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International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2022Social media provide users with multi-directional dialogue for creating and sharing health information that can effectively promote the self-management of health. In...
Social media provide users with multi-directional dialogue for creating and sharing health information that can effectively promote the self-management of health. In regard to the 'greying' trend in social media, most researchers have studied the health-related social media (HRSM) acceptance status and use behavior of middle-aged and elderly people, and have explored the role of HRSM in this group. However, the continuous participation of users is the key to the successful operation of HRSM, and is an essential prerequisite for the subsequent HRSM behavior habits of middle-aged and elderly people. Therefore, we aimed to explore what motivations drive the first use of HRSM among middle-aged and older adults, and the impact of their perception of HRSM, after personal use, on their intention to use it continually. In the study, we used the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to analyze data collected from online questionnaires. The results showed that a self-protection motivation and a social motivation promoted the initial participation of middle-aged and elderly individuals. In addition, these people experienced deeper levels of perceived usefulness and perceived entertainment after their initial participation. The results also revealed that these two perceptions could positively influence middle-aged and elderly individuals' intention to continue with their participation. Our findings should help service platforms to better understand the needs of middle-aged and elderly users. This would help researchers and practitioners to gain a more complete understanding of the motivation of middle-aged and elderly people for participating in HRSM, and the related impacts this may have.
Topics: Aged; Health Behavior; Humans; Intention; Middle Aged; Motivation; Social Media; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36141521
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811240 -
Neuroscience Bulletin Feb 2023From birth to adulthood, we often align our behaviors, attitudes, and opinions with a majority, a phenomenon known as social conformity. A seminal framework has proposed... (Review)
Review
From birth to adulthood, we often align our behaviors, attitudes, and opinions with a majority, a phenomenon known as social conformity. A seminal framework has proposed that conformity behaviors are mainly driven by three fundamental motives: a desire to gain more information to be accurate, to obtain social approval from others, and to maintain a favorable self-concept. Despite extensive interest in neuroimaging investigation of social conformity, the relationship between brain systems and these fundamental motivations has yet to be established. Here, we reviewed brain imaging findings of social conformity with a componential framework, aiming to reveal the neuropsychological substrates underlying different conformity motivations. First, information-seeking engages the evaluation of social information, information integration, and modification of task-related activity, corresponding to brain networks implicated in reward, cognitive control, and tasks at hand. Second, social acceptance involves the anticipation of social acceptance or rejection and mental state attribution, mediated by networks of reward, punishment, and mentalizing. Third, self-enhancement entails the excessive representation of positive self-related information and suppression of negative self-related information, ingroup favoritism and/or outgroup derogation, and elaborated mentalizing processes to the ingroup, supported by brain systems of reward, punishment, and mentalizing. Therefore, recent brain imaging studies have provided important insights into the fundamental motivations of social conformity in terms of component processes and brain mechanisms.
Topics: Humans; Social Conformity; Motivation; Brain; Social Behavior; Brain Mapping
PubMed: 36287291
DOI: 10.1007/s12264-022-00960-4 -
Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.Y.) Dec 2023Humans share with other mammals and primates many social motivations and emotions, but they are also much more cooperative than even their closest primate relatives.... (Review)
Review
Humans share with other mammals and primates many social motivations and emotions, but they are also much more cooperative than even their closest primate relatives. Here I review recent comparative experiments and analyses that illustrate humans' species-typical social motivations and emotions for cooperation in comparison with those of other great apes. These may be classified most generally as (i) 'you > me' (e.g., prosocial sympathy, informative and pedagogical motives in communication); (ii) 'you = me' (e.g., feelings of mutual respect, fairness, resentment); (iii) 'we > me' (e.g., feelings of obligation and guilt); and (iv) 'WE (in the group) > me' (e.g., in-group loyalty and conformity to norms, shame, and many in-group biases). The existence of these species-typical and species-universal motivations and emotions provides compelling evidence for the importance of cooperative activities in the human species.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Motivation; Emotions; Guilt; Hominidae; Shame; Mammals
PubMed: 37971576
DOI: 10.1007/s12110-023-09464-0 -
Prevention Science : the Official... May 2022Strength training (ST) or resistance training is important in the development and maintenance of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in women of all ages; however,... (Review)
Review
Strength training (ST) or resistance training is important in the development and maintenance of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health in women of all ages; however, uptake of ST amongst women is low. To improve female musculoskeletal health, it is vital that more women are encouraged to participate in ST to maintain musculoskeletal integrity. This systematic review aimed to identify motivators and barriers to women initiating and maintaining ST. Following protocol registration and systematic search, studies were included if they were primary qualitative or mixed-method studies reporting participant verbatim quotes, included adult women, and focused on motivators and barriers for ST. Searches generated 2534 articles from 3 databases, with 20 studies (N = 402 participants) meeting eligibility criteria. Participant quotes and authors' interpretations were analysed using thematic synthesis. The most frequently observed barriers were gender-based stigmas, discouragement, and negative comments, particularly in women currently engaging in ST. Other factors associated with poor adherence included boredom, poor knowledge of ST, poor gym accessibility, lack of supervision or routine, and difficulty in balancing work and family life. Social support from friends and family, words of affirmation, and accompaniment facilitated ST, particularly in older women. Women who saw expected results such as weight loss were motivated to continue ST. Interventions aimed at increasing participation in ST amongst women should focus on the specific benefits valued by women and the dissemination of accurate information to counter misconceptions and increase knowledge. The adaptation of gym environments to make them more welcoming to women, and reduce gender-focused criticism, is especially important.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Female; Humans; Motivation; Resistance Training; Social Support
PubMed: 34800250
DOI: 10.1007/s11121-021-01328-2 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2023In the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the offering of a meat dish to guests is a deeply embedded cultural tradition, and a meat-based diet is the standard in...
