{"title":"Non-Apathetic Neutrality Exacerbates Dehumanization and Violence in Online Environments: a Text Mining and Machine Learning Study","authors":"Calvin Lam, Christian S. Chan","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10452-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10452-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We investigated online discourse on dehumanization and violence among polarized and non-apathetic neutral individuals, the latter defined as those who actively engage in political debates without being politically polarized. We employed text mining and machine learning to analyze over 39 million user-generated comments from two online forums—<i>Lihkg</i> (popular among anti-government users) and <i>HKDiscuss</i> (popular among pro-government users)—during the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong. On <i>Lihkg</i>, non-apathetic neutral individuals expressed stronger dehumanizing sentiments compared to anti-government users. On <i>HKDiscuss</i>, pro-government users exhibited stronger dehumanizing tendencies compared to both non-apathetic neutral and anti-government individuals. Furthermore, non-apathetic neutral individuals on <i>Lihkg</i>, as well as non-apathetic neutral and anti-government-learning neutral individuals on <i>HKDiscuss</i>, were more likely to endorse violence compared with other groups. These findings suggest that non-apathetic neutrality can intensify online political polarization and conflict. Our results enhance the understanding of how online political polarization contributes to dehumanization and violence, underscoring the importance of further investigating non-apathetic neutrality in online discourse.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"1037 - 1055"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145161307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tim Lomas, R. Noah Padgett, James L. Ritchie-Dunham, James O. Pawelski, Koichiro Shiba, Byron R. Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele
{"title":"Demographic Variation in Balance in Life Across 22 Countries: A Cross-National Analysis of the Global Flourishing Study","authors":"Tim Lomas, R. Noah Padgett, James L. Ritchie-Dunham, James O. Pawelski, Koichiro Shiba, Byron R. Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele","doi":"10.1007/s11482-024-10407-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-024-10407-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The importance of balance has been selectively acknowledged in modern scholarship through notions such as work-life balance. However, the broader notion of balance in life has remained underappreciated. This may reflect the Western-centric nature of academia, with balance having received less attention in the West compared to other cultures. But aligning with efforts to make scholarship more globally inclusive, an emergent literature is exploring this concept. This report adds to this by presenting data from the most ambitious longitudinal study to date of life balance, as an item – “In general, how often are the various aspects of your life in balance?” – in the Global Flourishing Study, a five-year (minimum) panel study investigating the predictors of flourishing involving (in this first year) 202,898 participants from 22 countries. Reporting on wave 1 of the study, this paper looks at <i>demographic variation</i> vis-à-vis life balance, with our primary analyses consisting of meta-analyses across countries for each demographic group, focusing on three research questions. First, what are the distributions and descriptive statistics of key demographic factors. Second, how do levels of balance order across countries, with considerable variation observed, with the percentage either always or often in balance ranging from 83% in Israel to just 44% in Tanzania. Third, how does balance vary across demographic categories, with the biggest difference in relation to employment status (with 76% of retirees often or always in balance, versus 57% of those unemployed/seeking a job), and the smallest in relation to immigration status. These results shed new light on the personal and contextual factors that shape this valued outcome, and provide the foundation for further enquiry.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"1011 - 1036"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11482-024-10407-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145171582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ben C. L. Yu, Winnie W. S. Mak, Floria H. N. Chio, Hin-Tak Sik, Ryan M. K. Chan
{"title":"A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relative Temporal Association of Tranquility, Concentration, and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaires (FFMQ) with Nonattachment and Mental Health","authors":"Ben C. L. Yu, Winnie W. S. Mak, Floria H. N. Chio, Hin-Tak Sik, Ryan M. K. Chan","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10443-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10443-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The present study aims to investigate the relative temporal associations of different types of mindfulness-related qualities (i.e., observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-reactivity, nonjudging, tranquility, and concentration) at the dispositional level with well-being, psychological distress, and nonattachment by a 9-month longitudinal study over four-time points. Data from 274 participants (Age mean = 21.22; 78.5% women) who did not have any meditation experience were analyzed using linear regression models. Two-hundred and forty-two, 223, 216 participants were retained at three-month (88%), six-month (81%), and nine-month (79%) follow-up assessments, respectively. The results showed that among the seven qualities, tranquility was the most predictive quality to the outcome variables, including depressive symptoms, perceived stress, mental well-being, peacefulness, and nonattachment, after controlling for the outcome variables’ scores measured at the previous time points and other qualities at baseline. Observing, describing, nonreactivity, and acting with awareness were also shown to be predictive of certain types of outcome variables. The present study might provide insights into which qualities could be specifically targeted in the practice of mindfulness for novices, aiming to optimize the benefits of practice on mental health.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"995 - 1009"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11482-025-10443-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145167914","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Myron L. Belfer, Kristy Stark, Kathryn Goetzke, Karen Kirby, C. Psychol, Veronica O’Brien
