Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) is increasingly recognised as a significant public health concern, with harmful consequences on individuals’ personal, social, and occupational functioning. This growing issue raises a cogent debate about the psychological factors driving compulsive, unregulated engagement with social media platforms. This study investigated how the Dark Tetrad (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism) is associated with PSMU through the sequential mediating effect of jealousy (cognitive, emotional, and behavioural) and cyberstalking. A sample of 300 adults (Mage = 36.19, SDage = 10.80; 80

The present study investigated whether relativism accounted for the association between openness to experience and two distinct forms of creativity: positive creativity, defined as original and beneficial ideas, and negative creativity, defined as original ideas that may unintentionally result in harm. A sample of 200 participants (Mage = 21.79 years, SDage = 2.64 years; 146 females) completed the Openness to Experience subscale of the HEXACO Personality Inventory–Revised (HEXACO-PI-R) and the Relativism subscale of the Ethics Position Questionnaire (EPQ-5). Positive and negative creativity were evaluated by two independent judges using a modified Cartoon Caption Task, in which participants generated captions for five New Yorker-style cartoons. Results indicated that relativism accounted for only the association between openness to experience and negative creativity. Specifically, individuals higher in openness to experience tend to produce more ethically ambiguous creative captions when they also endorse a flexible, context-dependent moral perspective. By contrast, positive creativity was more directly associated with dispositional curiosity and imagination. These findings contribute to research on the adaptive and maladaptive sides of creativity by suggesting that moral reasoning may be associated with the ethical valence of creative ideation. The study also highlights the importance of integrating personality and ethical perspectives into creativity research and provides implications for educational programmes aimed at fostering responsible, socially constructive innovation. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Across two cross-sectional studies, this research investigated the role of the Vulnerable Dark Triad - Factor II Psychopathy, Vulnerable Narcissism, and Borderline Personality - in Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) and Problematic Smartphone Use (PSU) (Study 1), and examined whether PSMU functions as a bridge between this personality taxonomy and PSU (Study 2). In Study 1 (N = 298 participants; Mage = 28.91, SDage = 10.33; 126 females) hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for sociodemographics, HEXACO dimensions, and Dark Tetrad personality traits, revealed that Factor II Psychopathy was the strongest and most consistent predictor of PSU and PSMU. Vulnerable Narcissism related more to PSU while Borderline Personality related more to PSMU. In Study 2 (N = 586 participants; Mage = 31.70; SDage = 9.72; 313 females), mediation analyses, controlling for sociodemographics, HEXACO dimensions, and Dark Tetrad personality traits, showed that PSMU significantly mediated the effects of all facets of the Vulnerable Dark Triad on PSU, supporting a bridge effect from PSMU to a generalised PSU. These results have significant implications for theoretical and educational perspectives, underscoring the importance of integrating personality-based vulnerabilities into digital mental health frameworks.

This study investigates the mediating role of conspiracy beliefs in the association between the Dark Triad (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) and political trust. A sample of 212 participants (meanage = 31.83 years; SDage = 13.85 years; 106 females) completed self-report measures assessing the Dark Triad, conspiracy beliefs across five domains (government malfeasance, malevolent global conspiracies, extraterrestrial cover-up, personal well-being, and control of information), and political trust. Mediation analyses revealed that government malfeasance, malevolent global conspiracies, and control of information significantly mediated the association between the Dark Triad and political trust. These findings clarify the psychological mechanisms linking malevolent and antagonistic personality traits to institutional distrust, underscoring the pivotal role of specific conspiracy beliefs in shaping political attitudes. Beyond advancing theoretical understanding, the results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs may help counteract personality-driven erosion of political trust. Limitations and avenues for future research are discussed.

