Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor

Being as Having, Loving, and Doing: A Theory of Human Well-Being

ACADEMIC ABSTRACT

Stronger theory on the nature of human well-being is needed, especially as well-being indicators are increasingly utilized in policy contexts. Building on Erik Allardt, who argued that a theory of well-being is, in essence, a theory of human nature, I propose four modes of existence each capturing one dimension central to human well-being: Having recognizes humans as biological creatures requiring certain material resources for survival. Loving captures human social nature and our dependence on others for well-being. Doing highlights the active and agentic nature of human existence. Being acknowledges humans as experiencing their existence. Each mode of existence gives rise to a few more specific needs, and a full assessment of human well-being requires both subjective and objective indicators tapping into these needs. The proposed theory integrates psychological well-being research with sociological and philosophical traditions and contributes to debates about how the progress of nations and sustainability should be measured.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Well-being is something we all value individually, and it is also a key political goal. Accordingly, how we define and measure well-being influences what physicians, managers, policy-makers, politicians, and international organizations aim to improve through their work. Better theories of well-being make better measurement of well-being possible, which makes possible more effective and evidence-based advancement of human well-being. In this spirit, the present article argues that there are four fundamental dimensions to human well-being: Having highlights that as biological creatures, we have physical needs, loving highlights human social needs, doing highlights that we are active and agentic beings with goals and strivings, and being highlights that we feel and evaluate our lives. To assess well-being, we need measures tapping into all four of these dimensions. And to assess the sustainability of well-being, we need to examine how to provide well-being for all humanity while remaining within planetary boundaries.

The influence of kindness on academics' identity, well-being and stress

The well-being of people working and studying in higher education, including students, staff, and faculty, is a topic of increasing concern. The lack of well-being may be attributed to the current academic context, which does not consistently provide cues that affirm social inclusion to all members of the academic population. This study examines the role of kindness (defined as actions that affirm dignity and social inclusion) in promoting identification with community and well-being in higher education utilizing a cross-sectional study of 182 diverse members of higher education. To assess the extent that kindness relates to the acquisition of institutional identity, well-being, and stress, we developed and validated two novel psychometric rating scales for kindness: Kindness Received (α = 0.927, ώ = .921) and Kindness Given (α = .859, ώ = .860). Initial analysis showed that receiving kindness was significantly associated with increased well-being, reduced stress, and improved institutional identity. Giving kindness was significantly associated with decreased stress reduction and decreased institutional identity. Results from structural equation modeling shows that institutional identity mediates the relationship between receiving kindness and well-being. Qualitative analysis of micronarratives regarding kindness showed that feeling safe and being acknowledged are the most commonly described experiences of kindness, both acts that affirm dignity. The findings from this study suggests that kindness contributes towards improving diverse people's well-being and increased identification with institutions of higher education. Measurement of kindness provides methods for assessing institutional changes that foster greater positivity and inclusion in higher education settings.

The costs and benefits of kindness for kids

What do children think makes an act kind? Which kind acts are children likely to perform? Previous research with adults suggests that the kindness of acts depends largely on the benefit provided and to a lesser extent on the cost incurred, and that adults are more likely to perform low-cost, high-benefit kind acts. In the current study, children (9-12 years, n = 945) and teens (13-17 years, n = 939) rated the benefit, cost, kindness, and likelihood of performing 173 acts of kindness, and adults (18+ years, n = 891) rated how beneficial, costly, kind, and likely the acts would be for young people to perform. Among children and teens, benefit but not cost predicted the kindness of acts, and benefit positively predicted, but cost negatively predicted, performance (for "kindness quotients" of 61% and 65%, respectively). Among adults, benefit and cost predicted the kindness of acts, and cost, but not benefit, negatively predicted performance (for a kindness quotient of 59%). The results for children and teens are similar to those from previous research with adults; however, adults are more sensitive to cost when rating kindness, are less sensitive to benefit when rating performance by young people, and are less likely to think young people will perform acts of kindness overall. In practical terms, the results suggest that recommending cost-effective acts may be the best way to encourage children to be kinder.

Prosocial sharing with organizations after the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal test of the role of motives for helping and time perspectives

The time after the COVID-19 pandemic posed a threat to engagement in prosocial behaviors within charity organizations. In the current study, we intended to test how three motivational paths: affective empathy-based, life satisfaction-based, and perceived social support-based shaped the change in intentions to give money and time to charity organizations over a yearly period (right after revocation of the most essential anti-COVID-19 laws and at the same time, outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, in May 2022 and after a year, in late April-early May 2023). We also tested how past negative and present hedonistic time perspectives-namely, those most robust in predicting emotional states - shaped the changes in the abovementioned motivational paths and giving intentions. We conducted our longitudinal study on the general population of Poland (N = 566). We found that there has been a significant drop in the willingness to give time to organizations over the year after loosening the COVID-19 restrictions and the outbreak of war in Ukraine. We found that affective empathy helped sustain the intentions to give time to organizations, whereas past negative time perspective contributed to the decrease in such intentions. Our study suggests threats to organizations and highlights potential ways to encourage supporting them and caring for their volunteers' well-being.

How Does More Niceness Bring More Happiness? The Association Between Niceness, Depression, and Subjective Happiness

Behavioral niceness has an important place in maintaining interpersonal relationships. Scale studies are needed to determine the level of niceness that plays a role in individuals' development of healthy daily interactions with other people. In this study, firstly, the psychometric properties of the Niceness Scale, which consists of six items, were examined in a Turkish sample (N = 404). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the six-item one-dimensional structure, and item response analysis revealed a high level of discrimination across all items. The relationship of the Niceness Scale with previously validated and reliable scales was examined, and it was found that criterion-related validity was achieved. Furthermore, a network analysis revealed the relationships between the variables more clearly. In the scale's measurement invariance analysis, consistency was found for both genders. Then, the reliability of the Niceness Scale was proven with different reliability values. In a different Turkish sample (N = 372), it was determined that depression played a statistically significant mediating role in the relationship between niceness and subjective happiness. In conclusion, this study revealed that the one factor and six-item Niceness Scale are valid and reliable in the Turkish sample. Moreover, boosting niceness has been determined to reduce negative situations such as depression and therefore enhance subjective happiness. All these important implications about niceness are discussed in light of the literature.

A randomized feasibility study of a positive psychology journaling intervention to support recovery from substance-use disorders

BACKGROUND

Individuals in early recovery face significant biopsychosocial stressors causing a preponderance of negative affect. Novel interventions are needed to improve mood and well-being to support recovery. Positive Recovery Journaling (PRJ) combines elements of positive psychology, behavioral activation, and journaling to emphasize what is going right and to encourage small, positive steps that align with an individual's values to make life in recovery more rewarding and therefore more reinforcing. Our objective was to determine PRJ's feasibility, acceptability, and impact on a set of strengths-based, multidimensional aspects of recovery, including satisfaction with life, happiness with recovery, and commitment to sobriety.

