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Zhao M, Liu J, Huo Y. The value of believing in free will: A prediction on seeking and experiencing meaning in life. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2024; 16:537-552. [PMID: 37848383 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Despite abundant philosophical pondering and experiential evidence demonstrating the need for freedom in leading a meaningful life, the literature lacks an investigation of whether and how free will beliefs contribute to one's meaningful life as an antecedent variable. Based on the coupling of the life-affirming hypothesis and Chinese culture, we used a manipulation experiment (Study 1, n = 242) and a two-wave longitudinal study (Study 2, n = 378) to test the potential causality between laypeople's daily beliefs in free will and meaning in life (presence of and search for meaning) with two samples of Chinese undergraduates. The results show that belief in free will positively predicts the presence of meaning and search for meaning, immediately (Study 1) and 2 months later (Study 2). The present work corroborated that the belief in free will is an antecedent variable that imbues life with meaning and sparks actions seeking meaning, supporting the life-affirming hypothesis instead of the deficit-correcting hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jia Liu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yongquan Huo
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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2
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Zhang J, Kang T, Zhao K, Wei M, Liu L. The relationship between life satisfaction and nostalgia: Perceived social support and meaning in life chain mediation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 243:104154. [PMID: 38266579 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Much of the previous research has used experimental studies to explore the positive predictive effect of nostalgia on life satisfaction. However, the possible mediating effects involved remain unclear. To analyze the chain mediating mechanism between perceived social support and meaning in life in the relationship between nostalgia and life satisfaction and to improve the positive application of nostalgia to life satisfaction to ensure the physical and mental health of individuals, this study adopted the method of questionnaire survey, applied the Southampton Nostalgia scale, Perceived Social Support scale, Meaning in Life Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale. This study conducted a horizontal survey on 452 subjects recruited online from Gansu Province, Guangdong Province, Qinghai Province, and other places in China. The results showed that (1) there was a significant positive correlation between nostalgia and perceived social support, presence of meaning in life, searching for meaning in life, and life satisfaction. (2) Perceived social support and meaning in life play a chain mediating role in the relationship between nostalgia and life satisfaction. (3) Perceived social support and different dimensions of meaning in life are different in the relationship between nostalgia and life satisfaction. The findings contribute to understanding the chain-mediated mechanism between life satisfaction and nostalgia and provide recommendations for psychological service providers to apply nostalgia to enhance individual life satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhong Zhang
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Tinghu Kang
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China.
| | - Kun Zhao
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Min Wei
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
| | - Longtian Liu
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
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3
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Cheung CK. Radicalism and Life Meaningfulness Among Hong Kong Youth. APPLIED RESEARCH IN QUALITY OF LIFE 2022; 18:997-1013. [PMID: 36466126 PMCID: PMC9708503 DOI: 10.1007/s11482-022-10129-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
According to significance quest theory, radicalism arises from a deficit in life meaningfulness. However, radicalism springs from life meaningfulness, according to meaning maintenance and other principles in existentialist How life meaningfulness predicts radicalism is thus a research question. This study addresses the question with a survey of 4,385 youths in Hong Kong, China. Results indicate that life meaningfulness positively predicted radicalism, slightly more positively when radicalism in the previous year had been higher. Meanwhile, education, employment, and native status positively predicted radicalism and life meaningfulness, showing their homology in meaning sources. These results imply that radicalism prevention needs to reform the meaning basis for life meaningfulness to be socially desirable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chau-kiu Cheung
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China
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4
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Zhao M, Huo Y. Is free will belief a positive predictor of well-being? The evidence of the cross-lagged examination. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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5
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The need for sense-making as a personal resource: conceptualization and scale development. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01637-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Moreira-de-Oliveira ME, de Menezes GB, Dos Santos-Ribeiro S, Laurito LD, Ribeiro AP, Carter A, Fontenelle LF. Are mental disorders related to disbelief in free will? A systematic review. Syst Rev 2021; 10:78. [PMID: 33726858 PMCID: PMC7962299 DOI: 10.1186/s13643-021-01621-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The nature and existence of free will have been debated for centuries. Since some psychiatric disorders are known to interfere with one's ability to control their actions and thoughts (e.g., schizophrenia), the investigation of the psychiatric facet of free will beliefs seems to be relevant. In this systematic review, we were interested in clarifying if and how having a mental disorder affects individuals' beliefs in free will by comparing psychiatric vs. non-psychiatric samples. METHODS A systematic search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases was performed between 04 and 09 November 2020. The search strategy included "free will" and related constructs and terms related to DSM-5 mental disorders characterized by psychotic, compulsive, avoidant, or impulsive symptoms. Eligible designs of studies included case-control and cohort studies. Study selection took place in committee meetings consisting of six researchers. Quality assessment of the selected studies was performed through the Joanna Briggs Institute Appraisal Checklist for Case Control Studies. RESULTS After removing duplicates, a total of 12,218 titles/abstracts were screened. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were followed, and three articles were eventually selected. CONCLUSIONS It is not possible to provide unequivocal confirmation that having a mental disorder can or cannot affect someone's belief in free will. Studies with different mental disorders should be conducted in this field. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO CRD42018109468.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E Moreira-de-Oliveira