The use of social networking sites (SNSs) has increased significantly in recent years, particularly among adolescents. These platforms have profoundly reshaped the way adolescents interact with family, peers, and strangers. However, SNSs may also expose users to specific vulnerabilities, such as victimisation, with detrimental effects on mental health and psychophysical well-being. This study examined the relationship between age and online vulnerability, with a focus on the mediating role of fear of missing out (FoMO). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 360 adolescents (meanage = 16.95 years; SDage = 1.29 years; age range = 14-19 years; 183 females). Results indicated that FoMO mediated the association between age and online vulnerability, suggesting that younger adolescents may be particularly susceptible to online vulnerability due to their heightened FoMO. These findings underscore the importance of addressing emotional and psychological factors in efforts to reduce online vulnerability. Implications for internet literacy education and preventative strategies are discussed, along with limitations and future research directions.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to (i) evaluate the effectiveness of the Familiarity and Spatial Cognitive Style Scale (FSCS) and the short Computerized Ecological Navigational Battery (LBS) in predicting navigational performance by comparing self-reported scores with actual results; (ii) investigate the FSCS’s potential as a screening tool for Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD), which affects about 3% of youth, focusing on early detection; and (iii) examine gender differences in self-reported data versus real-world performance to understand how stereotypes affect self-assessment. Methods: The study involved 185 college students (125 female), aged 18–35 years, who completed the FSCS and performed navigation tasks using a new version of the LBS. Participants’ performances were analysed using MAD-based z-scores to identify potential DTD cases, with scores below the fifth percentile flagged for further investigation. The relationship between self-reported abilities and actual performance was assessed through correlation analyses and robust linear regressions. Results: The SOD subscale of FSCS emerged as a comprehensive predictor of navigation performance, correlating significantly with accuracy across multiple tasks. The study identified a 5.42% prevalence of DTD using FSCS criteria, aligning with previous research, while LBS identified 11.96% of participants with navigational difficulties. Gender differences were observed in Survey Knowledge and Landmark Ordering tasks, with males showing higher performances. Only two participants were flagged as DTD cases by both assessment methods, suggesting they may evaluate distinct aspects of navigational ability. Conclusions: The findings validate FSCS as an initial screening tool for DTD while highlighting the need for comprehensive assessment using multiple tools. The study suggests the existence of at least two distinct forms of DTD: one affecting navigational memory (detectable by both FSCS and LBS) and another impacting perceptual navigation aspects (more readily identified by LBS). These results emphasise the importance of developing a detailed DTD taxonomy and implementing personalised interventions based on specific navigational challenges.

Background/Objectives: The use of virtual reality (VR) solutions in design has rapidly increased globally. However, it remains unclear to what extent these technologies enhance people’s cognitive abilities. Understanding the impact of such technologies is essential for assessing their validity and effectiveness. In this controlled study, we investigated how HMD and non-immersive VR museum environments affect the ability to learn about the environment and the perception of the experience. Methods: A total of 87 college students (46 females) were randomly assigned to either HMD or non-immersive VR museum environments. Subsequently, they had to answer questions related to the sense of immersion and pleasantness of the museum experience, as well as their willingness to repeat similar museum experiences. Results: The results indicated that the HMD setting was preferred for its greater sense of immersion, pleasantness, and intention to repeat a similar experience. Conclusions: The data are discussed in the context of fostering appreciation and promoting the preservation of cultural heritage.

Reliance on innovative learning and teaching methodologies based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is continuously growing in educational institutions. However, using ICTs requires up-to-date knowledge, digital skills, and flexible adaptation to technological changes and challenges. These demands can lead teachers to experience technostress, undermining their ability to cope with emerging technologies and fully exploit their potential. This is particularly true for teachers who lack appropriate emotion regulation strategies and digital proficiency. In the present study, we investigated technostress creators among secondary school teachers, evaluating the predictive role of cognitive emotion regulation and the mediating role of self-efficacy in digital competencies. Notably, adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies were distinguished to clarify their distinct contributions to teachers’ psychological experience of technostress creators. Mediation analyses highlighted a direct effect of maladaptive strategies on the experience of technostress creators, whereas adaptive strategies exerted an indirect effect through self-efficacy in digital competencies. Maladaptive emotion regulation was positively associated with higher levels of technostress creators, whereas adaptive emotion regulation was positively associated with self-efficacy in digital competencies. Self-efficacy in digital competencies, in turn, was negatively associated with the experience of technostress creators. These findings provide evidence for implementing not only emotion regulation-based but also digital self-efficacy-based interventions to mitigate teachers’ technostress.

