Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is consistently associated with problematic social media use (PSMU). Moreover, previous studies have shown a significant association between FoMO, self-esteem, and social comparison. However, there is a lack of studies that have investigated the relationship between, FoMO, social comparison, self-esteem, and PSMU in an integrated model. The present study hypothesized that FoMO may influence PSMU through the serial mediating role of social comparison and self-esteem. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted comprising 256 Italian university students (74.4% female), aged 18 to 38 years (M = 23.05 years; SD = 3.58). The participants completed an online survey assessing the variables of the study. Controlling for age and gender, the results showed positive associations between FoMO, social comparison, and PSMU, and a negative association between FoMO and self-esteem. Self-esteem was also negatively associated with PSMU. It was also found that social comparison and self-esteem sequentially mediated the association between FoMO and PSMU. The present study contributes to understanding the mechanisms that underline the complex effects of FoMO on PSMU.

Several studies have already examined the psychological impact of COVID-19 on psychological well-being in samples of the general population. However, given the importance of future orientation for university students’ mental well-being, it is important to explore whether and how COVID-19 affected this vulnerable population. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the protective role of future orientation and the mediating effect of resilience on negative emotional symptoms (anxiety and depression). An online questionnaire was administered to a sample of 244 non-infected Italian university students. The mediation analysis results indicated that resilience fully mediated the relationship between anxiety and depression. Finally, the perceived threat of death from COVID-19 moderated the association between resilience and anxiety. This study shows that university students with higher levels of future orientation exhibit higher resilience levels and, consequently, fewer symptoms of negative emotions.

At the Roots of Product Placement: The Mere Exposure Effect

Background: Previous research demonstrated several benefits of strategic perspective taking in the field of intergroup relations and, more specifically, in the negotiation processes aimed at conflict resolution. The present study, which analyzes the effect of perspective taking and mediation in a conflict setting, corroborates the psychological models that hypothesize the positive effects of the assumption of the competitor's perspective on having intergroup conflict and lessening of negative consequences. Materials and methods: After being involved in an epistolary debate on a topic for which their ingroup had very contrasting views compared to an outgroup, participants were asked to use a feeling thermometer to assess their level of intergroup hostility. Mediation was then used as a conflict-resolution strategy for half of the participants. Furthermore, the assumption of perspective was manipulated, resulting in a 2 (conflict: presence vs absence) x 2 (perspective taking: presence vs absence) x 2 (mediation: presence vs absence) between-subjects design. Finally, participants were asked to use the same feeling thermometer to evaluate whether feelings of hostility diminished. Results: The results show that in conflict situations, the level of hostility decreases the most when the mediation process is accompanied by perspective taking. Conclusion: The results extend recent results about the advantages of a significant social ability perspective taking - for improving intergroup relations.

Fear of missing out (FoMO) and loneliness have been identified as significant contributors to problematic social media use (PSMU). However, no prior research has examined the interplay between trait FoMO, state FoMO, the moderating role of loneliness, and their combined influence on PSMU within a unified model. The present study addressed this gap by testing a moderated-mediation model to investigate how trait FoMO, state FoMO, and loneliness jointly impact PSMU. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 356 participants (55.6 % female; M _age = 21.7 years, SD_age = 3.55) who completed the Trait-FoMO Scale, State-FoMO Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale (Short Version), and the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale. The results showed that females scored higher for PSMU than males, while age had no significant effect. Moderated-mediation analyses indicated that both trait-FoMO and state-FoMO were positively associated with PSMU. Moreover, state-FoMO partially mediated the relationship between trait-FoMO and PSMU, with loneliness moderating this pathway. More specifically, the association between trait-FoMO and state-FoMO was weaker at higher levels of loneliness but stronger when loneliness levels were low. These findings highlight FoMO as a major risk factor for PSMU, as well as emphasizing the importance of addressing loneliness in prevention and intervention efforts. This integrated model provides valuable insights for designing targeted strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of FoMO and loneliness on social media use.

Literature on the automaticity of social behavior indicates that, in some circumstances, priming a concept automatically activates related behavioral schemas. Previous research studies have used priming techniques to increase willingness to help, but most of these have simply measured intention to engage in prosocial behavior rather than real helping behavior. Two different studies investigated the effect of priming the concept of prosocial behavior on real helping behavior. After priming prosociality through a scrambled sentences test, participants were shown to increase their donation rate after a direct request coming from an experimenter's confederate (Study 1) and to spontaneously help to a greater extent a girl whose books had fallen on the floor (Study 2). The implications of this automatic behavior priming effect are discussed within the theoretical framework of the automatic effect of social perception on prosocial behavior.