Asian Journal of Social Psychology最新文献

This study investigates the role of family efficacy beliefs in shaping emotional experiences during daily family interactions, using the day reconstruction method (DRM). Addressing a gap in the literature on everyday family processes, this research adopts a dynamic and context-sensitive approach. A sample of 142 Taiwanese adults (67 males, 75 females; mean age = 49.79 years) documented their activities and subjective experiences from the previous day, yielding 664 records of family interactions. These interactions commonly involved shared meals, leisure and household tasks and were generally associated with positive emotions. Multilevel analysis revealed that family efficacy beliefs were significantly related to emotional experiences during these interactions. Filial and marital efficacy were associated with increased positive emotions and perceived competence, as well as decreased negative emotions, anxiety and tiredness. Parental efficacy was similarly linked to more positive emotions and competence, and less negative emotion, though it was not significantly related to anxiety or tiredness. These findings align with social cognitive theory and suggest that family efficacy beliefs function as psychological resources associated with emotional well-being, reduced role strain and the quality of day-to-day family experiences.

Social mindfulness is an individual's concern for the interests and expectations of others, which can predict personal psychological well-being and positive behaviours. It has gained widespread attention in recent years, both in academia and business practices. The study examined the influence mechanism and boundary condition of superiors' social mindfulness on subordinates' proactive service behaviours from the perspective of goodwill transmission. In line with Social Learning Theory, the mediating role of self-reflection and the moderating role of occupational stigma were tested in paired survey of 332 frontline employees and their superiors in high-star hotels of China. The findings of the study indicate that superiors' social mindfulness can improve proactive service behaviours of subordinates by stimulating their self-reflection. Lower occupational stigma at work increases the positive impact of superiors' social mindfulness. Goodwill can be transmitted from superiors to subordinates through self-reflection, ultimately manifesting in positive work behaviours. Occupational stigma is a barrier to spreading social mindfulness within an organization. It is essential that organizations take active steps to improve the professional image of frontline employees and remove any obstacles that may prevent them from transferring their goodwill to the workplace.

Modulating emotional responses plays a crucial role in individuals' well-being. Among various response modulation strategies, this study aims to examine surface acting, which refers to the behaviour modifying affective expression by either displaying emotions not genuinely felt, hiding one's true feelings, or both, in daily life. Using ecological momentary assessment with a college student sample, we examined when individuals use surface acting and how surface acting is associated with negative affect in everyday contexts. Furthermore, since response modulation has shown cultural variation, we investigated whether the patterns of surface acting use and its affective consequences differ between cultures (Easterners vs. Westerners). By conducting multilevel modelling, we found that individuals use more surface acting with non-close others (vs. close others) and when they perceive situations as more significant. Additionally, surface acting was positively associated with negative affect. While being East Asians marginally predicted higher levels of surface acting, this effect became non-significant when contextual factors were considered. The positive relationship between surface acting and negative affect did not differ across cultures. This study is novel in examining surface acting across various daily contexts beyond work, revealing contextual variations. We believe it contributes to expanding the emotion regulation literature on response modulation.

Attachment plays an invaluable role in adult romantic relationships. However, little research has investigated the psychological mechanisms of the relationship between insecure attachment and romantic relationship satisfaction, especially from a body image perspective in the male population. Based on attachment theory and objectification theory, this study examined the relationship between body shame and romantic relationship satisfaction using a serial mediation model with two mediators which were insecure attachment and partner objectification among young males. In the study, 468 heterosexual males with romantic relationship experience participated. They completed the Body Image Shame Scale, Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory-Short Form, Body Surveillance Subscale and the Relationship Assessment Scale. The results showed that insecure attachment (avoidance and anxiety) was negatively correlated with romantic relationship satisfaction, and body shame could positively predict partner objectification among heterosexual male college students. Importantly, body shame and partner objectification acted as mediators in the association only between avoidant attachment (not anxious attachment) and romantic relationship satisfaction sequentially. This study identified different pathways associated with insecure attachment types in the male population, which could help guide young people to understand factors related to developing healthy romantic relationships.

Relational mobility, the degree of opportunity to form new relationships, explains cultural differences in interpersonal behavior. Theoretically, relational mobility is thought to be related to the contrasting tendencies in social networks: expansion of relationships (i.e., trust) and commitment to existing relationships (i.e., intimacy). This study reexamined whether relational mobility is associated with forming and maintaining social networks. We conducted a cross-cultural survey and investigated the correlations between generalized trust, intimacy with friends, self-disclosure, and the number of social networks with the data of 297 American and 292 Japanese people. Consistent with previous studies, this study found that Americans are more likely than the Japanese to trust strangers, feel intimate with and disclose themselves to their closest friends, and have more relationships. Relational mobility explained the cultural difference in generalized trust but not in intimacy with friends when controlling for individual characteristics, such as personality traits. Relational mobility and generalized trust were associated with a greater number of people to seek advice from. Additional analysis showed that a greater number of advice networks was correlated with higher levels of subjective well-being. The results suggest that relational mobility is associated with psychology related to expanding networks, rather than strengthening existing relationships.