Introduction:Research interest in the intentionally harmful use of creativity, also known as malevolent creativity, is growing rapidly. However, the cognitive and individual underpinnings of malevolent creativity are still unclear. By employing a multifaceted approach, field dependent-independent cognitive style (FDI) was investigated as a potential individual component that may predict the likelihood of generating malevolent ideas (i.e., creative process), products (i.e., creative production), and engaging in original but malicious acts (i.e., creative behavior). Methods:Based on the literature associating FDI with general creativity, the hypothesis that field-independent individuals were more prone to the three facets of malevolent creativity was tested after controlling for demographic factors, social desirability, state mood, and ethical positions (idealism and relativism). Malevolent creativity was assessed through a divergent thinking task (process), a solicitation to produce black humor by a cartoon captions task (product), and a self-reported questionnaire concerning everyday creative acts (behavior). Results:The results showed that higher levels of field independence predicted malevolent creative process and product, whereas no differences emerged in creative behavior. Discussion:By partially replicating the evidence connecting FDI and creativity, the present study suggests that general and malevolent creativity share common grounds. Future studies are needed to overcome the current limitations in assessing malevolent creativity in everyday settings and to investigate further commonalities and differences between the two uses of creativity.

Background: Many protective factors promote psychological well-being (PWB) in the elderly and contribute to healthy aging, such as engagement, positive emotions, and cognitive reserve (CR), which includes education, leisure, and work activities. CR sustains cognitive functioning and positively correlates with creativity, particularly divergent thinking (DT), helping older adults cope with everyday challenges and enhancing their PWB. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between DT, CR, PWB, memory functions, depression, stress, and anxiety indexes even in the Blue Zone (BZ), an area known for extraordinary longevity and high PWB. Methods: A total of 165 Italian healthy older adults (Mage = 73.8, SD = 6.7) from Milan (MI), Bergamo (BG), Cagliari (CA), and BZ were enrolled and divided into four groups according to their origin. Generalized linear models (GLMs) with normal and gamma link functions were used. Results: BZ presented higher DT and PWB indices than the cities but lower CR, particularly in education. Conclusions: This study highlights the influence of DT in supporting cognitive functions and PWB, suggesting that PWB and DT are key protective factors in aging.

Background: Road traffic accidents continue to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Psychological and behavioural factors play a crucial role in traffic safety and are not yet fully understood. Among these, the relationship between individuals and road rules plays a key role in driving behaviour and risk perception. We introduce and validate the MORDE (Moral Disengagement in Road Driving Evaluation) scale, a novel instrument designed to assess the specific cognitive mechanisms through which drivers morally justify risky or rule-violating behaviours. Methods: The scale was developed and validated through a three-step process involving 1336 licensed drivers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test its factorial structure, and internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Convergent and predictive validity were assessed using self-reported measures of traffic violations and road safety attitudes. Results: The final 14-item version of the MORDE scale shows a robust two-factor structure: (1) Normative Justification of Transgressive Driving and (2) Attribution of Blame and Displacement of Responsibility. The instrument demonstrates strong internal reliability and significant predictive power for driving behaviours and road safety attitudes, beyond what is explained by general moral disengagement. The MORDE scale thus shows good psychometric properties and incremental validity. Conclusions: By identifying psychological risk factors that contribute to unsafe and unsustainable driving, the MORDE scale provides a validated tool that can support educational interventions, traffic safety campaigns, and behaviour change programs. Its use may contribute to the promotion of a safer, more responsible, and environmentally sustainable road culture.

Divergent thinking (DT) is widely considered an essential cognitive dimension of creativity, which involves goal-oriented processes, including working memory (WM), which allows for retrieving and loading of information into the attentional stream and, consequently, enhancing divergence of thinking. Despite the critical role of WM in DT, little work has been done on the mechanism affecting this interplay. The current study addressed the involvement of a formal musical background in the relationship between WM and DT and was conducted with 83 healthy young adults (M = 19.64 years; SD = 0.52 years; 33 females). The participants were requested to indicate if they had a formal background in music in the conservatory (M = 4.78 years; SD = 5.50 years) as well as perform the digit span forward test (DSFT) and the alternative uses task—AUT from the Torrance test of creative thinking (TTCT). The results indicated that years of formal musical background moderated the association between WM and DT. These findings suggest that music enhances the positive effect of high-order cognitive processes, such as WM, on the ability to think divergently. Theoretical and practical implications as well as limitations were discussed.