In the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the offering of a meat dish to guests is a deeply embedded cultural tradition, and a meat-based diet is the standard in Saudi Arabia. Thus, the rise of veganism and vegetarianism within Saudi Arabia is surprising and worthy of attention, as is understanding the perceptions and motivations behind this phenomenon, particularly as they relate to food and sustainability. This research was designed to investigate this emerging phenomenon and to identify key differences in dietarian identity between Saudi vegetarians and vegans using Rosenfeld and Burrow's Dietarian Identity Questionnaire. Among other results, the vegan group scored significantly higher on the prosocial motivation construct, suggesting the desire to help society as a whole is a stronger motivating factor for vegans. As well, the vegan cohort scored higher in the personal motivation category. From an environmental and public health perspective, understanding the key factors motivating individuals to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet in a meat-based culture like Saudi Arabia can be used to encourage others to pursue more healthy and sustainable food behaviors.
Topics: Humans; Vegans; Diet, Vegan; Motivation; Feeding Behavior; Vegetarians; Diet, Vegetarian; Diet; Meat
PubMed: 37328535
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36980-x -
Nature Communications Oct 2021Curiosity-driven learning is foundational to human cognition. By enabling humans to autonomously decide when and what to learn, curiosity has been argued to be crucial...
Curiosity-driven learning is foundational to human cognition. By enabling humans to autonomously decide when and what to learn, curiosity has been argued to be crucial for self-organizing temporally extended learning curricula. However, the mechanisms driving people to set intrinsic goals, when they are free to explore multiple learning activities, are still poorly understood. Computational theories propose different heuristics, including competence measures (e.g., percent correct) and learning progress, that could be used as intrinsic utility functions to efficiently organize exploration. Such intrinsic utilities constitute computationally cheap but smart heuristics to prevent people from laboring in vain on unlearnable activities, while still motivating them to self-challenge on difficult learnable activities. Here, we provide empirical evidence for these ideas by means of a free-choice experimental paradigm and computational modeling. We show that while humans rely on competence information to avoid easy tasks, models that include a learning-progress component provide the best fit to task selection data. These results bridge the research in artificial and biological curiosity, reveal strategies that are used by humans but have not been considered in computational research, and introduce tools for probing how humans become intrinsically motivated to learn and acquire interests and skills on extended time scales.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Cognition; Computer Simulation; Exploratory Behavior; Female; Humans; Learning; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Psychological; Motivation
PubMed: 34645800
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26196-w -
PloS One 2022Gambling is an international phenomenon, posing a serious threat to adolescents who begin gambling at a young age. This study aims, to explore gambling behavior in...
Gambling is an international phenomenon, posing a serious threat to adolescents who begin gambling at a young age. This study aims, to explore gambling behavior in adolescents and interpret its risk factors. We conducted a three-waves cohort longitudinal study assessing gambling and associated risk factors in south-eastern Spain. Data were analyzed using the Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivations, Behavior (COM-B) model and the partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM) technique. Gambling was measured by frequency and money spent; associated factors were knowledge about gambling, parental attitude towards gambling, risk perception, normative perception, and intention to gamble. These items were assigned as indicators of each construct of the COM-B model-capability, opportunity, motivation, and behavior-using the theoretical domains framework. Once the behavior was performed, feedback on future capability, opportunity, and motivation was observed. Results show that capability, determined by past experience, and opportunity, determined by parental attitudes, motivates adolescents to seek gambling experiences in the future. Identifying such factors that affect gambling behavior in adolescents and establishing relationships between them through a robust theoretical model is essential for designing effective interventions.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Gambling; Motivation; Longitudinal Studies; Intention; Knowledge
PubMed: 36441760
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277520 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Feb 2018Personal bests act as reference points. Examining 133 million chess games, we find that players exert effort to set new personal best ratings and quit once they have...