METHODS

The study randomized adults in substance-use disorder treatment (N = 81) to PRJ or control. Those in PRJ were asked to practice PRJ daily and complete online surveys for four weeks; those in the control group completed online surveys for four weeks. We used multi-level modelling to determine intercept and slope for feasibility and acceptability outcomes as well as to compare differences in recovery indicators between treatment and control at baseline and Weeks 2, 4, and 8. We conducted intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses for each recovery indicator.

RESULTS

Participants were 53 % female, and 26 % Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and mean age of 39 years. PRJ participants attended 71 % of groups and completed 56 % of the daily PRJ entries. Treatment and control groups rated their study tasks (PRJ for the treatment group, surveys for the control group) as equally easy; however, the PRJ group rated PRJ as significantly more satisfying, helpful, and pleasant. Treatment and control were not significantly different on any recovery indicator. In post hoc analyses, we found that for those with <90 days sobriety at baseline (51 %), PRJ had a statistically significant beneficial effect for satisfaction with life, happiness with recovery, and numerous secondary recovery indicators.

DISCUSSION

Results suggest a positive impact of PRJ on numerous recovery indices for those in earliest recovery. Integrating PRJ into support services among those with <90 days sobriety could reinforce what is going well in recovery to encourage its continued maintenance and thereby improve treatment outcomes.

The KIND Challenge community intervention to reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood relationships: an international randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE

Loneliness and social isolation are risk factors for poor health, but few effective interventions are deployable at scale. This study was conducted to determine whether acts of kindness can reduce loneliness and social isolation, improve mental health, and neighbourhood social cohesion.

METHOD

Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were conducted in the USA, UK, and Australia, involving a total of 4284 individuals aged 18-90 years old, randomized to the KIND challenge intervention or a waitlist control group. Participants allocated to the intervention were asked to do at least one act of kindness per week within a four-week period. The primary outcome was loneliness and secondary outcomes included measures of social isolation, mental health, and neighbourhood social cohesion.

RESULTS

There was a significant, albeit small, intervention effect after four weeks for reduced loneliness in the USA and the UK, but not for Australia. Relative to controls, KIND challenge participants also showed significantly reduced social isolation and social anxiety in the USA, and reduced stress in Australia. There was also reduced neighbourhood conflict in the USA, increased number of neighbourhood contacts in the USA and Australia, greater neighbourhood stability and feelings of neighbourhood importance in the UK, and better neighbourhood social relationships in Australia.

CONCLUSION

Promoting the provision of social support through small acts of kindness to neighbours has the potential to reduce loneliness, social isolation and social anxiety, and promote neighbourhood relationships, suggesting a potential strategy for public health campaigns.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trials Registry. NCT04398472. Registered 21st May 2020.

Well-being balance and lived experiences assessment: a valid, comprehensive measure of positive well-being

Introduction

Widely used measures of self-reported subjective well-being and flourishing generally do not directly measure positive experiences that have been demonstrated to improve subjective well-being and flourishing, which could aid in developing personalized interventions to improve individuals' well-being. The present study evaluated the validity of the Well-being Balance and Lived Experience (WBAL) Model and Assessment, a new model of well-being and corresponding assessment instrument that evaluates the self-reported frequency of positive experiences and positive feelings of well-being, balanced across activation and arousal levels.

Methods

A total of 496 evaluable subjects completed the WBAL Assessment, the PERMA+ Profiler (PERMA+) and the Well-Being Assessment Adult 24-item (WBA-24). A confirmatory factor model corresponding to the WBAL construct was created, and internal and external validity of the WBAL Assessment were interrogated.

Results

The confirmatory factor model showed good fit, indicating that each of the model factors are related but distinct and all items load significantly onto their factors. The WBAL Assessment demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95) and internal validity across well-being factors and Feelings (r = 0.96) and Experiences (r = 0.94) domains. The WBAL Assessment demonstrated strong convergent validity in comparison to PERMA+ (r = 0.80) and WBA-24 (r = 0.75), indicating that the WBAL Assessment measures a similar overall concept of well-being and flourishing. Discriminant validity of WBAL factors was demonstrated for an average of 14.3 of 17 comparator domains. The main differences between instruments are WBAL's assessment of positive Experiences, the comparator instruments' inclusion of feelings with negative valence, and WBA-24's inclusion of financial stability.

Discussion

The WBAL Assessment is a reliable and valid instrument to comprehensively measure positive aspects of well-being that evaluates multiple modifiable contributors to individuals' well-being to guide design of personalized assessment and intervention programs to enhance positive well-being.

Things You Do: A randomized controlled trial of an unguided ultra-brief intervention to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety

The 'Things You Do' encompass five types of actions that are strongly associated with good mental health: Healthy Thinking, Meaningful Activities, Goals and Plans, Healthy Habits, and Social Connections. Ultra-brief interventions which increase how often people perform these actions may decrease depression and anxiety. A two-arm randomized controlled trial (N = 349) compared an unguided ultra-brief intervention based on the 'Things You Do' against a waitlist control. The intervention included one online module, two practice guides, and four weeks of daily text messages. The primary timepoint was 5-weeks post-baseline. The intervention resulted in moderate reductions in depression (d = 0.51) and anxiety (d = 0.55) alongside moderate increases in the frequency of Things You Do actions (d = 0.54), compared to controls. No significant change in number of days out of role or life satisfaction were observed. Treatment completion was high (92 %), most participants reported being satisfied with the treatment (66 %), and improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. This study demonstrated that an automated ultra-brief 'Things You Do' intervention resulted in clinically significant reductions in depression and anxiety. Ultra-brief interventions may provide a scalable solution to support individuals who are unlikely to engage in longer forms of psychological treatment.

Effectiveness of a positive psychology and mindfulness-based app on mental health for parents of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder: study protocol of a pragmatic international randomized controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Parents of children with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) experience more stress than parents of typically developing children. In a cocreation process with experts and parents, a low-threshold application that uses exercises based on the principles of positive psychology and mindfulness was developed. This application, called "Adappt," aims at enhancing the ability to adapt of the parents and caregivers of children with NDDs and at supporting their mental health. This protocol describes the evaluation study of the effectiveness of Adappt, its core working mechanisms and user experiences.

METHOD

A pragmatic international multicenter randomized controlled trial will compare the effectiveness of Adappt with a (delayed) waitlist control condition. At least 212 parents or primary caregivers of children younger than 18 years diagnosed with or suspected of a NDD will be randomly assigned to the intervention or waitlist control condition. Participants are excluded if they have severe anxiety or depression levels or are in treatment for mental health issues. Measures will be collected online at baseline, post-intervention (1 month after baseline), and 4 and 7 months after baseline. The primary outcome is the improvement in generic sense of ability to adapt as measured with the Generic Sense of Ability to Adapt Scale (GSAAS; (Front Psychol 14:985408, 2023)) at 4-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes are mental well-being, (parental) distress, and client satisfaction with "Adappt."

DISCUSSION

Results of this study will contribute to knowledge on the effectiveness of a low-threshold application for parents of children with a NDD in multiple countries. If the application is found to be effective in improving mental health, recommendations will be made for implementation in health care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06248762) on February 8, 2024, and the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/5znqv ).

