Measuring a variety of human characteristics in large databases has been invaluable for applied (e.g., epidemiology) and basic research (e.g., brain imaging). The sheer volume of data being collected can place high demands on participants. This raises the challenge of how to maximize the reliability of measures while minimizing the burden on participants. We examined the viability of a single item to measure trait boredom proneness by having participants respond to the question "I am easily bored." Results indicated that this single item effectively captures relations typically observed when using longer state and trait boredom measures. Psychological network analyses suggested that the item accords well with models of trait boredom as a failure to launch. We discuss potential contexts in which deploying a single item of this kind may prove advantageous.

Filial piety and perfectionism are associated with life satisfaction and are influenced by family values. This study examined the roles of filial piety beliefs and perfectionism in life satisfaction among 379 young adults aged 18 to 25 in Malaysia ( = 199) and the United Kingdom ( = 180). In both samples, reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety beliefs showed positive correlations with life satisfaction, while maladaptive perfectionism correlated negatively with life satisfaction. There was a positive correlation between adaptive perfectionism and life satisfaction only in the Malaysian sample. In both samples, adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism mediated the relationship between reciprocal filial piety and life satisfaction, but in opposite directions. That is, higher reciprocal filial piety was related to higher adaptive perfectionism and greater life satisfaction; higher reciprocal filial piety was also related to lower maladaptive perfectionism and better life satisfaction. Furthermore, maladaptive perfectionism mediated the relationship between authoritarian filial piety and life satisfaction in both samples; higher authoritarian filial piety was related to higher maladaptive perfectionism and reduced life satisfaction. However, specifically in the Malaysian sample, higher authoritarian filial piety predicted greater adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism. Findings highlight the importance of considering traditional family values, individual differences, and their interaction when evaluating subjective wellbeing.

This study tests a conceptual model exploring the mediating effects of perceived severity and assessed risk in the relationship between dependency and help-seeking behaviors in psychological, physical, and sexual violence.

This study seeks to investigate the effects of challenge and hindrance stressors, and the moderating role of workaholic behaviors in predicting work-to-family positive and negative spillover. Non-instructional personnel at a public university completed measures of stressors and workaholic behaviors during the workday and work-to-family spillover before going to bed over a period of five weekdays (Level-1  = 386; Level-2  = 106). Results from multilevel regression indicated that challenge stressors exhibited no relationship with work-to-family positive or negative spillover, while hindrance stressors were positively related to negative work-to-family spillover. Additionally, workday hindrance, but not challenge, stressors interacted with workaholic behaviors to predict nightly work-to-family positive and negative spillover. Our findings highlight the detrimental effects of hindrance stressors on days when employees engage in workaholic behaviors and offer insights regarding reducing such stressors in the workplace.

Cinematherapy is an innovative therapeutic approach that leverages the emotional and psychological impact of films to aid in the treatment of depression. This article delves into the theoretical underpinnings of cinematherapy, its applications in managing depressive symptoms, and the potential benefits it offers to individuals struggling with depression. By integrating cinematic elements such as narrative, character development, and emotional engagement, cinematherapy facilitates emotional processing, insight, and healing within therapeutic contexts. This article examines how cinematherapy can complement traditional therapeutic modalities, providing a unique and engaging means of addressing depressive symptoms. The future of cinematherapy in treating depression lies in the utilization of digital technologies, including virtual reality and artificial intelligence, to create personalized and immersive therapeutic experiences. This article underscores the promise of cinematherapy as a valuable tool in mental health care, offering a novel approach to fostering emotional well-being and alleviating depression.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, while risk perception may promote public cooperation with pandemic prevention, it may also increase emotional distress and thus endanger mental health. This study aimed to examine whether there is an adaptive risk perception pattern that fits both needs of pandemic control and mental health protection. Two waves of Chinese participants ( = 1633, = 1899) completed the Scale of Pandemic Risk Perception, the Scale of Public Cooperation with Pandemic Prevention, the Epidemic Worry Scale, and the Positive and Negative Affective Schedule during Feb 3rd to 5th, and during Feb 18 to 20, 2021 respectively. Four risk perception profiles were identified by using latent profile analysis based on pandemic risk perception. Regression mixture models found that individuals in the perceived-controllable-high-perceived-risk profile were the most cooperative and reported the least worries and negative affect. The perceived-uncontrollable-high-perceived-risk profile demonstrated high cooperation but serious worry and negative affect. Individuals in the ignoring-risk profile reported the least levels of cooperation and worry but the highest levels of negative affect. Finally, the perceived-moderate-perceived-risk profile reported moderate levels of both cooperation and emotional distress. These results were well repeated in two samples. Present findings point towards an adaptive risk perception pattern (the controllable-high-perceived-risk profile) which may optimize cooperation while also avoid serious emotional distress.

