Social Behavior and Personality

College students’ consciousness of the impact of artificial intelligence influences their job-seeking behavior

Yanlong Liang, Yun Zhai — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

We investigated how students’ consciousness of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) influences their job-seeking behavior, with employment pressure as a mediator and future work self-clarity as a moderator. We conducted a survey with 1,112 Chinese college students to assess their consciousness of the impact of AI on their job-seeking behavior, perception of employment pressure, and future job self-clarity. Results showed that AI consciousness positively predicted job-seeking behavior, with employment pressure partially mediating this association. Further, future work self-clarity moderated the mediating effect of employment pressure. These findings highlight the complex psychological factors associated with job-seeking behavior and suggest that AI consciousness is an important factor related to students’ career development. This study provides insights for guiding students to cope with consciousness of the impact of AI in regard to their future career, and for staff at universities to effect improvement in job-seeking support for students.

Growth mindset and career decision-making self-efficacy of Chinese preservice teachers: Failure avoidance and self-esteem

Yazhou Huang, Chunxia Lu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This research examined the effect of growth mindset on the career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) of preservice teachers, as well as the moderating role of the motive to avoid failure between growth mindset and self-esteem, and the mediating role of self-esteem between growth mindset and CDMSE. We collected questionnaire data from a convenience sample of 797 preservice teachers in China, testing the hypothesized relationships using SmartPLS 4.0. The findings indicated that growth mindset directly increased CDMSE among preservice teachers, and that this effect was partially mediated by self-efficacy. Failure avoidance motive acted as a moderator, enhancing the connection between growth mindset and self-efficacy. This study extends the literature by clarifying how growth mindset predicts CDMSE in preservice teachers through self-esteem, and how this pathway is strengthened by a high motive to avoid failure, offering new insights for targeted interventions in teacher education.

Dispositional awe and subjective well-being: A moderated chain mediation model

Qian Chang, Mei Zhao — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

The impact of awe on well-being is currently a popular topic in positive psychology research, yet the underlying mechanisms of this relationship have not been fully discussed. This study explored the relationship between dispositional awe and subjective well-being, incorporating future self-continuity and purpose in life as mediators, and perceived family support as a moderator. We administered a survey to 611 college students in China. The findings indicated that dispositional awe positively predicted subjective well-being. Further, future self-continuity and life goals acted as both independent and chain mediators between dispositional awe and subjective well-being. Perceived family support moderated the relationship between dispositional awe and future self-continuity, and also positively moderated the chain mediation effect. Our findings reveal new internal mechanisms by which dispositional awe affects subjective well-being, and provide a theoretical basis for interventions in individual subjective well-being.

Intolerance of uncertainty mediates the relationship between locus of control and depression in older adults

Jiaxi Zhang, Bingbing Wang, Han Jiang, Lei Wang, Yan Zhang — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study investigated the relationship between locus of control and depression among older adults, with a particular focus on the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty. We measured locus of control, depression symptoms, and intolerance of uncertainty among 367 older adults from three nursing home facilities in Beijing and Xi’an, China. The findings revealed that women exhibited significantly higher depression levels compared to men, external locus of control significantly predicted depression symptoms in older adults, and intolerance of uncertainty partially mediated the relationship between locus of control and depression. These findings demonstrate that depression among older adults is significantly associated with their locus of control orientation, and intolerance of uncertainty serves as an important psychological mechanism in this relationship.

Beneficial or harmful? The relationship between artificial intelligence usage and innovation behavior

Enyi Zhu, Yi Yang — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing education, prompting a thorough investigation into its impact on students’ innovation behavior. Basing our research on cognitive evaluation theory, we conducted a two-wave survey with 557 students to explore the predictive link between use of AI in learning and innovation, incorporating digital efficacy as a mediator and AI literacy as a moderator. The results demonstrated a significant positive association between AI usage and innovation behavior, which was mediated by digital efficacy. However, although AI literacy strengthened the link between AI usage and digital efficacy for students with high (vs. low) literacy levels, it did not significantly alter the indirect pathway to innovation behavior. These findings extend the applicability of cognitive evaluation theory within the educational domain and provide empirical insights into the complex relationship between AI adoption and student innovation.

Psychological well-being and lying flat: A positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment approach

Yong Liu, Hai Su, Han Cheng, Jie Li — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study explored the relationship between psychological well-being and lying-flat tendency using the positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment model. Participants were 519 students from a vocational college in Chengdu, who completed standardized measures assessing emotional states, learning motivation (engagement), peer relationships, meaning in life, self-efficacy (accomplishment), and lying-flat tendency. Correlation analysis revealed that positive psychological factors were negatively associated with lying-flat tendency, while negative emotions were positively related to lying flat. Multiple regression analysis showed that positive emotions, meaning in life, and negative emotions significantly predicted lying flat. Thus, emotional experience and sense of meaning were stronger predictors than motivation, relationships, or self-efficacy. This highlights the importance of emotional and existential factors in addressing disengagement among vocational students, providing a basis for future research and interventions beyond the positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment framework.

