This study develops a dynamic game model of intimate relationship conflicts that incorporates emotion regulation mechanisms, translating cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression into strategic parameters. The model simulates the dynamic evolution of defensive strategies and intervention paths, capturing the continuous interplay between emotional states and conflict behavior choices in realistic relational contexts. Using longitudinal tracking data from 320 couples and agent-based simulations, we validate the core mechanisms and demonstrate that flexibility in emotion regulation significantly reduces conflict intensity and shortens conflict cycles. When one partner's emotion regulation capacity is limited, power asymmetry intensifies defensive rigidity, highlighting the combined influence of neural coordination, relational fluidity, and micro-level cultural practices on conflict dynamics. By operationalizing emotion regulation as a computable variable within a formalized game-theoretic framework, this research bridges theoretical constructs and observable behavior, revealing how neural synchrony and relational context shape the selection and effectiveness of defensive strategies. The findings offer both theoretical and practical contributions: theoretically, the study provides a more integrated understanding of intimate relationship conflicts, emphasizing the joint roles of emotional, relational, and cultural factors in conflict evolution; practically, the model equips clinicians and family intervention practitioners with a structured, quantifiable tool for diagnosing conflict patterns and designing evidence-based strategies to reduce destructive behaviors and foster cooperative problem-solving. Overall, this study presents a concise yet comprehensive framework that advances both the conceptualization and empirical analysis of intimate relationship conflicts, offering actionable insights for intervention while highlighting the importance of integrating emotional, neural, and cultural dimensions in research and practice.

The association between problematic video gaming (PVG) and ADHD has long attracted attention. Dual-systems models posit that reward sensitivity (RS, the tendency to pursue rewards), inhibitory control (IC, the capacity to suppress prepotent responses), and the imbalance between them (where one system predominates over the other) constitute a useful framework for explaining their association. However, empirical tests of whether and how specific dual-system mechanisms explain the association or phenotypic differentiation of PVG and ADHD remain limited. We hypothesize that (H1) both RS and IC predict PVG and ADHD symptoms; (H2) the degree of imbalance between RS and IC is associated with both PVG and ADHD. Additionally, we explore whether the specific associations between imbalance and symptoms differ between PVG and ADHD. Two waves of data from 10,973 participants (52.43% male, aged 12–14 years) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were analyzed. Cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) and Response Surface Analysis (RSA) were used to assess shared and unique relationships of RS, IC, and their imbalance with PVG and ADHD. CLPM analyses found that RS predicted subsequent IC, IC predicted subsequent ADHD, and ADHD predicted subsequent PVG, suggesting H1 was only partially supported. RSA revealed that a greater degree of imbalance was associated with more severe PVG and ADHD symptoms (supporting H2), and that imbalance configurations exhibited both shared and disorder-specific patterns between PVG and ADHD. Specifically, reward sensitivity showed a linear association with PVG but a curvilinear association with ADHD, and IC correlated with ADHD only. We observed similarities between PVG and ADHD in the degree of dual-systems imbalance, alongside differences in imbalance configuration. These findings provide theoretical insight into dual-systems features linking PVG and ADHD and may inform future research on early identification and prevention in high-risk populations.

The present study aimed to design, develop, and validate a training package for treating student procrastination based on grounded theory. In the first phase, a qualitative grounded theory study was conducted to develop this intervention. The study population consisted of students enrolled at the Persian Gulf University in the academic year 2023–2024. In the quantitative phase of this study, a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design was employed. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select participants. The procrastination questionnaire was randomly distributed to 1000 students from the Persian Gulf University, stratified by faculty, major, and year of entry. The findings indicated that the procrastination treatment package was effective in reducing procrastination among students.

Drawing on the theory of gerotranscendence, this research aimed to gain a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the age-loneliness relationship and underlying factors. Data from the BBC Loneliness Experiment (n = 6875, 67.80% female, M_age = 49.26, Range_age 16–94) were analyzed using polynomial regression and Multi-Group Structural Equation Modeling (MG-SEM) for the quantitative data, and complemented by Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for free-text data. The results showed: (1) there was a non-linear, inverted U-shaped relationship between age and loneliness, with an inflection point at 39.2 years of age; (2) in the older age group, loneliness self-stigma and the meaning of loneliness played parallel mediating roles between age and loneliness, whereas no mediating effect was observed in the younger age group; (3) these mediating effects primarily attenuated the loneliness frequency and loneliness intensity rather than loneliness duration; (4) two overarching topics of loneliness (i.e., Limited Social Functions and Unsatisfactory Social Relationships) were identified, with differences between the two age groups. This study further enriches the understanding of gerotranscendence in the loneliness domain and provides suggestions for tailoring precision interventions (i.e., self-stigma, meaning-making) to distinct life stages and specific loneliness dimensions.

Second language (L2) learners often struggle to draw on embodied emotional experiences in the target language, which impedes their rapid and accurate interpretation of nonliteral ironic meaning. Grounded in embodied cognition theory, the present study examined how emojis and the valence congruity between emojis and contextual information modulate Chinese EFL learners’ comprehension of positive and negative irony in computer-mediated communication. The results of this study revealed that emojis improved accuracy in negative—but not positive—irony comprehension, whereas valence congruity enhanced accuracy in positive—but not negative—irony. Moreover, both the presence of emojis and valence congruity accelerated irony processing. These findings indicate that emojis and their emotional valences facilitate L2 irony processing by bolstering learners’ sensitivity to speakers’ affective states, and offer important implications for L2 discourse processing research from an embodied cognition perspective.

Emotional labour (EL) has become a serious concern in the modern workplace due to the rapid development of the service-oriented economy. Existing literature reviews of emotional labour studies leave many questions unexplored. This study addresses these questions by conducting a holistic review of 143 high-impact empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals from APA PsycInfo, EBSCO Academic Search Premier, Scopus, and Web of Science using the TCCM framework (Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology). The document search process is visualised with a PRISMA diagram. We point out several future directions for scholars who are interested in emotional labour. For example, emotional labour research needs to transition from cross-sectional designs to multi-wave designs. Most importantly, this study serves as a roadmap for scholars to navigate the complexity of emotional labour research and provides practitioners with evidence-based strategies to mitigate the negative influence of emotional labour.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between marital status and the risk of cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults, with a particular focus on gender differences. Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), using Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between marital status and cognitive decline. The analysis controlled for sociodemographic factors (age, education, smoking, alcohol consumption), lifestyle factors (physical activity, sleep), and gender. Gender-stratified analyses were conducted to explore potential differences in the protective effects of marriage on cognitive function. The overall association between marital status and cognitive decline risk did not reach statistical significance after controlling for confounders. However, gender-stratified analysis revealed that marriage was significantly negatively associated with cognitive decline risk in men. No significant association was observed in women. Age remained a significant predictor of cognitive impairment. Marriage may be associated with cognitive function, particularly among men, while no significant association was observed in women. These findings suggest that gender differences should be taken into account in cognitive health interventions. Future studies are warranted to explore the potential mediating roles of marital quality, social support, and emotional interactions in shaping cognitive outcomes.