Interpersonal functioning is impacted by various schemas; early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) can negatively impact interpersonal relationships in adults, yet no prior research has explored the link between EMSs and interpersonal attraction. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study among Lebanese female university students using an online questionnaire. We also controlled for common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Our study, implemented across ten university campuses and with a sample of 662 cisgender and heterosexual female students, revealed significant associations between EMSs and different forms of interpersonal attraction. Specifically, punitiveness was found to increase the likelihood of high task attraction, while enmeshment was associated with higher social attraction. In contrast, none of the early maladaptive schemas were significantly associated with physical attraction. Our findings emphasize the critical role of EMSs in shaping women's interpersonal attraction and highlight the potential utility of schema therapy in promoting healthy human interactions. This study fills an important gap in the literature and sheds light on a previously unexplored aspect of human behavior that has implications for promoting women's well-being in diverse settings.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in collective psychology ownership in different disciplines. However, and in contrast to a feeling of personal ownership ("mine"), the theoretical thinking about a sense of collective ownership ("ours") is limited. This article proposes that the social identity perspective (social identity theory and self-categorization theory) provides a coherent framework for understanding and examining collective psychological ownership toward various targets of ownership and in a range of settings. It is argued that research on collective ownership will be enhanced by more fully considering the implications of this perspective, which include (a) the importance of the group self and self-stereotyping, (b) developing ingroup consensus and shared understandings, (c) the role of sociotropic threat and group identification, and (d) the importance of the sociocultural context. These implications have not been fully considered in the literature but indicate that the social identity perspective offers the possibility for theoretically integrating and empirically examining collective psychological ownership.

The need for popularity and emotional intelligence (EI) have been shown to be relevant factors in relation to aggressive behavior, including cyberbullying. However, the need for popularity and EI have not yet been explored together in relation to cyberbullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence. This research attempts to examine whether the need for popularity was a relevant mediating variable in the link between EI dimensions and both cybervictimization and cyberbullying perpetration, and to identify possible gender differences. A total of 6,186 students aged 12 to 17 years (50.2% female, =13.23,  = 1.05) completed self-reported instruments. Structural equation analyses revealed that EI dimensions were directly associated with cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization, as well as indirectly the need for popularity. However, self-emotion appraisal did not show links with cybervictimization. Gender differences were also found. For boys, self-emotion appraisal, other-emotion appraisal, and use of emotions were more strongly related to the need for popularity in comparison to girls. For girls, emotion regulation showed greater effects on both cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization. These findings highlight the mediating role of the need for popularity in the relationship between EI and cyberbullying, especially among boys. Overall, this research provides preliminary evidence that comprehensive prevention efforts to effectively combat cyberbullying should not only target EI skills directly and include a gender-tailored perspective, but also address the underlying motivations and influences related to popularity among adolescents.

Previous studies have shown that self-compassion can alleviate posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and promote posttraumatic growth (PTG). However, only a few studies explored the dual effects of its positive and negative components on PTSS and PTG. Also, the emotional mechanisms between self-compassion and PTSS/PTG remain unclear. Thus, with the three-wave longitudinal design, we examined the mediating role of trauma-related shame and guilt between self-compassion and PTSS/PTG among traumatized Chinese college students. 782 Chinese college students (467 females; = 18.98,  = 1.37) who had experienced traumatic events within the previous six months of the initial assessment were included in the study. In the direct effect model, compassionate self-responding (CSR) negatively predicted PTSS and positively predicted PTG. In contrast, uncompassionate self-responding (USR) positively predicted both PTSS and PTG. In the indirect model, CSR negatively predicted PTSS through trauma-related shame and guilt, but also negatively predicted PTG through trauma-related guilt. USR positively predicted PTSS through trauma-related shame and guilt and positively predicted PTG through trauma-related guilt. Thus, CSR can benefit posttraumatic college students by alleviating PTSS and promoting PTG, and USR may also have an adaptive side. Still, we should focus on the maladaptive and adaptive sides of trauma-related emotions in the intervention of posttraumatic college students.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of people worldwide. However, even in times of prolonged exposure to extreme and new realities such as this pandemic, people are also able to experience positive emotions. To understand how people's emotional responses have changed over the course of the pandemic and what helps people to be positively engaged in perceiving negative situations as an opportunity to experience positive emotions, we conducted a three-wave longitudinal study in Spain. A total of 396 participants (M = 40.11, 12.66, 74% women) completed three waves of a web-based survey during the lockdown. Descriptive and correlational analyses, a repeated measures General Lineal Model, and 4 mixed effects models with a random effect on individuals were conducted to test hypotheses. Growth models revealed that positive and negative affect increased over time. Older people show more positive and less negative affectivity. Positive humor and affection coping strategies bolster positive emotions and buffer negative emotions over time in older participants. Older people who use more positive humor and affection experienced more positive emotions and decreased their levels of negative emotions over time. The different trajectories in positive and negative affect suggest age benefits in emotional regulation and a positive effect in older ages during the lockdown. Positive psychological interventions that boost a person's coping repertoire by helping them increase the experience of positive emotions may hold great promise aiding people to bolster their mental health in highly stressful and unexpected future crises.