Towards an empathic hidden curriculum in medical school: A roadmap

The "hidden curriculum" in medical school includes a stressful work environment, un-empathic role models, and prioritisation of biomedical knowledge. It can provoke anxiety and cause medical students to adapt by becoming cynical, distanced and less empathic. Lower empathy, in turn, has been shown to harm patients as well as practitioners. Fortunately, evidence-based interventions can counteract the empathy dampening effects of the hidden curriculum. These include early exposure to real patients, providing students with real-world experiences, training role models, assessing empathy training, increasing the focus on the biopsychosocial model of disease, and enhanced wellbeing education. Here, we provide an overview of these interventions. Taken together, they can bring about an "empathic hidden curriculum" which can reverse the decline in medical student empathy.

A pilot study examining whether restricting and resuming specific actions systematically changes symptoms of depression and anxiety. A series of N-of-1 trials

Anxiety and depressive disorders are highly prevalent and a leading cause of disability. Understanding how symptoms develop could lead to new preventive and clinical interventions. This pilot study examined whether systematically restricting specific behaviours (target actions) associated with good psychological health would increase psychological symptoms in healthy participants, and whether resuming those actions would reduce symptoms to baseline levels. Twelve adults participated in a series of N-of-1 trials comprising baseline (A), restriction (B) and recovery (C) phases. Outcomes were assessed weekly using measures of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and a validated 15-item measure of target actions (Big 5). Symptoms of depression and anxiety increased significantly from Phase A to Phase B and returned to baseline by the end of Phase C. Increased symptoms during Phase B were only observed in participants who restricted actions by more than 25%. Symptom increases were evident within 2 weeks of restriction, but most participants appeared to take longer to recover to baseline levels. This study demonstrates that reducing the frequency of specific actions may increase symptoms of anxiety and depression, which is reversed when those actions are resumed. This contributes to our understanding of the aetiology, maintenance, and recovery from depression, anxiety, and possibly other disorders.

Female managers' organizational leadership during telework: experiences of job demands, control and support

The frequent use of telework during the COVID -19 pandemic has created a more challenging work situation for managers who need to lead effectively in the virtual space, this especially concerns female managers. Therefor it is of importance to investigate female managers' experiences of job related demands, control and support within this work context. Accordingly, we investigated female managers' experiences of demands, control and support in their organizational leadership during telework. The present study used a deductive, theory-driven, qualitative approach with predetermined themes defined within the demand-control-support model. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. The female managers had at least 50% of their working hours as telework. The results showed that the female managers experienced demands in terms of hard, fast or even excessive work in order to be available and solve complex problems, and control as varied work content, new learning, planning and decision freedom. Support was experienced in terms of attentive superior manager, good cooperation and helpfulness among colleagues. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed in terms of telework situation for female managers.

Unveiling the veil: exploring how wellbeing motivations shape anonymous and public prosocial behavior in Indonesia

Indonesia is often regarded as a country with a strong inclination toward prosocial behavior, with both public and anonymous acts of kindness being commonplace. However, there is a notable gap in related research regarding the predictors of such behaviors. Previous studies have highlighted how individuals with diverse motives for wellbeing are inclined to either assist or hinder others. The present study explored the role of eudaimonic, hedonic, and extrinsic motives for wellbeing in predicting public and anonymous prosocial behavior. Using convenience sampling, 254 Indonesian undergraduate students (18-25 years old) from a private university participated in an online survey. The data were analyzed with correlational design and structural equation modelling. The findings revealed that the eudaimonic motive for wellbeing positively predicted anonymous prosocial behavior. Interestingly, no significant impact of hedonic motives on either public or anonymous prosocial behavior was observed. On the other hand, the extrinsic motive for wellbeing emerged as a positive predictor of public prosocial behavior. The absence of a discernible effect of the hedonic motive on either form of prosocial behavior highlights the need for further research into the complex interplay between motives for well-being and altruistic actions. This research represents a pioneering exploration into the distinct impacts of individuals' pursuit of wellbeing on their approaches to altruistic actions, providing valuable insights for understanding and promoting prosocial behavior in society.

A Web-Based Intervention Using "Five Ways to Wellbeing" to Promote Well-Being and Mental Health: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Compromised well-being and mental health problems pose a significant threat to individuals and societies worldwide. Resource-intensive psychological treatments alone cannot alleviate this burden. There is a need for low-cost, evidence-based interventions aimed at preventing illness and promoting well-being. Five activity domains appear to be linked with well-being promotion across populations: connecting with others, being active, taking notice, learning, and being generous/giving. The activities mentioned are part of the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework and the web-based intervention Five Ways to Wellbeing for All (5waysA).

OBJECTIVE

This randomized controlled trial aims to test the effects of the 5waysA intervention, a web-based, low-cost, well-being-promoting measure targeting the general population. To date, the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework has not been tested in this specific format. The 5waysA intervention comprises 2 webinars and SMS text message reminders delivered over a 10-week period.

METHODS

In 2021, a total of 969 study participants from various regions across Norway were openly recruited through a web page. They were then randomly assigned to either an intervention group or 1 of 2 waiting list control groups, namely, active or passive. Self-reported life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale [SWLS]), flourishing (Flourishing Scale [FS]), positive emotions, anxiety, and depression symptoms (Hopkins Symptom Checklist-8 [HSCL-8]) were assessed before the intervention, at 4 weeks into the intervention, and 1-2 weeks after the intervention (over 10 weeks). Data analysis was conducted using linear mixed (multilevel) models.

RESULTS

After 10 weeks, 453 participants (171 in the intervention group and 282 in the waiting list control group) were assessed on outcome variables, with a dropout rate of 53.2% (516/969). Results revealed a significantly greater increase in the intervention group compared with the controls for SWLS (b=0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.23; P=.001), FS (b=0.19, 95% CI 0.08-0.30; P=.001), positive emotions (b=0.43, 95% CI 0.27-0.60; P<.001), and these factors combined into a global well-being measure (b=0.28, CI 0.16-0.39; P<.001). Effect sizes (Cohen d) for the well-being outcomes ranged from 0.30 to 0.49. In addition, a significant decrease in anxiety and depressive symptoms was observed (b=-0.17, 95% CI -0.30 to -0.04; P=.001) with an effect size (Cohen d) of -0.20.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the web-based 5waysA intervention could serve as an effective approach for enhancing well-being and mental health within the general population. This study offers individuals, policy makers, and local stakeholders an accessible and potentially cost-effective well-being intervention that could be easily implemented.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04784871; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04784871.

Target Happiness Attenuates Perceivers' Moral Condemnation of Prejudiced People

Five experiments (combined N = 4,915) tested the prediction that the moral boost of happiness would persist for social targets with moral failings. In Studies 1 and 2, White and Black participants, respectively, judged happy (versus unhappy) racist targets more morally good. In Study 3, happy (versus unhappy) racist targets were judged more morally good and less (more) likely to engage in racist (good) behavior. Behavioral expectations explained the link between happiness and moral evaluations. Study 4 replicated Studies 1 to 3 in the context of sexism. In Study 5, happy (versus unhappy) targets who engaged in racially biased behavior were evaluated as more morally good, and this effect was explained by behavioral forecasts. Happiness boosts attributions of moral goodness for prejudiced people and does so via expectations for future behavior. Future directions are discussed.

