By Patty Freedman | VP Social Impact
Dear Friend,
It has been a busy and productive spring at Six Seconds, and we have a lot to share. Research, a new program launch, and a global celebration are all converging — here is what has been happening.
Two peer-reviewed studies published this spring are helping to make the case for emotional intelligence in new contexts and with new audiences.
The first comes from our Climate of Emotions program. In partnership with the Yale Education Collaboratory, Six Seconds conducted a pilot study during NYC Climate Week 2024 with 37 participants ages 12 to 48. The research, now published in Discover Sustainability (Springer Nature), found that a single COE workshop produced significant reductions in climate distress alongside meaningful increases in climate enthusiasm and hope. Participants also reported building resilience across five areas: balancing self-care and emotional growth, cultivating inner strength, fostering hope, building personal agency, and connecting with community. This is the first peer-reviewed evidence base for the COE program, and it opens the door to wider partnerships and funding conversations. (Read the research here)
The second study shines a spotlight on emotional intelligence in the workplace. Published in Frontiers in Organizational Psychology, the research analyzed six years of data from 43,080 women across 114 countries to identify the specific EQ capacities that predict whether women thrive at work. The findings are striking: when women are strong in three key capacities — Commitment, Resilience, and Proactivity — they are 8.6 times more likely to be thriving, and the wellbeing gap between career levels essentially disappears. The study also found that women in middle management showed the steepest and most persistent wellbeing decline across the six years — not because they lack emotional intelligence, but because they carry the emotional load of supporting their teams without the resources and autonomy that senior leaders have. That makes them both the group most at risk and the group most likely to benefit from targeted EQ development. For organizations asking where to start, this research gives a concrete answer: these capacities are measurable and developable. You don't need a dozen programs — you need to focus on the right ones. (Read the research here)
On the program side, we are launching the first Climate of Emotions (COE) Leadership Accelerator cohort this month. This seven-month program brings together 30+ emerging climate leaders ages 16 to 30 for a blended experience of training, coaching, fieldwork, and community building. We received over 100 applications from 31 countries — a signal of real demand for this kind of emotionally grounded leadership development. Fourteen Six Seconds certified EQ coaches are volunteering their time to support the youth participants, putting their skills into action in service of our theory of change: build EQ in yourself, strengthen your relationships, and change the systems around you. The cohort begins June 27, with a Showcase Summit planned for January 2027.
In our next report we will share the full story of what the Six Seconds network created together for EQ Day on June 6.
Thank you for your continued support. Every one of these efforts — the research, the programs, the coaches volunteering their time — is part of the same work: growing a world where more people have the skills to navigate their lives, their relationships, and the challenges ahead with emotional intelligence.
With gratitude, Patty
By Patty Freedman | VP Impact
By Patty Freedman | VP Social Impact
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