Perceived ostracism (e.g., feeling ignored and excluded) can lead to psychological distress. There has been little empirical research into the types (profiles) of people more likely to perceive ostracism. The present study ( = 604) used latent class analysis (LCA) to (a) explore classes based on antagonistic traits (narcissism, machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism)while controlling for attachment orientation (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance) and (b) examine whether such classes could reliably differentiate levels of self-reported perceived ostracism. We extracted five classes: (a) Average Low, (b) the Non-Antagonisers, (c) Average High, (d) Spiteful Manipulators, and (e) the High Antagonisers. Those in the High Antagonisers class reported significantly higher levels of perceived ostracism compared to all other classes. No other differences between classes were observed. There were also significant positive relationships for avoidant and anxious attachment on perceived ostracism, respectively. This study provides new insight into the profiles of individuals who may be more likely to perceive ostracism. However, further research is needed to explore the association between personality and perceived ostracism. Researchers may consider measuring the potential outcomes following perceived ostracism for such groups and/or design potential interventions for those at risk of such experiences.

Based on the self-determination model of flow and the Job Demands-Resources theory, the present study aims to analyze whether flow at work mediates the relation between self-leadership and job performance, and the relation between self-leadership and life satisfaction over time. The design of the study is longitudinal and is conducted in three waves. Data were analyzed using structural equation models on an initial sample of 316 employees. The results supported the proposed model. We identified an association between self-leadership at T1 and flow at T2 and between flow at T2 and performance and life satisfaction at T3. The results also indicated that flow at work fully mediates the relationships between self-leadership, job performance, and life satisfaction over time (T1 to T2 to T3). Overall, the present research emphasizes the importance of promoting general well-being in the workplace and guides how organizations can effectively implement interventions to support employees in achieving optimal performance and life satisfaction.

The present research aimed to observe superhero films' impacts on prosocial behavior, mediated by state-empathy (cognitive, affective and associative empathy) and moral justification. To achieve this goal, two online experiments were conducted, each with 200 Brazilian volunteers (Study 1: 70.5% women, mean age = 28.82, SD = 9.22. Study 2: 52.5% men, mean age = 27.63, SD = 9.25). We used a scene from Batman v Superman as the stimulus in the experimental groups. Prosocial behavior was measured using a food allocation task. Data from both studies showed that even when featuring violent elements, superhero films positively impacted prosocial behavior. These effects were indirect, mediated by associative empathy in Study 1 and moral justification in Study 2. Results highlight the complex relationship between prosocial violent media (aggressive content with prosocial goals) and behavior. We also emphasize the research's novelty, as studies that investigate media content that is both negative and positive are still scarce.

With the outburst of social medias in current life, problematic use is prevalent in adolescents and has become a contemporary concern. Although family environment has been identified as a risk factor, little is known how family environment is associated with problematic social media use (PSMU). Drawing on Snyder's hope theory and Davis's cognitive-behavioral model, this study examines how family function is linked with PSMU hope. The study also investigates the moderating effect of perceived social support (PSS) by analyzing how PSS, interacts with family function, affects hope and further influences PSMU. The moderated mediation analyses of data from 1373 adolescents from vocational schools (343 boys and 1030 girls, M = 15.56) reveal family function is negatively associated with adolescents' PSMU, and the association is partially mediated by hope. Furthermore, PSS buffers the negative relation between family function and hope.

The expression of contextually appropriate emotions in the workplace is critical to fostering effective interpersonal interactions. What constitutes an appropriate emotional expression is determined by the display rules an employee perceives. Within the emotional labor framework, the management of emotional expression at work (i.e., ensuring alignment with display rules) occurs through the engagement in two primary strategies by employees. These are known as surface acting and deep acting. Despite theoretical efforts to synthesize these strategies with the broader emotion regulation framework and its strategies of expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal, no empirical examination of their relationship exists. The present study aimed to investigate this empirical relationship to provide clarity on the extent to which these constructs (i.e., strategies) are unique across frameworks. A second aim was to assess whether method bias could explain any overlap between these constructs. A total of 800 participants ( = 22.4 years, 78.8% female) who worked across a range of service industries completed measures of emotion regulation and emotional labor under two conditions designed to manipulate the presence of method bias (i.e., varying the order of item administration). Participants also completed the DASS-21, a measure of affective symptom severity. Using multigroup analysis, the results indicated that analogous latent constructs (cognitive reappraisal and deep acting; expressive suppression and surface acting) yielded significant, small-to-moderate correlations, and that correlation coefficients were invariant regardless of how items were administered. The pattern of correlations with affective symptoms also differed across constructs. Together, the limited correlations between the analogous strategies, and the differential associations with affective symptoms, suggest a relative independence between these constructs. Findings carry theoretical and practical implications across research and clinical settings.