From ambiguity to disclosure: Uncertainty and anonymity as joint drivers of knowledge-sharing willingness

Biyu Guan, Yinzhong Gou, Ping Peng — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Digital platforms have transformed how users share information, yet the drivers of such behavior—especially under uncertainty—remain underexplored. This study examined how uncertainty (lack of predictability about others, contexts, or information) and anonymity (unidentifiability) shape users’ willingness to share information. Drawing on uncertainty reduction theory, we conducted two studies with users of virtual communities. Study 1 (N = 130) examined the relationship between uncertainty and willingness to share information, while Study 2 (N = 414) investigated the moderating role of anonymity. The results indicated that uncertainty was positively related to sharing intentions, and that this relationship was stronger when users were anonymous. These findings extend theory by framing uncertainty as a motivator, not a barrier, and highlight the role of anonymity as a contextual amplifier. On a practical level, the findings can inform platform design, encouraging anonymity in high-uncertainty spaces to foster open sharing.

Conscientiousness influences motivational beliefs and self-regulated learning among Chinese undergraduates: Bai lan and Confucian perspectives

Murong Dong, Zuwati Hasim — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Bai lan culture, literally meaning “let it rot,” is a Chinese cultural expression that reflects a passive, resigned attitude toward societal pressure and failure. This contrasts with Confucian values like diligence and perseverance, potentially affecting students’ motivation and learning behaviors. We used self-reported questionnaires to investigate the relationships of conscientiousness, motivational beliefs, and self-regulated learning (SRL) among 311 Chinese undergraduates learning English as a foreign language. Results showed that conscientiousness positively predicted both motivational beliefs and use of SRL strategies, with the strongest effects observed for goal planning, and rehearsal and memorization. These findings suggest that conscientiousness helps sustain motivation and effective SRL behaviors amid cultural shifts. This study highlights the impact of personality traits on learning English as a foreign language, and offers insights for promoting student engagement in changing sociocultural contexts.

Abusive supervision and innovation performance: The role of organization-based self-esteem and deep acting

Xiaodu Li, Nor Hidayati Zakaria, Yangchun Fang, Yonghua Liu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Using social identity theory as a basis, this study analyzed how and when abusive supervision affects employees’ innovation performance. We collected data from 355 full-time employees and used path analysis and the bootstrapping method to test four hypotheses. The results showed that abusive supervision had a negative relationship with employee innovation performance, and organization-based self-esteem mediated this relationship. Deep acting played a moderating role in the relationship between abusive supervision and organization-based self-esteem, and it also moderated the mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem on the link between abusive supervision and employee innovation performance. The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how abusive supervision undermines employees’ innovative behavior, and offer practical implications for organizations seeking to reduce the negative consequences of abusive leadership and enhance employees’ innovation performance.

Moral identity and prosocial behavior in Chinese adolescents: Mindfulness and empathy as mediators

Junguo Zhang, Chengming Wang, Luowei Zhao — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study explored the relationship between moral identity and prosocial behavior in 812 Chinese adolescents aged 14–18 years, testing mindfulness and empathy as mediators. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analyses with 5,000 resamples showed that moral identity positively predicted prosocial behavior. Further, empathy and mindfulness mediated this relationship, both independently and through the chain mediation pathway of moral identity → mindfulness → empathy → prosocial behavior. These findings highlight the existence of a cognitive–emotional mechanism, emphasizing the core role of empathy, and support integrating mindfulness and empathy training into moral education.

Chinese users’ intention to interact with international short-video bloggers based on the stimulus–organism–response model

Lei Liu, Nan Li, Wengen Deng, Zhijun Qing — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study constructed a research model based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) model to explore Chinese social media users’ intention to interact with short-video international bloggers. We conducted a survey with 328 respondents who had engaged with international short-video content. Structural equation modeling and a bootstrapping analysis were used to assess the mediating role of cognitive trust and perceived pleasure in the relationship between users’ interaction intention with short-video bloggers, their social experience, and the content quality of the videos. We found that perceived pleasure significantly mediated the relationship between users’ social experience and interaction intention, while the mediating effect of cognitive trust was nonsignificant. These findings advance application of the SOR model within the context of short-video interactions, and enrich the literature on cross-cultural communication by emphasizing the distinctive role of international bloggers. Our results can inform and assist international short-video bloggers and platform designers in optimizing user engagement.

Effects of psychological skills training on exercise imagery and competitive anxiety in adolescent athletes

Donghuan Bai, Pengwei Song, Liyan Gu, Jia Zhang, Jinjin Ren — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Psychological skills training (PST) is playing an increasingly vital role in enhancing athletic performance and mental well-being, particularly during critical developmental periods. This study examined the effects of an 8-week PST program grounded in positive psychology on exercise imagery and competitive anxiety in adolescent athletes. We recruited 31 male adolescent athletes from a middle school in China, assigning 16 to a PST group and 15 to a control group, and assessed psychological variables at preintervention, postintervention, and a 3-month follow-up. The results of a repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that both immediately after the intervention and at 3 months postintervention, athletes in the PST group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in exercise imagery and reductions in competitive anxiety compared to the control group. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the efficacy of PST in promoting mental health among adolescent athletes, although generalizability is limited by the small, single-sport, single-gender sample.

