Well-Being Sciences Review

An autonomous circulatory model of athletic buoyancy of Chinese collegiate athletes

2025-07-10T15:46:34+08:00

Athletic buoyancy is a recent concept in sports psychology. This study adopted a qualitative research method to explore the concept of athletic buoyancy and its components in Chinese collegiate athletes. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight collegiate athletes. Four core categories of athletic buoyancy were established based on grounded theory, including self-confidence in ability, breakthrough ability, tolerance of loss of control and recovery, and internal drive. Based on the first author's own sports training experience and observations, an autonomous circulatory model of athletic buoyancy was constructed. The model consists of two paths, the first path is a basic cycle and the second path is a progress cycle. The basic cycle begins with self-confidence in ability, through breaking through setbacks and challenges, and tolerating uncontrolled conditions and recovering from them. The progress cycle starts once the setbacks and challenges are resolved in the basic cycle or no longer exert a negative impact on training and competition. Our study suggested that athletic buoyancy could be defined as athletes' ability to effectively cope with daily setbacks and challenges in a competitive sports environment and to enhance sports skills or performance while experiencing loss of control.

The impact of artificial intelligence-based advertisement placement on consumer purchase sentiment

2025-07-13T11:14:35+08:00

The advertising industry is embracing artificial intelligence technologies to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of advertisements. In today's digital marketing field, artificial intelligence (AI)-based ad implementation has become a key strategy to increase consumers' purchase intention. In terms of consumers' perceived value, how to effectively influence consumers' perceived benefits, risks and final purchase decisions through intelligent ad implantation has become a hot topic. This study explores advertisement implantation based on AI and its impact on consumers' perceived value and purchase intention. Results indicate that personalized and relevant AI-driven ad placements significantly enhance perceived benefits, thereby increasing purchase intent. Additionally, ad delivery through reputable platforms mitigates perceived risks, further fostering positive purchase sentiment. Conversely, certain ad display methods may not consistently enhance perceived benefits and could detract from consumer engagement if not well-aligned with audience expectations. These findings offer strategic insights into optimizing AI applications in digital advertising, underscoring the importance of aligning ad content with consumer expectations to maximize positive emotional responses and drive purchasing behavior.

The relationship between self-identity and ego depletion among Chinese university students: The mediating role of self-efficacy

2025-09-21T11:57:39+08:00

University students always face psychosocial stressors that may deplete self-regulatory resources. This study aimed to investigate whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between self-identity and ego depletion among Chinese undergraduates. A sample of 256 university students (20.46 ± 1.15 years) completed the self-identity scale, general self-efficacy scale, and self-regulatory fatigue scale. Mediation analysis was conducted and the results showed that self-identity positively predicted self-efficacy (β = 0.118, P < 0. 001) and negatively predicted ego depletion (β = -0.992, P < 0. 001). Critically, self-efficacy was found to partially mediate the relationship between self-identity and ego depletion (indirect effect = -0.180, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.300, -0.075), accounting for 18.15% of the total effect. This suggests that self-efficacy is a significant mechanism through which a clear self-identity protects against ego depletion. These findings suggest that enhancing both self-identity and self-efficacy may help reduce self-regulatory depletion and improve resilience among university students.

Latent subtypes of school refusal behavior and their social-ecological correlates among Chinese adolescents

2025-09-25T12:50:35+08:00

From an educational social-ecological perspective, this study aimed to explore the latent subtypes, influencing factors, and intervention implications of school refusal behavior (SRB) among Chinese adolescents. A total of 432 junior high school students from Beijing were recruited using cluster random sampling. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was employed to identify latent subtypes based on four functional dimensions of SRB: Avoidance of negative affectivity, escape from aversive social/evaluative situations, pursuit of attention, and pursuit of tangible reinforcement. Differences in ecological variables (family functioning, peer relationships, teacher support, and internet addiction) across subtypes and their predictive factors were further analyzed. The results showed that, (1) Adolescent SRB could be classified into three latent subtypes: High-risk (6%), moderate-risk (33%), and low-risk (61%), showing a severity gradient of "high-medium-low"; (2) analysis of ecological variables revealed that the high-risk group scored significantly higher on internet addiction and peer fear, and significantly lower on peer acceptance, family intimacy, family adaptability, and learning support; (3) logistic regression indicated that internet addiction and peer fear were common significant predictors for both high-risk and moderate-risk groups. Family adaptability played a protective role for the high-risk group, while gender (male) and ninth grade were significant predictors for the moderate-risk group. These findings reveal the heterogeneity of SRB among Chinese adolescents and its social-ecological influencing mechanisms, providing an empirical basis for developing targeted identification and intervention strategies.

Large language model-based socio-emotional companions for children in welfare institutions: Attitudes, needs, and ethical implications

2025-10-10T11:49:50+08:00

This study, guided by a strengths-based perspective in positive psychology, explores children's attitudes toward and needs for large language model (LLM) based socio-emotional companions, considering how LLM-based chatbots might foster children's socio-emotional support. Using a mixed-methods design, we conducted questionnaire surveys (N = 43) and two rounds of in-depth interviews (N = 22) with children aged 10-18 residing in a welfare institution in Tibet. We examine their perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) and expectations for an "AI smart friend". Findings indicated that: (1) The need for emotional companionship was urgent, with peer support serving as the primary resource (23 children reported turning to friends when feeling sad); (2) acceptance of AI companions is high (85% reported "somewhat want" or "very much want"), with expectations that AI would primarily provide academic tutoring and emotional support, especially as a proactive encourager (57% of interviewees favored an "encourager" persona); (3) trust is defined by clear ethical boundaries, with "no disclosure of secrets" forming the strongest consensus (mentioned by 37 participants), and many children noted that AI lacks the "warmth" and "emotion" of real humans. Overall, AI socio-emotional companions show potential in meeting children's emotional and learning needs, providing useful insights for the design of future AI support systems.