Machiavellianism is a personality trait that denotes cunning, manipulative ability, and a desire to gain power by any possible means. Machiavellianism is a subclinical form of psychopathy that has an impact on individual health, professional settings and social order. Machiavellians are more at risk of developing anxiety and depression; however, the underpinning mechanism has not been studied clearly. To avoid major mental health illnesses, it is critical to understand the psychological reasons, brain areas involved, and biochemical substrates for the development of Machiavellianism. This review will address the psychological, clinical and neural correlations of Machiavellianism, its impact on society, and highlight loopholes in comprehending the development of Machiavellianism.

This study was designed to explore the role played by ambiguity in the experience of creepiness, as well as the relevance of personality traits for predicting individual differences in susceptibility to getting "creeped out," In an online study, a mixed sample of 278 college undergraduates and adults (60 males, 206 females, 12 nonbinary or chose not to report; Mean age = 31.43, range 18-68) recruited through social network platforms filled out scales measuring their tolerance for ambiguity and their susceptibility to having "Not Just Right Experiences." They then rated 25 images (12 normal, 13 prejudged to be creepy or confusing) on creepiness and several other adjective dimensions. The findings indicated that individuals who were less tolerant of ambiguity and those highly susceptible to not just right experiences perceived ambiguous or creepy persons, places, and objects to be more creepy, confusing and disturbing. Both measures were negatively related to time spent looking at confusing or creepy images, and females were generally more easily creeped out by creepy and confusing images than were males. The results support the conclusion that current models of creepiness are correct; the emotional experience of getting "creeped out" does indeed appear to be triggered by the need to resolve ambiguity.

Intolerance of uncertainty is an important trans-diagnostic determinant of mental disorders. It is related to psychotic symptoms and religiousness. Religiousness is related to schizotypal personality and wellbeing. Therefore, in a cross-sectional study, we studied the effects of intolerance of uncertainty and religiousness on schizotypal personality and the schizotypal personality-mediated effects of intolerance of uncertainty and religiousness on life satisfaction. On a sample of 734 college students (age,  = 20.3,  = 3.48), intolerance of uncertainty, religiousness, life satisfaction, and schizotypal personality were measured through paper-pencil questionnaires. The results showed that intolerance of uncertainty had positive (direct) relationships with all schizotypal personality dimensions. However, intolerance of uncertainty had positive (mediated by ideas of reference and magical thinking) and negative (mediated by eccentric behavior) indirect effects on life satisfaction. Religiousness had direct as well as indirect (mediated by eccentric behavior) positive effects on life satisfaction. However, the behaving (mediated by ideas of reference) and belonging (mediated by magical thinking) sub-dimensions of religiousness had some indirect negative effects on life satisfaction. Thus, the present study shows that intolerance of uncertainty is an important contributor to psychotic proneness. Religiousness is largely health-enhancing. Moreover, there is a nuanced pattern of interactional relationship between intolerance of uncertainty, religiousness, schizotypal personality, and life satisfaction. We have discussed the theoretical and applied implications of the findings.

The evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL) argues that human belongingness is essential to survival and failing to meet belongingness needs constitutes a threat to viability. In two separate studies (total  = 1,609), links between loneliness and nightmares were examined as a test of ETL postulates. As hypothesized, loneliness predicted nightmare frequency (both studies) and nightmare intensity (Study Two only). Although stress mediated the relationship between loneliness and nightmare frequency in Study One, stress was not a significant mediator of this relationship in Study Two. As predicted, in Study Two both hyperarousal and rumination mediated the relationships between loneliness and nightmare frequency and between loneliness and nightmare intensity. Theoretical implications include support for both the aversive signaling and implicit vigilance postulates of ETL.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between management commitment, psychological empowerment, and job performance among Palestinian academic employees in higher education institutions. A multi-wave survey was utilized and 665 academics were recruited from several public and private universities in West Bank, in which the stratified sampling method was adopted to select universities. Findings demonstrated that participants reported moderate levels of management commitment and job performance and agreeable levels of psychological empowerment. Management commitment and psychological empowerment positively correlated with job performance ( < 0.01). However, management commitment had a direct influence on job performance and management commitment had a relationship with psychological empowerment ( < 0.01). Thus, strategies should be carried out to enhance management commitment and psychological empowerment to improve job performance among academic staff.