Food Culture in Youth Athletics: Exploration of the Beliefs in USA Stakeholders

Objectives. The present study examined beliefs surrounding food culture in youth athletics. Design. Qualitative research. Methods. Coaches (n = 62), parents (n = 161), and youth athletes (n = 40) in the USA completed questionnaires that explored aspects of the food environment of youth athletics, including practices related to food and beverage consumption and perspectives on the nutritional value of available foods and beverages. Results. Coaches, parents, and athletes all reported a high number of available foods and beverages, and were mixed both about whether these were healthy or unhealthy, and whether the availability of unhealthy foods and beverages was problematic. Conclusions. This study aimed to add to the literature an examination of multiple perspectives on the current food culture in youth athletics. Participant perspectives suggest that the food environment of youth sport may be an unhealthy mismatch with the physical, social, and psychological benefits of participation. Further research could aim to identify optimal environments for promoting health in youth sport. Limitations and additional directions for future research are discussed.

Investigating Crowdworkers' Identify, Perception and Practices in Micro-Task Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is rapidly gaining popularity among academic and business communities. Yet, our understanding of this work way is still in its incipient stage, in particular regarding the increasingly large and diverse crowdworkers. As such, we aim to understand crowdworkers' perception and experience to themselves and their work from their own perspective. We explore this by a mix-methods study of crowdworkers in Ali, one of prominent micro-task crowdsourcing platforms in China. Our findings highlight crowdworker in Ali is not only a coded name, but also an identity with some positive attitudes and beliefs towards work and life. In particular, this identity provides many socio-psychological benefits for crowdworkers, which further contributes to their consistent engagement in Ali and proactive practices to improve crowdworker communities and Ali platform collaboratively. We according suggest that taking crowdworker identity as a lens for crowdsourcing research, and turning attention towards construction and expressions of crowdworkers' identity and values in their own context.

The relationship between needs, motivations and information sharing behaviors on social media: focus on the self-connection and social connection

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the information sharing behavior of individuals on social media. Furthermore, the study analyzes the effect that individuals’ self-connection to social media has on information sharing through self-efficacy and the effect of social-connection on information sharing through empathy.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to social media users from general participants in the Republic of Korea. A total of 824 valid responses were obtained. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and applying SmartPLS 3.0.FindingsThe result indicated that individuals are motivated to share information through self-connection and social connection. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed that the effect of self-connection on information sharing in social media is mediated by self-efficacy. Also, social connection will increase information sharing not only directly but also indirectly through its positive effect on empathy.Originality/valueThe authors focused on the basic needs of humans and tried to reveal the relationship between human needs and motivational beliefs, which are self-efficacy and empathy, and information sharing behavior on social media. Through the individual's fundamental needs that social media can satisfy, individuals will gain positive psychological benefits through using social media. This study considered what psychological benefits social media can provide.

Physiological and Psychological Responses to Coding Combined with Horticultural Activity

This study was conducted to determine the physiological and psychological benefits of integrating software coding and horticultural activity. Participants included 30 adults in their 20s. The subjects randomly engaged in activities—namely, connecting Arduino components, coding, planting, and a combined coding and horticultural activities. During the activity, two subjective evaluations were conducted at the end of each activity, and participants’ brain waves were measured. The spectral edge frequency 50% of alpha spectrum band (ASEF50) and ratio of sensorimotor rhythm from mid beta to theta (RSMT) were activated in the prefrontal lobe as participants performed combined coding and horticultural activities. When performing these combined activities, relative beta (RB) increased, and relative theta (RT) decreased in the prefrontal lobe. In addition, ASEF50, relative low beta (RLB), and relative mid beta (RMB) were activated during plant-based activities (planting and a combined coding and horticultural activities). The subjective evaluations revealed that the plant-based activities had a positive effect on participants’ emotions. This study shows that activities combining coding and horticulture had a positive impact on physiological relaxation and increased concentration in adults compared with other activities and was also linked with positive subjectively reported emotions.