Physical exercise and social body anxiety: Body self-esteem and interpersonal relationships as mediators

Qin Xie, Qinglei Mu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study explored the factors influencing the common occurrence of social body anxiety in college students. We examined the influence of physical exercise on college students’ social body anxiety, and tested the chain mediation effects of body self-esteem and interpersonal relationships on this link. We used random sampling to recruit 479 students at a university in China, and they completed the Physical Exercise Rating Scale, the Social Body Anxiety Self-Assessment Scale, the Body Self-Esteem Scale, and the Interpersonal Relationship Diagnostic Scale. The findings revealed there was a negative correlation between physical exercise and social body anxiety. Body self-esteem and interpersonal relationships had both independent and chain mediating effects on the link between physical exercise and social body anxiety. These findings offer practical insights for alleviating social body anxiety among college students.

Green human resource management practices influence employees’ environmental concerns and proenvironmental behavioral intentions

Ling Xiang, Zhong Ping Deng — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

We constructed a framework to test the proposal that five green human resource management practices (green recruitment, green training, green performance management, green reward, and green involvement) would influence employees’ environmental concerns, thereby contributing to proenvironmental behavioral intentions. Data were collected from 380 employees working in restaurants in Taiwan. The results suggested that all five green human resource management practices were determinants of environmental concerns, which, in turn, influenced proenvironmental behavioral intentions. The mediating effect of environmental concerns on the relationships between the green human resource management practices and proenvironmental behavioral intentions was also supported. This research extends understanding of how green human resource management practices influence employees’ proenvironmental behavioral intentions in the restaurant context.

Reward learning as a mechanism linking hearing deprivation with socioemotional difficulties among children

Wenming Xu, Sumei Luo, Qilin Yu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing often face challenges adjusting both socially and emotionally, yet the underlying mechanisms linking auditory experience to socioemotional outcomes remain unclear. This study investigated the role of reward learning in linking hearing deprivation to emotional symptoms and peer relationships. We recruited 66 children (33 with and 33 without hearing deprivation), matched for age and gender, and assessed their socioemotional difficulties and reward learning. Results indicated that children with (vs. without) hearing deprivation exhibited significantly higher levels of emotional symptoms and peer relationship difficulties. Children with (vs. without) hearing deprivation also demonstrated significantly lower accuracy rates in achieving rewards. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationships of hearing deprivation with emotional symptoms and peer relationships were fully mediated by reward learning. These findings underscore reward learning as a critical mechanism linking hearing deprivation to emotional symptoms and peer relationships, providing valuable insights for targeted interventions.

Social support and depressive symptoms among Chinese college students: Social anxiety and loneliness as chain mediators

Huiyi Tang, Cui Lu — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Depression is a major issue affecting the mental health of college students, and alleviating depressive symptoms among this population has long been a focus of research. In this study we explored the impact of social support on depressive symptoms in college students, as well as the mediating roles of social anxiety and loneliness. Participants were 851 Chinese college students who completed the Social Support Scale, the Interaction Anxiousness Scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The results indicated that social support significantly reduced depressive symptoms, and social anxiety and loneliness played a chain mediation role in the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms. The findings offer implications for preventing and alleviating depressive symptoms among college students.

Adolescents’ developmental assets and life satisfaction: Perceived stress as a mediator, help seeking as a moderator

Bin Liu, Jian Chen — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

This study was grounded in developmental ecosystems and developmental assets frameworks. We investigated the relationship between developmental assets and life satisfaction among Chinese adolescents, with perceived stress as a mediator and help-seeking behavior as a moderator. Participants were 579 middle school students, who completed the Developmental Assets Profile, the Life Satisfaction Scale, the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, and the Help-Seeking Scale. Results revealed that developmental assets positively predicted life satisfaction, with perceived stress partially mediating this relationship. Further, help-seeking behavior moderated the link between perceived stress and life satisfaction, demonstrating stronger buffering effects for participants with lower (vs. higher) baseline help-seeking tendencies. This model elucidates how developmental assets enhance life satisfaction and underscores how help seeking can amplify this effect by buffering perceived stress. Our findings highlight the value of cultivating both developmental assets and adaptive coping in adolescents.

Illegitimate tasks predict Chinese school and college counselors’ job burnout via perceived organizational support

Wenbo Chen, Limei Su, Shuxin Cheng, Huiting Zou, Zheng Zhang — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +1200

Mental health counselors in Chinese schools and colleges often undertake tasks beyond their role descriptions, yet there is a scarcity of research on the relationship between such illegitimate tasks and job burnout as well as the underlying mechanisms. This study explored the mediating role of perceived organizational support in the relationship between illegitimate tasks and job burnout among school and college counselors in China. We recruited 554 participants who completed three self-report scales. The results showed that illegitimate tasks positively predicted job burnout among school and college counselors, and perceived organizational support partially mediated this relationship. Our findings have implications for improving the well-being of counselors and the standardization of mental health education systems from primary school to college in China.