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. .,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Gabriela B de Menezes
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Samara Dos Santos-Ribeiro
- Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luana D Laurito
- Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana P Ribeiro
- Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Adrian Carter
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leonardo F Fontenelle
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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Moynihan AB, Igou ER, van Tilburg WAP. Existential escape of the bored: A review of meaning-regulation processes under boredom. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2020.1829347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B. Moynihan
- Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Republic of Ireland V94 T9PX
| | - Eric R. Igou
- Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Republic of Ireland V94 T9PX
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Nadelhoffer T, Shepard J, Crone DL, Everett JAC, Earp BD, Levy N. Does encouraging a belief in determinism increase cheating? Reconsidering the value of believing in free will. Cognition 2020; 203:104342. [PMID: 32593841 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A key source of support for the view that challenging people's beliefs about free will may undermine moral behavior is two classic studies by Vohs and Schooler (2008). These authors reported that exposure to certain prompts suggesting that free will is an illusion increased cheating behavior. In the present paper, we report several attempts to replicate this influential and widely cited work. Over a series of five studies (sample sizes of N = 162, N = 283, N = 268, N = 804, N = 982) (four preregistered) we tested the relationship between (1) anti-free-will prompts and free will beliefs and (2) free will beliefs and immoral behavior. Our primary task was to closely replicate the findings from Vohs and Schooler (2008) using the same or highly similar manipulations and measurements as the ones used in their original studies. Our efforts were largely unsuccessful. We suggest that manipulating free will beliefs in a robust way is more difficult than has been implied by prior work, and that the proposed link with immoral behavior may not be as consistent as previous work suggests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Nadelhoffer
- Duke University, Kenan Institute for Ethics, Campus Box 90432, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Jason Shepard
- Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta, GA 30060, USA
| | - Damien L Crone
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, 12th floor Redmond Barry Building, Parkville Campus, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Jim A C Everett
- University of Kent, School of Psychology, Keynes College, Canterbury CT2 7NP, United Kingdom
| | - Brian D Earp
- Oxford University, Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, 16-17 St Ebbes St, Oxford OX1 1PT, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Levy
- Macquarie University, Department of Philosophy, Level 2 North, Australian Hearing Hub, NSW 2109, Australia
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Costello TH, Bowes SM, Lilienfeld SO. “Escape from Freedom”: Authoritarianism-related traits, political ideology, personality, and belief in free will/determinism. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jrp.2020.103957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Feldman G, Chandrashekar SP. Laypersons' Beliefs and Intuitions About Free Will and Determinism: New Insights Linking the Social Psychology and Experimental Philosophy Paradigms. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PERSONALITY SCIENCE 2018; 9:539-549. [PMID: 30220960 PMCID: PMC6113710 DOI: 10.1177/1948550617713254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We linked between the social psychology and experimental philosophy paradigms for the study of folk intuitions and beliefs regarding the concept of free will to answer three questions: (1) What intuitions do people have about free will and determinism? (2) Do free will beliefs predict differences in free will and determinism intuitions? and (3) Is there more to free will and determinism than experiencing certainty or uncertainty about the nature of the universe? Overall, laypersons viewed the universe as allowing for human indeterminism, and they did so with certainty. Examining intuitions of prosociality, future orientation, learning, meaningfulness, human uniqueness, and well-being, ratings were highest in the indeterministic universe condition and lowest in the deterministic universe condition, both significantly different from the uncertain universe condition. Participants' free will beliefs had only weak impact on realism, happiness, and learning intuitions but did not reverse the general intuition favoring indeterminism and showed no impact on other intuitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilad Feldman
- Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Moynihan AB, Igou ER, van Tilburg WAP. Lost in the crowd: Conformity as escape following disbelief in free will. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric R. Igou
- Department of Psychology University of Limerick Limerick Ireland
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Abstract
Abstract. High (vs. low) levels of boredom are associated with greater (vs. lesser) impulsiveness. It is important to examine the psychological processes that link boredom and impulsiveness to understand this relationship. We propose that heightened impulsiveness in response to boredom partly stems from people’s attempts to deal with meaninglessness when bored. In Studies 1–2, we found that perceived meaninglessness, characteristic of boredom, mediated the relationship between boredom and impulsiveness. In Study 3, we additionally hypothesized that self-awareness serves as a catalyst of boredom-induced impulsiveness by highlighting meaninglessness. Accordingly, Study 3 showed that manipulated boredom promoted impulsiveness through meaninglessness, particularly at greater levels of self-awareness. These studies support our hypothesis that impulsiveness is a response to boredom and the meaninglessness that boredom signals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric R. Igou
- Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland
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