Smile Intensity in Volleyball Players' Profile Photographs is Unrelated To Sports Performance

Studies indicated that individuals who tend to smile while taking their photographs tend to experience more positive emotions in their life and, in turn, achieve superior outcomes in several life domains. However, little is known whether positive emotionality revealed in players' profile photographs is related to sports performance. This study examined whether the smiling intensity in volleyball players' profiles (full, partial, and no smile) predicted individual (e.g., points scored, service, and reception errors) and team performance (winning a match). Building upon previous studies on positive emotions, we expected that players presenting full (Duchenne) smiles would achieve better results. We analyzed 196 volleyball players' profiles from the Polish highest-level professional league competition (PlusLiga). Raters coded smile intensity. Using three-level path models, we found that teams with more frequent Duchenne smiles performed as well as those who presented Duchenne smiles less often. We conclude that positive emotionality (as reflected in profile photo smiling) might be independent of male volleyball accomplishments.

Positive moods are all alike? Differential affect amplification effects of ‘elated’ versus ‘calm’ mental im-agery in young adults reporting hypomanic-like experiences

Positive mood amplification is a hallmark of the bipolar disorder spectrum (BPDS). We need bet-ter understanding of cognitive mechanisms leading to such elevated mood. Generation of vivid, emo-tionally compelling mental imagery is proposed to act as an ‘emotional amplifier’ in BPDS.We used a positive mental imagery generation paradigm to manipulate affect in a subclinical BPDS-relevant sample reporting high (n=31) vs. low (n=30) hypomanic-like experiences on the Mood Dis-order Questionnaire (MDQ). Participants were randomized to an ‘elated’ or ‘calm’ mental imagery condi-tion, rating their momentary affect four times across the experimental session. We hypothesized greater affect increase in the high (vs. low) MDQ group assigned to the elated (vs. calm) imagery generation condition. We further hypothesized that this change would be driven by increases in the types of affect typically associated with (hypo)mania, i.e., suggestive of high activity lev-els.Mixed model and time-series analysis showed that for the high MDQ group, affect increased steeply and in a sustained manner over time in the ‘elated’ imagery condition, and more shallowly in ‘calm’. The low-MDQ group did not show this amplification effect. Analysis of affect clusters showed high-MDQ mood amplification in the ‘elated’ imagery condition was most pronounced for active affective states. This experimental model of BPDS-relevant mood amplification shows evidence that positive men-tal imagery drives changes in affect in the high MDQ group in a targeted manner. Findings inform cogni-tive mechanisms of mood amplification, and spotlight prevention strategies targeting elated imagery, while potentially retaining calm imagery to preserve adaptive positive emotionality.

Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) in Self-directed Language Learning: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Directed Motivational Currents (DMCs) postulated as a novel motivational construct in second language acquisition (SLA) research to explain periods of intense and enduring behavior in pursuit of a highly valued goal or vision. Nonetheless, much of the discussion related to this new motivational phenomenon has remained theoretical, and only a limited number of empirical studies have investigated its various dimensions in language learning. The current qualitative study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore a period of intense motivation experienced by an Iranian language learner in self-directed and mobile assisted language learning. The findings provided further empirical evidence for the triggering stimulus and the core characteristics of DMCs in terms of goal/vision orientedness, a salient facilitative structure, and positive emotionality in explaining the essence and the universal meaning of the phenomenon experienced by the participant of the current study.

Protective Factors and Teachers’ Risk to Burnout during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Do Kolb’s Educator Roles Matter? - A Cluster Analysis

Teacher burnout has been revealed to be one of the most common negative consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic The purpose of this study was to identify distinct psychological resources and burnout risk profiles of teachers and to examine their association with Kolb’s Educator Roles and the professional experience. Methods: The survey data were collected from 330 preschool and primary school (84 males, Mage = 38.3, SD = 9.14) teachers using a convenience sampling method. Results: The two-step cluster analysis revealed two distinct profiles. The first profile, ‘High psychological resources, no burnout risk’, was characterised by absent symptoms of burnout and increased levels of well-being, self-control, and positive emotionality. The second profile, ‘Moderate psychological resources, mild burnout’, was associated with medium levels of well-being, self-control and positive emotionality accompanied by mild burnout. Our findings highlighted that cluster 1 had a significantly higher score for the Facilitator role and cluster 2 for the Expert and Coach roles. In addition, teachers with less professional experience were more likely to belong to cluster 1, taking into account their good skills on digital literacy. Conclusions: These findings help to provide new insights into the explanation of teacher burnout and the design of intervention programmes.

Ocenjevanje temperamenta v zgodnjem mladostništvu: Psihometrične značilnosti vprašalnika EATQ-R-SF

The study explored the psychometric characteristics of the Revised Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire (EATQ-R-SF). Based on data of 238 early adolescents, we examined the factor structure of the EATQ-R-SF, reliability, and gender differences in mean levels of trait scores. The results showed a satisfactory fit to the models, although the fit indices for some subscales did not reach the recommended values. Internal consistency of the scales was satisfactory. Girls exhibited higher levels of fear, pleasure sensitivity, affiliation and positive emotionality than boys. The reliability of scores was appropriate for use in research, although it would need further improvement.

“In the land of elections, the populist man is king”: The online communication of Basta and Vox in the 2019 European elections

This article, having an Iberian circumscription, focuses on populist parties – the Portuguese Basta and the Spanish Vox –, specifically on their online communication conducted in the context of the 2019 European elections. Using the mixed method and having a corpus comprised of Facebook posts (n=40) and videos (n=4), a triple content analysis was conducted: quantitative, qualitative, and rhetorical. The results show that, in terms of substance in Facebook, the two political actors focus more on the building of a sense of ingroup favoritism – in order to explore the feeling of inclusion, being the posts with this thematic substance the most liked, shared, and commented –, are unequivocal in presenting themselves as representatives of popular sovereignty and do not denote conflict in national and European entities. In terms of style, the use of visual image reveals that there are more posts focused on positive emotionality. In the videos, the tone against Europe is more critical and the use of rhetorical diversity is noted, such as emotional bipolarity, Manichaeism, exemplification, use of question mark, recency effect, repetition, factual evidence.

The Role of Temperament in the Onset of Suicidal Ideation and Behaviors across Adolescence: Findings from a 10-year Longitudinal Study of Mexican-Origin Youth

Suicide among young people is an increasingly prevalent and devastating public health crisis around the world. To reduce the rate of suicide, it is important to identify factors that can help us better predict suicidal ideation and behaviors. Adolescent temperament (Effortful Control, Negative Emotionality, Positive Emotionality) may be a source of risk and resilience for the onset of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. The present study uses longitudinal data from a large community sample of Mexican-origin youth (N=674), assessed annually from age 12 to 21, to examine how temperament is associated with the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood. Results indicate that higher levels of Effortful Control (Activation Control, Inhibitory Control, Attention) are associated with decreased probability of experiencing the onset of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts, whereas higher levels of Negative Emotionality (particularly Aggression, Frustration, and Depressed Mood) are associated with increased probability of experiencing the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Positive Emotionality (Surgency, Affiliation) was not associated with the onset of suicidal ideation and behaviors. Supplemental analyses showed conceptually similar findings for the Big Five, with Conscientiousness associated with decreased risk, Neuroticism associated with increased risk, and the other three dimensions showing largely null results. No meaningful differences emerged between boys and girls, or youth born in the U.S. versus Mexico. Overall, these findings suggest that adolescent temperament serves as both a risk factor (via Negative Emotionality) and a protective factor (via Effortful Control) for suicidal ideation and behaviors in Mexican-origin youth.