Bee Well: a positive psychological impact of a pro-environmental intervention on beekeepers' and their families' wellbeing

Bees are excellent pollinators and serve an essential environmental purpose. However, little is known about the wellbeing impact of bees on humans. This research addressed the knowledge gap concerning the impact of beekeeping on the wellbeing of beekeepers and their families, focusing on the often-overlooked psychological, emotional, and social dimensions. Thirty farmers in Ireland participating in the Let it Bee project, aimed at promoting biodiversity and water source protection, were provided with bee hives. Twelve participants were interviewed to explore the effects of beekeeping on their wellbeing. Thematic Analysis was employed to analyze the data, revealing five central themes. (1) The centrality of pride in accomplishing environmental and community objectives in the farmers' beekeeping activities; (2) the evolving sense of togetherness with nature, family, and community throughout the project; (3) a profound sense of contributing significantly to the greater good; (4) the recognized value of beekeeping for beekeepers' psychological growth, flow, and relaxation; and (5) the opportunity for beekeepers to leverage their character strengths. The implications of these findings are discussed within the framework of their impact on environmental conservation, healthcare policymaking, and implications for research and practice.

Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being: An Empirical Review of the Role of Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction

Although prosocial behavior is positively associated with one's well-being, researchers have yet to reach a consensus on the role played by basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) in this association. A systematic review of the existing empirical literature is conducted in this article to summarize and synthesize the relationship between prosocial behavior and well-being, with a special emphasis on the multifaceted role of BPNS (i.e. mediation, moderation, and concurrent mediation and moderation). Nineteen articles have been identified that meet the criteria of the research focus, being empirical and peer-reviewed. Results suggest that BPNS can act as a mediator, moderator, and differing mediation and moderation roles. Prosocial behavior can both individually and jointly satisfy the three needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, thus enhancing well-being. Moreover, the positive correlation between prosocial behavior and well-being can be augmented by a high level of satisfaction of one or multiple needs. Furthermore, those who have higher satisfaction of autonomy, competence, or relatedness display a greater increase in well-being after engaging in prosocial behavior, which can be mediated by BPNS. Drawing on these findings, the current body of work is evaluated in terms of its strengths and weaknesses, and potential future directions are explored.

The links between physical activity and prosocial behavior: an fNIRS hyperscanning study

The prevalence of physically inactive lifestyles in modern society raises concerns about the potential association with poor brain health, particularly in the lateral prefrontal cortex, which is crucial for human prosocial behavior. Here, we explored the relationship between physical activity and prosocial behavior, focusing on potential neural markers, including intra-brain functional connectivity and inter-brain synchrony in the lateral prefrontal cortex. Forty participants, each paired with a stranger, completed two experimental conditions in a randomized order: (i) face-to-face and (ii) face stimulus (eye-to-eye contact with a face stimulus of a fictitious person displayed on the screen). Following each condition, participants played economic games with either their partner or an assumed person displayed on the screen. Neural activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex was recorded by functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning. Sparse multiset canonical correlation analysis showed that a physically inactive lifestyle was covaried with poorer reciprocity, greater trust, shorter decision-making time, and weaker intra-brain connectivity in the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and poorer inter-brain synchrony in the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex. These associations were observed exclusively in the face-to-face condition. Our findings suggest that a physically inactive lifestyle may alter human prosocial behavior by impairing adaptable prosocial decision-making in response to social factors through altered intra-brain functional connectivity and inter-brain synchrony.

Unveiling studies on self-healing practices for suicide loss survivors: A scoping review

This scoping review aimed to examine how self-healing practices had been addressed in the empirical literature on suicide bereavement. Adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed studies that reported using self-healing practices, either as a primary or secondary finding and 32 studies were included. The results highlight a substantial research gap in understanding self-healing practices' definition, implementation, and effectiveness in suicide bereavement. Further studies are necessary to clarify the definition, identify facilitators and barriers to implementation, and explore the applicability of these strategies in diverse contexts, particularly in non-Western and Low-and Middle-income countries.

How Can People Become Happier? A Systematic Review of Preregistered Experiments

Can happiness be reliably increased? Thousands of studies speak to this question. However, many of them were conducted during a period in which researchers commonly "p-hacked," creating uncertainty about how many discoveries might be false positives. To prevent p-hacking, happiness researchers increasingly preregister their studies, committing to analysis plans before analyzing data. We conducted a systematic literature search to identify preregistered experiments testing strategies for increasing happiness. We found surprisingly little support for many widely recommended strategies (e.g., performing random acts of kindness). However, our review suggests that other strategies-such as being more sociable-may reliably promote happiness. We also found strong evidence that governments and organizations can improve happiness by providing underprivileged individuals with financial support. We conclude that happiness research stands on the brink of an exciting new era, in which modern best practices will be applied to develop theoretically grounded strategies that can produce lasting gains in life satisfaction.

The impact of negative affects on the high prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress in healthcare professionals

BACKGROUND

Psychiatric disorders are the conditions that most contribute to incapacity worldwide. While many healthcare professionals adapt in dealing with various demands, others do not. How much of these conditions is associated with affective experience needs to be studied.

OBJECTIVE

Assess the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress while investigating the relationship between the presence of positive and negative affect in healthcare professionals.

METHODS

This study's convenience sample consisted of 975 providers (including nursing, physicians, and multidisciplinary team) and administrative professionals (service and supervision teams) working at a general private hospital in Brazil. Data were collected in 2019 through a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X). The results are shown through multinomial regression with odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, and P-value.

RESULTS

The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 49.4%, 46.1%, and 49.8%, respectively, showing high prevalence. It was observed that a high presence of negative affect is associated with a greater likelihood of developing anxiety, depression, and stress, while a high presence of positive affect is associated with a lower likelihood of depression and stress prevalence.

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress in healthcare professionals is associated with the presence of negative affects. Mental disorders should be measured, and practices adopted to ensure well-being and job performance.

Better to give? A systematic review of prosocial spending and happiness

Considerable research has amassed a plethora of evidence indicating that prosocial spending has a consistently positive effect on individual happiness. Nevertheless, this effect may be subject to various influencing factors that researchers have yet to systematically examine. The purpose of this systematic review is twofold: first, to document the empirical evidence of the relationship between prosocial spending and happiness, and second, to systematically categorize the influential factors affecting this relationship from the perspective of mediators and moderators. To achieve this goal, this systematic review incorporates the influential factors identified by researchers into an intra-individual, inter-individual, and methodological framework. Ultimately, this review includes 14 empirical studies that have effectively fulfilled the aforementioned two objectives. The systematic review concludes that engaging in prosocial spending consistently demonstrates a positive effect on individual happiness, irrespective of cultural or demographic factors, although the complexity of this relationship necessitates consideration of mediating and moderating factors, as well as methodological nuances.