Personas mayores, participación y cambio social antes y después del COVID-19

Social participation is closely linked to well-being and healthy aging, generating physical and psychological benefits. However, older people tend to lower levels of participation and social interaction after retirement although many others continue to militate and participate in non-profit organisations and social movements.The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has had a strong impact at the social and health level, with the elderly being the main victims, not only due to the high mortality rates but because the social distancing measures imposed for their protection have led to a worsening of social isolation and the feeling of loneliness of our elders. It is urgent to create safe spaces to increase levels of social participation. La participación social está estrechamente ligada al bienestar y un envejecimiento saludable generando beneficios físicos y psicológicos. Sin embargo, las personas mayores tienen tendencia a bajar los niveles de participación e interacción social tras la jubilación, aunque otros muchos continúan militando y participando en entidades y movimientos sociales. La pandemia provocada por la COVID-19 ha tenido un fuerte impacto a nivel social y sanitario siendo los principales perjudicados las personas mayores, no solo por las elevadas tasas de mortalidad sino porque las medidas de distanciamiento social impuestas para su protección, han dado lugar a un agravamiento del aislamiento social y el sentimiento de soledad de nuestros mayores. Es urgente generar espacios seguros para aumentar los niveles de participación social.

Connecting in-game performance, need satisfaction, and psychological well-being: A comparison of older and younger players in World of Tanks

The need satisfaction and psychological benefits derived from gameplay are generally understudied for older video game players. This study connects the Self-Determination Theory, Motivational Theory of Life-Span Development, and Socioemotional Selectivity Theory to understand players’ in-game behaviors and their corresponding need satisfaction from a developmental perspective. Survey data from 1213 randomly sampled World of Tanks players were combined with their behavioral data to investigate how players’ behaviors and their corresponding need satisfaction differ or converge across age. Age and in-game behaviors were tested as moderators for the relationship between perceived need satisfaction and psychological well-being. The results showed that despite underperforming and having fewer in-game connections, older players reported no significant difference in their perceived competence and relatedness than younger players. Perceived competence and relatedness contributed to psychological well-being for both older and younger players, although it carried more weight for the younger. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The psychological benefits of music-evoked nostalgia

We provide a narrative review of the nascent literature on the psychological benefits of music-evoked nostalgia. Music is a prevalent and influential source of nostalgia. Music-evoked nostalgia confers approach-oriented psychological benefits in the social domain (by fostering social connectedness), self-oriented domain (by raising self-esteem, instilling a sense of youthfulness, elevating optimism, and enhancing inspiration), and existential domain (by strengthening meaning in life and augmenting self-continuity). Music-evoked nostalgia also confers psychological benefits indirectly. For example, it elevates optimisms by fostering sequentially social connectedness and self-esteem. Also, by fostering social connectedness, it enhances inspiration, strengthens meaning in life, and augments self-continuity. Furthermore, music-evoked nostalgia serves to buffer individuals against discomforting states, such as sadness. We conclude by discussing music-evoked nostalgia in people with dementia, contemplating the role of individual differences and context, considering the possibility that music-evoked nostalgia serves physiological functions, and asking whether familiarity with the music is necessary for the evocation of nostalgia and its ensuing benefits.

Psychological benefits of the person-nature relationship

The literature reports different benefits of people's relationship with nature. However, for the field of psychology the evidence is partial and not integrated. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to understand the psychological benefits of people's relationship with nature from a systemic review of empirical articles indexed in the Wos, Scopus and Scielo database, between the years 2015 and 2020. We used the PRISMA model for the search, identification and suitability of the articles, which were analyzed in their bibliometric characteristics and thematic content. The main bibliometric findings show that articles produced in the United Kingdom and the United States predominate, conducted in urban natural environments using quantitative methodologies with the use of surveys and physiological measurements. Thematically, we distinguish five dimensions of psychological benefits: restoration of attention, restoration and/or reduction of stress, psychological well-being, mental health and psychosocial benefits. We argue that these benefits are articulated by an activity that mediates people's relationship with nature. We conclude by pointing out the relevance of future research in the Latin American context, the integration of mediating activities and the use of qualitative methodologies.