et al, 1989). Some children ate a single and environmental audits – is tantamount to asking

marshmallow within a few seconds. Others someone to delay immediate gratification for the possibility
A were able to wait 15 minutes until the of receiving larger reward (preventing serious injury).’
researcher returned with a second marshmallow. But unlike promised marshmallows, serious injury is
Many children who delayed their immediate gratifi cation an uncertain, negative consequence (Geller, 2023). ‘All of
did not just sit patiently and wait. ‘Instead, they engaged in this makes OSH promotion particularly challenging, and
behaviours that apparently facilitated their self-discipline or illustrates the critical need for safety leaders to nurture
EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) to resist their impulse intrapersonal and interpersonal EQ within themselves and
for immediate pleasure. Some sang or talked to themselves; among others,’ he says.
others played games with their hands and feet; and others Emotional intelligence broadly refers to a set of traits,
covered their eyes or buried their head in their arms.’ skills and abilities that relate to how well people perceive,

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