It's the Thoughts That Count: How Psychological Distance and Affect Heuristic Influence Support for Aid Response Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Guided by construal level-theory, this research seeks to understand the effect of perceived psychological distance on emotions and risk perception associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in its early stage. Survey data were collected from a nationally representative U.S. adult sample (N = 1009) in April 2020. Results reveal that social distance was negatively related to emotions and risk perception. However, hypothetical distance was not significantly related to these variables. Emotions and risk perception also mediated the relationship between social distance and support for aid response measures; theoretically, we demonstrate that people evaluate risks contingent on their emotions when making decisions. This research contributes to extant literature on psychological distance and its utility in communication messaging design during public health crises.

Interpersonal stress generation among young adolescents: vulnerable and resilient interpersonal behaviors and the generation of negative and positive interpersonal events

Background

Theoretical and empirical studies on stress generation suggest four event generation processes: (1) vulnerability factors predict more negative interpersonal events; (2) vulnerability factors predict fewer positive interpersonal events; (3) resiliency factors predict fewer negative interpersonal events; and (4) resiliency factors predict more positive interpersonal events. However, few studies have examined these four processes simultaneously within a single analytic model. Therefore, it is unclear whether vulnerability and resiliency factors make unique and differential contributions to the occurrences of negative and positive interpersonal events.

General objectives

This study aimed to fill this important gap by examining whether social withdrawal and excessive reassurance-seeking (vulnerable interpersonal behaviors) and prosocial behaviors (a resilient interpersonal behavior) uniquely and differentially predict the occurrences of negative and positive peer events among young adolescents. This study also examined the sex differences in these relationships.

Methods

One hundred and ninety-eight students (109 girls) were recruited from a public middle school in Japan. A multiple-group path analysis was conducted to examine possible sex differences.

Results

Social withdrawal uniquely predicted more negative peer events for boys and fewer positive peer events for boys and girls. Excessive reassurance-seeking uniquely predicted both more negative peer events and more positive peer events for boys and girls. Prosocial behavior uniquely predicted more positive peer events for boys and girls.

Conclusion

This study underscores the unique and differential roles of vulnerable and resilient interpersonal behaviors in predicting negative and positive peer events among young adolescents. These findings not only advance our understanding of stress generation processes but also have broader implications for adolescent development and well-being.

COVID-19-Evidence of the Impact of Literacy and Salutogenic Behaviours in Positive Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study

Positive mental health is defined as the ability to perceive and interpret the context of a situation and to adapt to it whenever necessary. Considering the pandemic situation, identifying the factors that may have the greatest impact on quality of life and consequently, on positive mental health is paramount. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of health literacy on the adoption of behaviours that promote positive mental health during COVID-19. A descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted on a sample of 770 patients using a questionnaire for sociodemographic characterization, the Positive Mental Health Questionnaire and the Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire. Concerning health-promoting behaviours, those who sleep enough hours, exercise regularly, eat healthy and are more aware of mental health promotion activities, or have greater mental health literacy, have higher positive mental health scores. Thus, having more knowledge of mental health and adopting health-promoting behaviours improve positive mental health.

The impact of theatre on social competencies: a meta-analytic evaluation

BACKGROUND

There has been agrowing interest in using artistic interventions as a method of developing interpersonal competence. This paper presents a meta-analysis evaluating the impact of theatre interventions on social competencies.

METHODS

Twenty-one primary studies totaling 4064 participants were included, presenting evidence available since 1983. Included studies were assessed in terms of quality, heterogeneity, and publication bias.

RESULTS

Our findings indicated that active theatre participation significantly improved participants' empathic abilities, social communication, tolerance, and social interactions, with the largest pooled effect size for social communication (0.698) and the smallest for tolerance (0.156). Our findings did not corroborate the impact of theatre on self-concept.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper shows that theatre interventions have a positive impact on social competencies. The paper makes a methodological contribution by showing that randomized and non-randomized studies yielded comparably valid results.

The association between social support provision, psychological capital, subjective well-being and sense of indebtedness among undergraduates with low socioeconomic status

BACKGROUND

Social support consists of receipt and provision in the interpersonal exchange process. Many studies have explored and verified the effect of received social support. This study focuses on whether and when social support provision can benefit the providers' positive psychological capital and subjective well-being.

METHODS

A sample of 732 Chinese undergraduates with low socioeconomic status completed questionnaires on social support provision, psychological capital, life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and sense of indebtedness.

RESULTS

The correlation and regression analyses showed that impoverished college students' social support provision was positively associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological capital and negatively associated with negative affect. The interaction between the sense of indebtedness and social support provision was negatively associated with life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological capital, not significantly associated with negative affect.

CONCLUSION

The results demonstrated that giving social support can be as beneficial as receiving social support, and the sense of indebtedness can limit the benefits. Individuals with a lower sense of indebtedness are more likely to benefit from social support provision. The findings have implications for marginalized groups' subjective well-being and positive psychological capital and show the necessity of guiding individuals to provide social support while maintaining their autonomy.

Non-Deceptive Placebos Can Promote Acts of Kindness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Placebos have often been used to reduce emotional distress but rarely to increase positive feelings. The present study investigated whether a placebo can promote acts of kindness (AoKs) that are associated with emotional well-being. A total of 160 university students were asked to perform an AoK daily for one week. They evaluated their emotional state (feelings of pleasantness, arousal, satisfaction) directly before and after the AoKs. This was monitored via a smartphone app. One group performed each AoK after taking a non-deceptive placebo; the other group received no placebo. Before and after the one-week program, the participants completed three questionnaires that assessed satisfaction with life, positive/negative affect, and flourishing. The participants reported higher pleasantness directly after engaging in an AoK and more satisfaction with life after the program. The motivation to carry out AoKs decreased strongly over the week. However, placebo receivers completed more AoKs than the no-placebo group. The results indicate that placebo treatment can promote the performance of acts of kindness.

Examining the Pro-Self and Prosocial Components of a Calling Outlook: A Critical Review

Work on callings has burgeoned in the past 20 years, yet recent reviews exposed a lack of conceptual clarity and disagreements around its definition, components and measures. One lingering point of contention revolves around the element of prosociality: is a calling orientation primarily motivated by self-interest, prosocially orientated, or a mix of both? This conceptual paper reviews and examines the pro-self and prosocial component of a calling outlook, by examining and comparing the ways in which they feature in different calling subtypes: classic, neoclassic and modern callings. Our analysis suggests that these subtypes vary in where they are located on a pro-self-prosocial continuum: classic callings are located on the prosocial side of the axis, modern callings are located on pro-self side of the axis, and neoclassic callings can be situated in the middle of the continuum, integrating self-orientated and other-orientated motivations. Our analysis further suggests that these calling subtypes draw on divergent value systems: classic callings are propelled by self-transcendent values, modern callings are driven by self-actualization motivations, and neoclassic callings integrate both value systems. We therefore argue that the subjective experiences of pursuing a calling within each subtype pathway differ, although they may culminate in similar outcomes. The paper offers a novel framework for analyzing people's calling that draws on their values.