{"title":"Activating Hope across Life Circumstances in the Face of Adversity: A Concise Review","authors":"Myron L. Belfer, Kristy Stark, Kathryn Goetzke, Karen Kirby, C. Psychol, Veronica O’Brien","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10446-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10446-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current state of the world has left uncertainty and despair for many, subsequently leading to increased risks in numerous areas of life (i.e., health, education, workplace, relationships) and overall wellbeing. Hope, as a stand-alone construct, is a protective factor against many mental and physical health conditions, while serving as a strategy to improve all areas of life. Moreover, research has found hope is teachable, measurable, and learnable. However, the skills of hope are not taught, leaving us susceptible to the risks associated with hopelessness if we do not know how to proactively manage it and grow our hope. The following narrative review provides a synthesis of hope-related research across numerous domains of life, provides evidence for hope as a teachable construct, and compiles evidence-based Hopeful Mindset and Hopeful Minds curriculums to help ignite the dissemination of its skills. </p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"977 - 994"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145164774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the Relationship Between Different Dimensions of Subjective Well-being and Savings Behaviour: Insights From UK Panel Data","authors":"Safaa Basabreen","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10447-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10447-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper examines the relationship between different dimensions of subjective well-being and savings behaviour. A conceptual framework based on Van Praag et al.’s (2003) two-layer model of well-being was empirically tested to investigate relationships among general life satisfaction, domain-specific satisfaction (health, income, leisure time, and job), and various measures of savings behaviour. Using panel data from the Understanding Society Survey covering British households between 2010 and 2018, this research determined that while general satisfaction positively correlates with savings behaviour, different satisfaction domains show varying relationships. Income and job satisfaction demonstrate positive associations with savings behaviour, whereas health and leisure time satisfaction show negative correlations. The core relationships remain stable even when the analysis is extended to include the non-linear effect of health satisfaction or the COVID-19 period, suggesting persistent patterns in how different aspects of well-being relate to financial decision-making. These findings suggest that approaches to understanding savings behaviour might benefit from considering multiple dimensions of well-being rather than relying on unified measures of general satisfaction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"941 - 975"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11482-025-10447-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145164087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Reciprocal Associations Between Work-Life Conflict and Subjective Wellbeing","authors":"Grace B. Yu, Mohsen Joshanloo, M. Joseph Sirgy","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10442-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study empirically tested the reciprocal associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, domain satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) using 21 waves of the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Responses collected from working adults who responded to the work-family questions at least once were selected for the analysis (N <b>≈</b> 11,007). The study results demonstrate temporal within-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing suggesting a feedback loop: an increased level of work-life conflict is associated with reduced subjective well-being in the following year while the reduced subjective well-being is linked to increased work-life conflict in the year to come. In addition to temporal effects, the results suggest contemporaneous within-person associations: in years when a person experiences higher-than-usual work-life conflict, they simultaneously report lower-than-usual well-being, and vice versa. Furthermore, the results also suggest moderate between-person associations between work-life conflict and subjective well-being. Overall, these findings highlight the immediate and long-term associations between work-life conflict and subjective wellbeing. Policy implications are discussed along with study limitations and suggestions for future research.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"917 - 939"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Cross-Lagged Associations between Authentic Inner Compass and Self-Control among Chinese College Students","authors":"Jun Wei, Xiting Zhou, Shun-Lam Chan","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10448-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10448-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>College students are in a critical period for defining their life direction, yet they often face external temptations that challenge the development of an authentic inner compass (AIC), underscoring the importance of their self-control during the same period. This study examined the reciprocal associations between the development of AIC and self-control among Chinese college students, who may experience heightened autonomy-related challenges in university settings. Participants (<i>N</i> = 2014; 64% female; mean age = 18.35 years at Wave 1) from eight Chinese public universities completed online surveys annually across four waves from 2020 to 2023, reporting on their AIC and self-control at least twice. AIC was assessed using Yu et al. (<i>Current Psychology</i>, 40, 887–894, 2021) adapted Chinese version of Assor’s (2012) Authentic Inner Compass Scale, and self-control was assessed by Tangney et al.’s (<i>Journal of Personality</i>, 72(2), 271–324, 2004) Brief Self-Control Scale. Cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) revealed positive reciprocal associations between AIC and self-control in general. Self-control consistently predicted increases in AIC each year, whereas AIC predicted changes in self-control only from junior to senior year, likely due to the heightened academic and career-related pressures faced by senior students. These findings underscore the critical role of college students’ self-control in forming their inner guiding schemas, which in turn reinforces self-regulatory capacities as they get to prepare for post-graduation development. This highlights the need for educational practices to strengthen self-control strategies throughout college while providing targeted support for senior students to clarify their inner goals, thereby fostering both personal growth and successful life planning.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 3","pages":"897 - 915"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145163051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Omar Megherbi-Moulay, Bénédicte Jullian, Nicolas Franchitto, Valérie Igier, Florence Sordes
