Level of emotional awareness in the general French population: Effects of gender, age, and education level

The Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS) developed by Lane et al. (1990) measures the ability of a subject to discriminate his or her own emotional state and that of others. The scale is based on a cognitive‐developmental model in which emotional awareness increases in a similar fashion to intellectual functions. Because studies performed using North American and German populations have demonstrated an effect of age, gender, and level of education on the ability to differentiate emotional states, our study attempts to evaluate whether these factors have the same effects in a general French population. 750 volunteers (506 female, 244 male), who were recruited from three regions of France (Lille, Montpellier, Paris), completed the LEAS. The sample was divided into five age groups and three education levels. The results of the LEAS scores for self and others and the total score showed a difference in the level of emotional awareness for different age groups, by gender and education level. A higher emotional level was observed for younger age groups, suggesting that emotional awareness depends on the cultural context and generational societal teachings. Additionally, the level of emotional awareness was higher in women than in men and lower in individuals with less education. This result might be explained by an educational bias linked to gender and higher education whereby expressive ability is reinforced. In addition, given the high degree of variability in previously observed scores in the French population, we propose a standard based on our French sample. La Escala de niveles de conciencia emocional (LEAS) que desarrollaron Lane et al. (1990) mide la habilidad de un individuo para distinguir su propio estado emocional y el de otros. La escala se basa en un modelo cognitivo y del desarrollo, en el cual la conciencia emocional aumenta de manera similar a las funciones intelectuales. Puesto que estudios realizados usando poblaciones norteamericanas y alemanas han demostrado un efecto de la edad, el género y el nivel educativo sobre la habilidad para diferenciar los estados emocionales, nuestro estudio intenta evaluar si estos factores tienen los mismos efectos en una población general francesa. 750 voluntarios (506 mujeres, 244 varones), a quienes se reclutó de tres regiones de Francia (Lille, Montpellier, París), completaron la LEAS. Se dividió la muestra en cinco grupos de edad y tres niveles educativos. Los resultados de las puntuaciones de la LEAS