Abstract
There is a growing awareness and realisation that the development of social and emotional wellbeing must be part of the wider agenda of educating students, pre-service teachers and teachers alike. One of the most compelling arguments for this sort of endeavour is a concurrent growth of research identifying the worrying connection between stress and cognitive impairment. Moreover, overall physical health is also influenced by emotional wellbeing and current estimates suggest that by 2020, stress related deaths will be second only to cardio-vascular disease in most western countries (Lupien, 2008). Arguably, stress may also have links to cardio-vascular illness. Paradoxically, emotional wellbeing and the development of emotional intelligence are often placed on the periphery of educational and institutional agendas. This article lays out a neuroscientific foundation for developing, advocating and promoting programs that focus on emotional wellbeing as a cornerstone to any educational endeavour. The focus of evidence centres primarily on the interplay of stress, cognition and cognitive development.