Kindness: Definitions and a pilot study for the development of a kindness scale in healthcare

BACKGROUND

Empathy and compassion currently receive the most attention in healthcare with respect to the medical humanities and while these skills are important for any clinician to learn, they are complex and can be daunting to healthcare trainees when first encountered. Kindness is a simple, time-sensitive behavior not yet well characterized in the healthcare setting. With this study, we aim to clearly define it as well as investigate a few common examples of kindness that might be used to create a scale for use in the healthcare setting.

METHODS

A literature search was performed to rigorously define kindness. A kindness scale based on this definition was then compiled and administered to 45 patients across three outpatient clinical settings to evaluate the association between several actions and the patient's perception of kindness.

RESULTS

Kind actions are small, take little effort, and are short in duration to their intended effect. We define kindness as an action that benefits another, as perceived by the recipient of the kind action. The results from our clinical study indicate several actions such as greeting the patient with a smile, asking questions about the patient's daily life, listening carefully, and appearing interested in the patient have a moderate strength correlation to a perception of kindness. The physician being perceived as kind also had a weak-moderate strength correlation to the patient subjectively reporting improvement after their visit.

CONCLUSIONS

Definitions in the medical humanities are important as they guide the scales used to measure them. This article defines kindness and describes some examples of its manifestation in the healthcare setting. Our study indicates that performing kind actions may improve a patient's subjective perception of their care, however, future studies are needed to evaluate whether this benefit extends to health outcomes as has been demonstrated for skills such as empathy and good communication. "Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~Albert Schweitzer.

Psychopathic traits in the interpersonal context: Is the effect of psychopathic traits on prosocial behavior mediated by peer problems?

Psychopathic traits are often investigated within the individual, while most traits come to expression within the interpersonal context. Low social communion might even be an important overlooked core feature of psychopathy. This raises the question how psychopathic (i.e., Grandiose-Manipulative, Callous-Unemotional, and Irresponsible-Impulsive) traits affect the tendency to show prosocial behavior, and whether peer problems explain this relationship. Besides, the effects of gender on these subrelations are explored. In total, 541 community adolescents and emerging adults (26.4 % men; 16-25 years old, M_age = 21.7, SD_age = 2.50) completed questionnaires, measuring psychopathic traits, prosocial behavior, and peer problems. The relationship between psychopathic traits and prosocial behavior was investigated with three separate moderated mediation regression analyses (for Grandiose-Manipulative, Callous-Unemotional, and Impulsive-Irresponsible traits separately) including peer problems as mediator and gender as moderator. Significant direct negative effects of Grandiose-Manipulative and Callous-Unemotional traits on prosocial behavior were found, though not for Impulsive-Irresponsible traits. Peer problems did not mediate this relation and gender was no moderator. The significant moderation effect indicated that only for women a significant direct positive effect of Callous-Unemotional traits on peer problems was found, but not for men nor other psychopathic traits. More gender differences were found with men (vs. women) scoring significantly higher on all three psychopathic traits and lower on prosocial behavior. Implications of psychopathic traits within the interpersonal context are discussed and future research could further investigate how this relationship can be explained, for example by including different types of measures and other potential mediators (e.g., empathy).

Childhood maltreatment affects college students' nonsuicidal self-injury: Dual effects via trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame, and prosocial behaviors

BACKGROUND

Few studies have explored the impact of trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame and prosocial behaviors on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and college students' NSSI.

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined how trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame, and prosocial behaviors mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and college students' NSSI.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The sample comprised 496 college students (40.7 % male participants, age = 18.98 ± 1.35 years) from five universities in China.

METHODS

This longitudinal study was conducted three times with a six-month interval. Childhood maltreatment was assessed at Time 1; trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame, and prosocial behaviors were assessed at Time 2; and NSSI was assessed at Time 3.

RESULTS

The results suggested that prosocial behaviors mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and college students' NSSI (β = 0.021, 95 % CI = 0.005 to 0.049), and trauma-related shame played a mediating role in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and college students' NSSI (β = 0.030, 95 % CI = 0.004 to 0.077). In addition, trauma-related guilt and prosocial behaviors showed a serial mediating effect between childhood maltreatment and NSSI (β = -0.002, 95 % CI = -0.009 to -0.0003). Trauma-related shame and prosocial behaviors also showed a serial mediating effect between childhood maltreatment and NSSI (β = 0.002, 95 % CI = 0.0002 to 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Prosocial behaviors act as a protective factor of college students' NSSI. Trauma-related shame following childhood maltreatment could reduce prosocial behaviors, which may ultimately increase NSSI.

Help others-be happy? The effect of altruistic behavior on happiness across cultures

Research has established that altruistic behavior increases happiness. We examined this phenomenon across cultures, differentiating between individualistic and collectivist cultures. We propose that cultural variations in the notion of altruism lead to different effects of helping on the helper's happiness. For individualists, altruism is linked to self-interest ("impure" altruism), and helping others results in increased happiness for the helper. For collectivists, altruism is focused on the recipient ("pure" altruism), and helping others is less likely to enhance the helper's happiness. Four studies support our predictions. Study 1 measured the dispositions toward altruism among people with various cultural orientations. Consistent with our predictions, the findings showed that individualism (collectivism) was positively associated with tendencies reflecting more "impure" ("pure") altruism. Two experimental studies then examined the moderating role of cultural orientation on the effect of spending money on oneself versus others (Study 2) or of doing a kind action (making tea for oneself versus others; Study 3). Both experimental studies demonstrated that altruistic behavior had a positive effect on happiness for individualists but not for collectivists. Finally, Study 4, which utilized data from the World Values Survey to examine the altruism-happiness link in various countries, displayed a stronger link between altruistic behavior and happiness in individualistic (vs. collectivist) cultures. Altogether, this research sheds light on cultural differences in the display of altruism, revealing different motivations for and consequences of altruistic behaviors.

Practices regarding the COVID-19 outbreak and life satisfaction: A moderated mediation model of psychological distress and fear of Covid-19

Increasing attention has been recently paid to the influences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the human psyche due to its potentially detrimental after-effects. However, little is known about the effects of practices introduced to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, such as social isolation and lockdowns, on individuals' psychological problems and well-being, or how a fear of COVID-19 amplifies or reduces these effects. Using a sample of 2680 Vietnamese adults, data were collected between 15 August and 15 November 2021 through an online-based survey. This study adopted a moderated mediation model. Remarkably, the fear of COVID-19 was not only found to significantly exacerbate the adverse effects of psychological distress on life satisfaction, but it also significantly decreased the impact of COVID-19 practices on satisfaction with life. The fear of COVID-19 significantly moderated the mediation effect of psychological distress on the relationship between COVID-19 practices and life satisfaction. This study makes significant and novel contributions to our extant knowledge about the destructive consequences of COVID-19. The findings of our study can benefit policymakers and practitioners and include valuable recommendations on how to avert psychological crises and increase individuals' well-being during or after a pandemic.

