Purposely stoic, accidentally alone? Self-monitoring moderates the relationship between emotion suppression and loneliness

Fear of Positive Evaluation and Loneliness: Mediating Role of Social Anxiety and Suppression

Loneliness is a commonly observed problem that is associated with several mental and physical health outcomes. Although research shows that fear of negative evaluation is related to loneliness, no study has examined the role of fear of positive evaluation (FPE) on loneliness. This study investigated the mediator role of social anxiety and suppression in the relationship between FPE and loneliness using an undergraduate sample (N = 467). The results show that FPE is positively associated with loneliness and that this relationship is mediated by social anxiety and suppression. This study highlights the importance of the FPE in understanding loneliness and can guide intervention programs for loneliness.

How we learn social norms: a three-stage model for social norm learning

As social animals, humans are unique to make the world function well by developing, maintaining, and enforcing social norms. As a prerequisite among these norm-related processes, learning social norms can act as a basis that helps us quickly coordinate with others, which is beneficial to social inclusion when people enter into a new environment or experience certain sociocultural changes. Given the positive effects of learning social norms on social order and sociocultural adaptability in daily life, there is an urgent need to understand the underlying mechanisms of social norm learning. In this article, we review a set of works regarding social norms and highlight the specificity of social norm learning. We then propose an integrated model of social norm learning containing three stages, i.e., pre-learning, reinforcement learning, and internalization, map a potential brain network in processing social norm learning, and further discuss the potential influencing factors that modulate social norm learning. Finally, we outline a couple of future directions along this line, including theoretical (i.e., societal and individual differences in social norm learning), methodological (i.e., longitudinal research, experimental methods, neuroimaging studies), and practical issues.

Self-Control and Problematic Internet Use in College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Rejection Sensitivity and Loneliness

Purpose

To explore the relationship between self-control, rejection sensitivity, loneliness, and problematic internet use in college students.

Patients and Methods

A total of 725 college students were investigated using Self-control Scale, Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, Loneliness Scale, and Internet Addiction Scale.

Results

① Correlation analysis showed that self-control was negatively related to rejection sensitivity, loneliness, and problematic internet use; rejection sensitivity was positively related to loneliness and problematic internet use; loneliness was positively related to problematic internet use. ② Chain mediating effect analysis showed that self-control can not only affect problematic internet use in college students, but also through three indirect paths, as follows: the mediating role of rejection sensitivity and loneliness, the chain mediating roles of rejection sensitivity and loneliness, and the mediating effect size, accounting for 9.76%, 20.73%, and 4.88% of the total effect, respectively.

Conclusion

Rejection sensitivity and loneliness played a chain mediating role in the relationship between self-control and problematic internet use in college students.

What prevent you from stepping into the entrepreneurship? Evidence from Chinese makers

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of three key categories of perceived entrepreneurial obstacles (perceived loss of financial resources, perceived loss of customer demand and perceived loss of social support) on entrepreneurial behavior tendency through fear of failure and negative emotion to shed light on why Chinese entrepreneurship has fallen into a decline from the individual level.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 256 Chinese makers who were achieving their innovative ideas in makerspaces was used to test the research model. Then, the structural equation modeling was adopted for data analysis.

Findings

The results indicate that fear of failure is the strongest psychological barrier to entrepreneurial behavior tendency and the strongest trigger for negative emotion; both negative emotion and fear of failure are affected by entrepreneurial obstacles of perceived loss of financial resources and perceived loss of social support. However, perceived loss of customer demand is not the inducement for both fear of failure and negative emotion.

Originality/value

This study adopts stressor-strain-outcome framework in studying entrepreneurship to help understand what prevent potential entrepreneurs from stepping into entrepreneurship. In addition, this study offers a new insight into entrepreneurship by emphasizing the decisive impact of inhibitive factors on personal entrepreneurship.