Insect-based protein has been proposed as a substitute of meat for sustainability. Previous research on insect-eating mostly relies on self-report surveys or hypothetical scenarios. Since the appropriateness of food and food consumption are deeply rooted in the socio-cultural context, a systematic examination of sharing on social media regarding attitudes and behaviours of insect-eating is highly necessary. We retrieved personal sharing on insect-eating via Sina Weibo from 2019 to 2023 and analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate polarised attitudes towards insect-eating, influenced by cognitive reconfiguration, both direct and indirect experiences of insect-eating, as well as perceived necessity. In the attitude–behaviour link, we also identify several contingency factors, such as attribution to conspiracy theory and mostly negative stereotypes of insect-eating as well as insect-eaters. Implications for both research and practices are discussed. In particular, practitioners should pay attention to the within-country variation of insect-eating customs, concerns for risk of eating insects and be cautious to use moralised communication strategies to promote sustainable food consumption.

Time poverty, that is, a broader feeling of having too many things to do and not enough time to do them, is a widespread problem in modern society. This research explored the effect of time poverty on intertemporal choice and its psychological mechanism, that is, time perspective. In Study 1 (n = 888), participants completed questionnaires about time poverty, time perspective and intertemporal choice. The results indicated that time perspective, including a stronger present orientation (i.e., higher scores in Present Hedonistic) and a weaker future orientation (i.e., higher scores in Future Negative) could act as mediators for the time poverty-intertemporal choice link. In Study 2 (n = 125), participants completed high (or low) time poverty manipulation and a different set of instruments to measure intertemporal choice and time perspective. The results indicated that participants experiencing time poverty reported a marginally higher present orientation (i.e., higher scores in CFC-Immediate) and a greater preference for immediate rewards. Moreover, present orientation could mediate the effect of time poverty on intertemporal choice. These findings indicate that time perspective may serve as the psychological mechanism for intertemporal choice under time scarcity.

Understanding how individual beliefs and societal values influence support for measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission and risk is vital to developing and implementing effective prevention policies. Surges in COVID-19 infections continue to be prevalent worldwide, and strategies to address the increase in vaccine hesitancy and related conspiracy theories are enacted globally. Using the lenses of the social identity approach and system justification theory, we examined how individual-level conceptualizations of identity, system legitimacy, conspiracy beliefs and trust in science, government and healthcare influence an uptick in COVID-19 vaccine adherence. Data from an international survey of adults from China, the Philippines and the United States (N = 358; Study 1) and a six-country two-wave stratified online sample (N = 6138; Study 2) allowed the present research to investigate how cultural values and governmental policies intersect with COVID-19 risk perception and vaccine hesitancy. The most robust findings were: (1) identifying with a superordinate global identity was associated with greater vaccine adherence; (2) having a stronger subordinate national identity was associated with greater vaccine hesitancy; and (3) the association between having a strong national identity and the endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories was mediated by system justification. The results presented are used to discuss strategies for increasing vaccine uptake globally for future pandemics.

Past investigations into the temporal trends of environmental concern (EC) yielded varying results across different time spans and nations, highlighting the need for nation-specific studies with extended time frames. Using data from Google Ngram Viewer, this pre-registered study examined the temporal trends and influencing factors of EC as reflected in books published in the United States and China—the world's two largest greenhouse gas emitters—between 1945 and 2019. The findings revealed distinct patterns between the two countries. In the United States, EC rose sharply in the 1960s, peaked in the 1990s, and declined steeply thereafter, with local environmental problems emerging as the most stable predictor of this trend. In contrast, in China, EC has steadily increased since the 1980s, potentially driven by both local and global environmental problems as well as post-materialist values. These findings highlight that while EC trends and their potential determinants share commonalities across nations, they also exhibit unique characteristics. This underscores the importance of considering each society's distinct socio-historical context when examining the evolution of EC.

This research examined the effects of a sexually objectifying gaze from a potential partner on women's self-sexualization in blind dating from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. Across two samples from an urban Chinese university (Study 1: N = 147; Study 2: N = 181), we examined whether a sexually objectifying gaze (vs. control condition) could decrease women's self-sexualization by increasing state safety anxiety. Additionally, we tested whether a potential partner's resource richness could moderate this effect. Results showed that sexually objectifying gaze from the male partner stably triggered participants' state safety anxiety regardless of whether or not the partner had high socio-economic status (Study 1) or high appearance attractiveness (Study 2). However, higher state safety anxiety did not lead to a lower level of self-sexualization when the partner had high socio-economic status (Study 1) or high appearance attractiveness (Study 2), indicating our female participants tended to take both safety and resources into account when making decisions about their sexual attractiveness under the culture of sexual objectification.