College student gratitude: A silver lining while evaluating a yearlong bathroom stall messaging campaign

OBJECTIVE

Mental health concerns of college students are on the rise, prompting a need for communication campaigns to address ways to assist students. The current campaign utilized weekly bathroom stall messaging to address five key themes developed by a university's mental wellness task force.

Participants: Undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university.

Methods: A survey at pre and post-campaign implementation.

Results: No significant shifts in attitudes, and only one significant behavioral increase (i.e., reaching out to academic advisers), were revealed. One silver lining was that college students were found to express gratitude to someone new a median of 5 times per month. Gratitude tended to be displayed most recently to those in their social circles, and primarily for receiving instrumental support.

Conclusions: Narrowing the focus of future mental wellness campaigns is recommended. Additional recommendations for developing future mental wellness campaigns are also addressed.

National wealth, individualism, generalised trust, and religiosity as moderators of the relationship between helping strangers and life satisfaction in 137 societies

We predicted that the relationship between helping strangers and life satisfaction would depend partially on the wealth of the country in which one lives. We argue that wealthy societies provide a wide range of welfare provisions for assisting their citizens. By contrast, people living in poorer countries with associated lower individualism, lower generalised trust, and higher religiosity have fewer financial and institutional supports for their daily welfare. They thus receive greater personal and interpersonal rewards for helping strangers in their societies and experience greater life satisfaction. Using a 137-country sample, we found that the relationship between helping strangers and life satisfaction was weaker in wealthier nations and in nations with more individualistic, more trusting, but less religious citizens. When all four moderators were used, only trust and religiosity remained significant moderators. In a supplementary mediated moderation model, we also found that trust and religiosity mediated the effect of national wealth on the relationship between kindness and life satisfaction. We conclude that the relationship between kindness and life satisfaction depends on various aspects of national culture that may reduce or increase people's dependence in their daily lives on the help of others as opposed to dependence on welfare institutions.

Pro-sociality and happiness across national cultures: A hierarchical linear model

Research from both Empirical studies and Positive Psychology has indicated that pro-sociality has a universal effect on happiness; however, this does not take into account the national or cultural differences of a given country. The hierarchical linear model (HLM) is employed in this study to investigate the link between pro-sociality and happiness at the individual level, as well as the effect of four national cultures (i.e., power distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, and uncertainty avoidance) at the country/territory level on this relationship. This study utilizes the public World Value Survey dataset, which adopts random probability representative adult samples from 32 countries or territories (N = 53,618; Mage = 44.10, SD = 16.51). Results suggest that pro-sociality is associated with happiness, even when accounting for demographics and the country/territory code. Additionally, the country/territory level displays variations in happiness, which can be partially explained by masculinity versus femininity (positively) and uncertainty avoidance (negatively). Moreover, the connection between pro-sociality and happiness is not influenced by national cultures. This research provides evidence for the universal happiness reward of pro-sociality. Implications, restrictions, and potential future research directions are discussed.

Food sharing with friends and acquaintances: A study in preschool boys and girls

Introduction

The current study examined whether preschoolers in a (semi-)natural situation shared more food with friends or acquaintances, and whether this was different between boys and girls, older and younger children, and for preferred and non- preferred food. In order to do so, we replicated and extended the classical work of Birch and Billman in a Dutch sample.

Methods

Participants included 91 children aged between 3 to 6 years (52.7% boys, 93.4% Western European) from a middle- to upper-middle-class neighborhood in the Netherlands.

Results

The results revealed that children shared more non-preferred than preferred food with others. Girls gave more non-preferred food to acquaintances than to friends, whereas boys gave more to friends than to acquaintances. No effect of relationship was found for preferred food. Older children shared more food than younger children. Compared to acquaintances, friends made more active attempts to get food. Moreover, children who were not shared with were just as likely to share food as children who were shared with.

Discussion

Overall, only a small degree of agreement with the original study was found: Some significant findings could not be replicated, and some unconfirmed hypotheses of the original study were supported. The results underscore both the need for replications and studying the effect of social-contextual factors in natural settings.

A Pay-It-Forward Approach to Improve Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Testing Uptake Among Female Sex Workers in China: Venue-Based Superiority Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Regular chlamydia and gonorrhea testing are essential for key populations, such as female sex workers (FSWs). However, testing cost, stigma, and lack of access prevent FSWs in low- and middle-income countries from receiving chlamydia and gonorrhea testing. A social innovation to address these problems is "pay it forward," where an individual receives a gift (free testing) and then asks whether they would like to give a gift to another person in the community.

OBJECTIVE

This cluster randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness and cost of the pay-it-forward strategy in increasing access to chlamydia and gonorrhea testing among FSWs in China.

METHODS

This trial integrated a pay-it-forward approach into a community-based HIV outreach service. FSWs (aged 18 years or older) were invited by an outreach team from 4 Chinese cities (clusters) to receive free HIV testing. The 4 clusters were randomized into 2 study arms in a 1:1 ratio: a pay-it-forward arm (offered chlamydia and gonorrhea testing as a gift) and a standard-of-care arm (out-of-pocket cost for testing: US $11). The primary outcome was chlamydia and gonorrhea test uptake, as ascertained by administrative records. We conducted an economic evaluation using a microcosting approach from a health provider perspective, reporting our results in US dollars (at 2021 exchange rates).

RESULTS

Overall, 480 FSWs were recruited from 4 cities (120 per city). Most FSWs were aged ≥30 years (313/480, 65.2%), were married (283/480, 59%), had an annual income

CONCLUSIONS

The pay-it-forward strategy has the potential to enhance chlamydia and gonorrhea testing for Chinese FSWs and may be useful for scaling up preventive services. Further implementation research is needed to inform the transition of pay-it-forward research into practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000037653; https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=57233.

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Key Words

• China
• HIV
• STD
• care
• chlamydia
• community
• cost
• female sex workers
• gonorrhea
• implementation
• pay-it-forward
• prevention
• research
• stigma
• testing
• women

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MESH Headings

• Humans
• Female
• Sex Workers
• Sex Work
• Gonorrhea/diagnosis
• Gonorrhea/epidemiology
• China/epidemiology
• Chlamydia

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Grants

• 001 World Health Organization
• K24 AI143471 NIAID NIH HHS
• R01 AI158826 NIAID NIH HHS
• R34 MH119963 NIMH NIH HHS

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Affiliation(s)

Weiming Tang Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China Southern Medical University Institute for Global Health, Guangzhou, China University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, Guangzhou, China
Yewei Xie University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, Guangzhou, China Health Service & System Research programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
Mingzhou Xiong Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China Southern Medical University Institute for Global Health, Guangzhou, China
Dan Wu University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, Guangzhou, China Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Jason J Ong Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Teodora Elvira Wi Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes, World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
Bin Yang Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China Southern Medical University Institute for Global Health, Guangzhou, China
Joseph D Tucker University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project-China, Guangzhou, China Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
Cheng Wang Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China Southern Medical University Institute for Global Health, Guangzhou, China

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What is Unique About Kindness? Exploring the Proximal Experience of Prosocial Acts Relative to Other Positive Behaviors

Previous research has identified a robust connection between prosociality and happiness, suggesting that kindness has both hedonic and eudaimonic benefits-in the short term and in the long term. By contrast, our experiment aimed to examine people's momentary eudaimonic feelings while engaging in kind acts for others. To that end, we randomly assigned participants to one of four positively valenced conditions that varied in their inclusion of potential "active ingredients" of prosocial behavior. Namely, engaging in kind acts for others was compared to engaging in kind acts for oneself (social element removed), extraverted behavior (kindness element removed), and open-minded behavior (both social and kindness elements removed). Participants were assessed five times over 2 weeks, each time reporting on how they felt during their assigned activities. Multilevel models revealed that relative to all other conditions, participants assigned to do kind acts for others reported a greater sense of competence, self-confidence, and meaning while engaging in those acts across the intervention period. Engaging in acts of kindness for others also led to stronger feelings of connection relative to engaging in open-minded behavior or acts of kindness for oneself but did not differ from engaging in extraverted behavior. These results illuminate the experience of positive eudaimonic feelings while one commits kind acts for others and highlight the unique benefits of prosociality compared to other positive behaviors.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-022-00143-4.