Personal bests act as reference points. Examining 133 million chess games, we find that players exert effort to set new personal best ratings and quit once they have done so. Although specific and difficult goals have been shown to inspire greater motivation than vague pronouncements to "do your best," doing one's best can be a specific and difficult goal-and, as we show, motivates in a manner predicted by loss aversion.
Topics: Achievement; Algorithms; Female; Goals; Humans; Male; Models, Statistical; Motivation; Video Games
PubMed: 29434043
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706530115 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2022This study describes the physical activity of university students (PA) and their motives to exercise in the summer of 2021, after the COVID-19 lockdown in Slovenia....
This study describes the physical activity of university students (PA) and their motives to exercise in the summer of 2021, after the COVID-19 lockdown in Slovenia. Adults over 18 years of age ( = 493; 72% women) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form and the Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 (EMI-2) via an anonymous online survey. Since the EMI-2 has never been used with the Slovenian population, the measurement properties of the Slovenian version (EMI-2) were also determined in this study. A forward-backward translation was used for cross-cultural adaptation. The internal consistency of the EMI-2 subscales was high. The results of the study showed that male students spent more minutes per session on intense physical activity and performed this activity more frequently per week, whereas female students were more likely to walk for more than 10 min without a break. In addition, female participants were more likely than male participants to cite weight management as a motivator. Male participants were more likely than female participants to cite fun, challenge, social recognition, belonging, competition, and strength and endurance as motivations. Results showed that respondents with a history of competitive sports had higher scores for revitalization, fun, challenge, social recognition, affiliation, competition, positive health, appearance, strength and endurance, and flexibility. They also engaged in intense physical activity more frequently per week, and when they engaged in moderate or intense PA activity, they did so for longer periods of time. Compared to respondents who never exercised, more of them overcame COVID-19. The results also showed some correlation between motivation and physical activity. The motives of revitalization, enjoyment, challenge, competition, strength and endurance, and stress management were more important for individuals who exercised vigorously more often in the past 7 days. Total time spent in daily physical activity is also related to the enjoyment of exercise and challenge. In conclusion, understanding the motives for exercise is important for the behavior of PA, especially after a period of inactivity due to lockdown.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Exercise; Female; Humans; Male; Motivation; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 35742225
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19126977 -
Experimental and Clinical... Jan 2020Living donors endure several challenges throughout the organ donation process. Physically related effects are further compounded by social and emotional challenges. To...
OBJECTIVES
Living donors endure several challenges throughout the organ donation process. Physically related effects are further compounded by social and emotional challenges. To date, no previous studies have addressed the motives and impact of organ donations from living donors in Jordan.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a qualitative exploratory study to understand the experiences of a random sample of genetically and legally related living donors in Jordan. Participants were identified through the Directorate of the Jordanian Center for Organ Transplantation database. Our sample included Jordanians and non-Jordanians who donated a kidney or liver. Most data were collected by phone interviews with living donors; some donors were personally interviewed. Donors were asked about their experiences during the periods before and after the process of donation, including their feelings, emotions, and motives. Interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach.
RESULTS
In total, 360 participants (337 kidney and 23 liver donors; 290 Jordanians and 70 non-Jordanians) completed the interview. The time from donation to interview ranged from 14 days to 7 years. The period before donation was characterized by fear and confusion. After donation, most donors described a positive emotional state that was marked by selfsatisfaction, pride, and increased support of organ donation. However, many stated that they felt forgotten. Most donors were motivated by social solidarity, and others invoked the role of their religious beliefs as the main motive. Other motives included improving the recipient's life and fear that patients would be abandoned.
CONCLUSIONS
The emotional distress of living donors during the predonation period emphasizes the need for social and psychological support in addition to medical evaluations. Donors who had positive experiences with donation can play a role in advocating for donation. Finally, in Jordan, social solidarity and religious beliefs are the most important factors that motivate donation.
Topics: Altruism; Emotions; Gift Giving; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Jordan; Kidney Transplantation; Liver Transplantation; Living Donors; Motivation; Qualitative Research; Religion and Medicine; Social Behavior; Time Factors; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 32008488
DOI: 10.6002/ect.TOND-TDTD2019.L25