Research has shown that unsociability, reflected as a personal choice, is not necessarily associated with socio-emotional problems in Western countries. However, the associations between unsociability and peer problems are consistently evident in Chinese culture, yet the strength and direction in these associations are mixed. The present study aimed to examine whether unsociability is associated with peer problems and explored the potential moderators among the associations. A meta-analysis was conducted using publications that measured unsociability and peer problems. A total of 21 articles involving 43 effect sizes from 12,696 Chinese children and adolescents were included. The results revealed that (1) unsociability was positively associated with peer problems (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) among children and adolescents. (2) Informants (i.e., self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and parent ratings) and living areas (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural areas) significantly moderated the associations between unsociability and peer problems. Specifically, the associations were stronger for peer-nominated unsociability, self-reported peer problems, and samples in suburban areas. These findings shed light on unsociability linked to higher levels of peer problems among Chinese children and adolescents. Still, the influences are unique to peer problems and moderated by both data sources and environmental factors.

Trust plays a fundamental role in almost every social domain, especially when society is facing multi-level threats. However, the impact of threats on trust and its underlying mechanism remains poorly examined. To address this gap, we conducted a series of studies with an array of methodologies spanning cross-cultural surveys, longitudinal designs, and experimental manipulations. Compelling evidence demonstrated that threats (particularly pandemics) precipitate a decline in levels of multiple forms of trust from interpersonal to institutional domains. Additionally, drawing on both correlational and causal methods (e.g., longitudinal design and priming manipulation), belief in a just world (BJW) mediates this relationship. The findings lay the groundwork for a universal Threats-BJW-Trust model of trust in times of crisis. This model extends its influence beyond the trust domain and holds profound implications for bolstering societal resilience and overall well-being.

Research has shown that unsociability, reflecting as a personal choice, is not necessarily associated with socio-emotional problems in Western countries, and the associations between unsociability and peer problems are consistently evident in Chinese culture. Yet the strength and direction of the associations were mixed. The present study aimed to examine whether unsociability is associated with peer problems and explored the potential moderators among the associations. A meta-analysis was conducted using publications that measured unsociability and peer problems. A total of 21 articles involving 43 effect sizes from 12,696 Chinese children and adolescents were included. The results revealed that (1) unsociability was positively associated with peer problems (r = .32, p < .001) among children and adolescents. (2) informants (i.e., self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, parent ratings) and living areas (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural areas) significantly moderated the associations between unsociability and peer problems. Specifically, the associations were stronger for peer-nominated unsociability, self-reported peer problems, and samples in suburban areas. These findings shed light on unsociability linked to higher levels of peer problems among Chinese children and adolescents. Still, the influences are unique to peer problems and moderated by both data sources and environmental factors.

Singh explains how cultural convergence is driven by super-attractors through subjective selection, but this account underestimates how social norms shape which psychological goals are maintained or suppressed. We clarify that social norms filter subjective selection by guiding what individuals regard as effective or desirable behaviors and by redefining their goals, thereby embedding subjective selection within the multilevel normative ecosystem.

Short video use has become increasingly embedded in adolescents’ daily lives, highlighting the need for developmentally sensitive assessment of problematic engagement. The present study developed and validated the Short Video Addiction Scale for Chinese Adolescents (SVAS-CA) across four independent samples (N = 1465). Initial items were generated through qualitative interviews and refined using item analysis and exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample supported a 24-item, five-factor structure comprising withdrawal symptoms, time investment, salient behaviors, academic impairment, and social dysfunction. The SVAS-CA demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and convergent validity through positive associations with smartphone addiction and phubbing. Further evidence supporting the SVAS-CA as a developmentally sensitive assessment found that short video addiction was positively associated with peer rejection and negatively associated with core self-evaluation and friendship quality. Peer rejection was indirectly associated with short video addiction through lower core self-evaluation. Friendship quality moderated the direct association between peer rejection and short video addiction, with a stronger positive association at higher levels of friendship quality. Overall, the SVAS-CA provides a developmentally sensitive and psychometrically sound tool for assessing problematic short video use among Chinese adolescents.