Are Real-World Prosociality Programs Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being in Primary School-Aged Children?

Quality education can build a sustainable, happier world, but what experiences support student well-being? Numerous laboratory studies suggest that prosocial behavior predicts greater psychological well-being. However, relatively little work has examined whether real-world prosociality programs are associated with greater well-being in primary school-aged children (aged 5-12). In Study 1, we surveyed 24/25 students who completed their 6th Grade curriculum in a long-term care home alongside residents called "Elders," which offered numerous opportunities for planned and spontaneous helping. We found that the meaning that students derived from their prosocial interactions with the Elders was strongly associated with greater psychological well-being. In Study 2, we conducted a pre-registered field experiment with 238 primary school-aged children randomly assigned to package essential items for children who experience homelessness and/or poverty who were either demographically similar or dissimilar in age and/or gender to them as part of a classroom outing. Children self-reported their happiness both pre- and post-intervention. While happiness increased from pre- to post-intervention, this change did not differ for children who helped a similar or dissimilar recipient. These studies offer real-world evidence consistent with the possibility that engaging in prosocial classroom activities-over an afternoon or year-is associated with greater psychological well-being in primary school-aged children.

Positive Psychological Intervention Effects on Depression: Positive Emotion Does Not Mediate Intervention Impact in a Sample with Elevated Depressive Symptoms

Positive psychological interventions (PPIs), programs that specifically target positive emotions, cognitions, and behaviors, have been shown to reduce depression and improve other aspects of psychological well-being. However, potential pathways linking PPIs to better outcomes have been under-explored. In this paper, we report the results of a randomized trial of a self-guided online delivered PPI called MARIGOLD (Mobile Affect Regulation Intervention with the Goal of Lowering Depression). Participants with elevated depression were randomized to receive MARIGOLD (n = 539) or an emotion reporting control condition (n = 63). In addition to testing direct effects of the intervention on depressive symptoms, we explored whether positive or negative emotion-operationalized as past day, past week, reactivity, or flexibility-mediated the intervention impact on depression. Results demonstrated that participants in the MARIGOLD condition had reduced depressive symptoms compared to controls and, although the effect did not reach statistical significance, reductions in past day negative emotion appeared to mediate this effect. Contrary to hypotheses, the intervention did not increase positive emotion compared to the control condition. Discussion focuses on the need for future studies to continue investigating the mechanisms of action for PPIs with emphasis on theoretically-based measurement and operationalization of emotion and other potential mediators to maximize the ultimate impact of PPIs on psychological well-being. Clinical Trials registration #NCT02861755.

The parental COVID-19 anxiety and emotional exhaustion in healthcare workers: exploring the roles of resilience, prosocialness, and optimism

Healthcare workers (HCWs) also became the main protagonist of the tragic pandemic story. They have had a markedly higher risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. Outside work, healthcare workers with children have experienced mental health challenges, including the worry that they may carry COVID-19 home and infect their children. Based on these, the current study aimed to examine the effect of parental COVID-19 anxiety on emotional exhaustion and identify the roles of resilience, prosocialness, and optimism in this relationship. The findings demonstrated that prosocialness moderated the relationship between personal COVID-19 anxiety and emotional exhaustion by alleviating the depleting effects of personal COVID-19 anxiety. At the same time, prosocialness reinforced the negative effect of resilience on emotional exhaustion. On the other side, optimism moderated the relationship between parental COVID-19 anxiety and resilience by alleviating the adverse effect of parental COVID-19 anxiety. Moreover, it buffered the exacerbating effect of parental anxiety on personal anxiety. In conclusion, promoting personal resources (i.e., resilience, prosocialness, and optimism) seems an excellent way to mitigate the adverse consequences of the pandemic on mental health. Furthermore, the increment in parental mental health problems during COVID-19 pandemic may have long-term effects on children. Considering this perspective, we need to develop a proactive approach for parents' now and children's futures.

Personal human values, informal caregiving and the relevance of gender and age: Findings from the population-based German Aging Survey

OBJECTIVES

This study analyzed if personal human values and provision of informal care were associated and if this differed as a function of gender or age.

METHOD

Data from the German Aging Survey were used (wave 2008, N=6,089), which included 748 informal caregivers. Human values were measured with the Human Values Scale from Schwartz (self-enhancement, self-transcendence, conservation, openness to change). Adjusted logistic regression analyses (with gender and age as additional moderators) were conducted.

RESULTS

Placing higher importance on conservation and self-enhancement values was associated with lower odds for caregiving, while a higher appreciation of self-transcendence was associated with higher odds of caregiving. With older age, a higher score in conservation values was associated with even lower odds for caregiving. Gender did not moderate these associations, still, lower odds of caregiving were found only among men with higher scores in openness to change, and only among women with higher scores in conservation values. Self-transcendence was associated with higher odds of caregiving among both, men and women.

DISCUSSION

In brief, personal values were significantly associated with informal caregiving and may act as motivators or barriers. The same motivators were found among men and women but different values were associated with lower odds of providing care. When aiming to foster informal care and a gender-equal distribution of caregiving, it could be helpful to take these values into account.

Untying the Text: Organizational Prosociality and Kindness

The scholarly field of organizational prosociality is experiencing a renewed interest, yet despite its long track record, researchers still disagree on the definitions of primary concepts. Two umbrella terms, prosocial behaviors and kindness, are particularly baffling, as they are defined similarly, at times used synonymously, yet the differences between them are unclear. Consequently, the field suffers from conceptual ambiguity, which hampers its development. In this brief critical paper, we provide a review of the definitions of prosocial behavior and kindness, in an attempt to semantically untie the text, unpack the context, and discuss the subtext that underlies these concepts. Our analysis suggests that the two concepts overlap in their emphasis on dispositions and actions that aim to promote the welfare of others. However, acts of kindness and prosocial behaviors differ in actors, their target recipients and scale. Acts of kindness are performed by an individual and directed at a person or a small group, while prosocial behaviors can be performed by a person or an organization, and can be directed at a person or a group, but may also be directed at a much larger entity: an organization, community, nation, or society at large.