{"title":"Transcultural Adaptation and Validation in French of the BBC Subjective Well-Being Scale (BBC-SWB) in the General Population","authors":"Omar Megherbi-Moulay, Bénédicte Jullian, Nicolas Franchitto, Valérie Igier, Florence Sordes","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10439-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10439-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Subjective well-being influences longevity and health maintenance. No specific scale exists in French to measure the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of subjective well-being simultaneously. The BBC Subjective Well-Being Scale (BBC-SWB) is a reliable and valid measure of subjective well-being in the general population. The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the BBC-SWB into a French version and to evaluate its psychometric properties, validity, and reliability in the general adult population in France. After providing their informed consent, a sample of 1419 participants, were asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and respond to a battery of online self-report measures probing subjective well-being, subjective happiness, mental health, quality of life, anxiety, and depression. The process of intercultural adaptation showed a semantic, idiomatic, cultural, and conceptual equivalence between the original version and the French version. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to extract and confirm a three-factor structural model in the sample. A 24-item version showed acceptable psychometric properties and measured the three dimensions of well-being. Spearman correlations were performed demonstrating significant concurrent validity. Internal consistency and intraclass and inter-rater correlation coefficients showed excellent reliability. This scale renamed “EBES” for Évaluation du Bien-Être Subjectif, represents a valid, reliable, and recommended instrument for research and clinical intervention purposes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 2","pages":"851 - 885"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145161659","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liman Man Wai Li, Xiaobin Lou, Michael Harris Bond
{"title":"Confidence in Societal Institutions Extends Citizens’ Radius of Trust, Leading to Even Greater Life Satisfaction in Societies with Stronger Rule of Law","authors":"Liman Man Wai Li, Xiaobin Lou, Michael Harris Bond","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10438-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10438-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Confidence in one’s societal institutions is essential for people’s well-being. We argue that a citizen’s perceived trust in known others and trust in strangers mediate that relationship and that the effects of both sources of trust on life satisfaction depend on a society’s rule of law. Data were used from representative samples of persons (<i>n</i> = 39,140) from 40 nations and territories from the World Values Survey, wave 7. As expected, multilevel analyses showed that confidence in one’s societal institutions generally predicted greater life satisfaction for a society’s citizens. These patterns were mediated positively by trust in known others but negatively by trust in strangers. Importantly, the within-society links of life satisfaction with these two types of trust depended on a society’s rule of law, with stronger positive associations between trust in others and life satisfaction in societies strong in the rule of law. In societies weak in the rule of law, trust in strangers was negatively associated with life satisfaction. The present study highlights the importance of differentiating the type of trust in shaping an individual’s well-being and the role of socio-political infrastructure in developing the trust of its members towards both known others and strangers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 2","pages":"809 - 831"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145168904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reversible Cognitive Frailty, Functional Ability and Health-related Quality of Life among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: the Moderating Role of Social Support","authors":"Hejing Chen, Jiaqi Yu, Wenyu Wang, Qinqin Liu, Yanyan Li, Wendie Zhou, Cuili Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11482-025-10433-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11482-025-10433-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Providing the necessary supportive environment is important for promoting healthy ageing and ensuring the well-being of older adults. However, whether social support could buffer the detrimental effect of reversible cognitive frailty (RCF) on health outcomes among older adults has not been empirically examined.</p><h3>Objective</h3><p>To examine the moderating effect of three dimensions of social support on the relationship between RCF and health outcomes, including functional ability (FA) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>This was a cross-sectional study with 1171 community-dwelling older adults. Social support was assessed using the Social Support Rating Scale. RCF was identified by the Frailty Phenotype and simplified subjective cognitive decline questionnaire. As for FA, the Katz index and the Lawton Scale were used to measure activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL), respectively. HRQoL was measured by the Short Form Health Survey. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was implemented to test the moderating effects.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Support utilization buffered the effect of RCF on IADL ability while subjective support buffered the effect of RCF on physical HRQoL. However, objective support had no significant moderating effect on the relationship between RCF and any health outcomes.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The moderating effect of social support on the relationship between RCF and health outcomes varies by support types and by specific health outcomes. Effective interventions should target the perception and utilization of available support among older adults with RCF to maintain their functional independence and HRQoL.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51483,"journal":{"name":"Applied Research in Quality of Life","volume":"20 2","pages":"789 - 808"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145168905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}