The interplay between fluid intelligence (Gf) and divergent thinking (DT) has widely characterized current research in the psychology of creativity. Nevertheless, the evidence on the main factors involved in this association during childhood remains a matter of debate. Present research has addressed the interplay between Gf and DT, exploring the mediating role of a field dependent-independent cognitive style (FDI) and the moderating effect of gender in 101 children (Mage = 8.02; SDage = 1.43). Participants carried out Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, the Children Embedded Figure Test, and the Alternative Uses Task. The results revealed the mediating effect of FDI in the association between Gf and DT, providing evidence that this cognitive style represents a function of controlled mental processes underpinned by Gf, which are useful to thinking divergently. In addition, the findings reported that the interplay between FDI and DT was moderated by gender, suggesting that the impact of FDI on DT was stronger among boys. Through a multidimensional approach, these current research findings provide further insight into the primary children's factors involved in the ability to find alternative solutions and think divergently.

The current research looks at creativity as a construct resulting from a blend of interacting individual resources and investigates, in a sample of 63 young adults, the extent to which real-world creative production is supported by trait emotional intelligence (EI), through creative thinking, including both divergent thinking (DT) and convergent thinking (CT). This study hypothesizes a parallel mediation model, with trait EI as the independent variable, DT and CT as the mediators, and creative production as the dependent variable. Trait EI is evaluated using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Version, DT and CT are assessed by the Alternative Uses Task and the Remote Associates test, respectively, whereas real-world creative production by the Visual Creative Synthesis Task. Results reveal that only DT fully mediated the relationship between trait EI and real-world creativity. These findings suggest that trait EI, encompassing well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability, involves a better DT ability, which in turn increases the likelihood of producing a creative invention. The failure of the mediating role of CT is explained considering the different demands of flexibility, exploration of alternatives, and attentional resources between DT and CT. Future directions are also discussed.

Clarifying the mechanisms underlying individual differences in creativity is essential to understand the complex nature of this phenomenon. The current research, drawing on the Investment Theory of Creativity and the AMORAL model, investigated the mediating role of ethics positions (idealism and relativism) in the association between openness to experience and both positive (i.e., funny and irony) and negative creativity (i.e., grotesque and macabre). Two-hundred participants were instructed to fill in two self-report questionnaires, aimed to measure personality (HEXACO-60) and ethics positions (EPQ-5). They also were requested to provide creative captions to five different cartoons taken by the New Yorker, as requested in the cartoon caption task, which were evaluated by two independent judges in terms of positive (funny and ironic) and negative (grotesque and macabre) creativity. Results indicated that relativism mediated only the association between openness to experience and negative creativity, suggesting that ethics positions are partially involved in the creative generation. By investigating the complex relationship between openness to experience and ethics positions, the current study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms that lead people to creative expression, offering fruitful insights into the key role of the ethical dimension in human creativity. Implications, limitations, and future research avenues are discussed.

Given the indications on the relationship between neuroticism and various olfactory functions as well as the emotionality of odor memory, it is surprising that no research so far has investigated whether neuroticism corresponds with odor memory performance. Thus, the purpose of our study was to address this question in the context of gender differences. Participants (73 men) completed the 60-items NEO Five Factor Inventory and participated in 32-items "Test for odor memory". In the separate analyses conducted for men and women, we demonstrated that women outperformed men regarding the number of correct odor recognitions in the odor memory test and had higher neuroticism level than men. Spearman correlation showed further that neuroticism was positively associated with D-prime (R = 0.3, p = .021) and the number of correct odor recognitions in women (R = 0.32, p = .014). This effect was, respectively, moderately (B10 = 5.2) and strongly confirmed using the Bayesian approach (B10 = 8). However, Bonferroni post-hoc correction for multiple comparisons further revealed that in case of neuroticism and the number of hits, as well as D-prime, alpha level was below significance, indicated by p = .006. The correlation between neuroticism level and odor memory performance was significantly higher in women compared to men (Z = 1.8, p = .038), while in case of neuroticism and D-prime, it was on a trend level (Z = 1.5, p = .074). Overall, the present results indicate that neuroticism might be linked to conscious odors' remembering for women, which can be explained by the warning role of odor memory and its connection to limbic structures, as well as by the higher level of neuroticism and odor memory performance in women compared to men.

The present research aims to delve into the association between openness to experience and divergent thinking (DT), addressing the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal, emotion suppression and mindfulness. The study was carried out with 111 young adults who filled in the Big Five Questionnaire, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Participants also performed at the Alternative Uses Task. Results showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the association between openness to experience and all measures of DT (fluency, flexibility and originality). In addition, mindfulness mediated the interplay between openness to experience and DT only when fluency and flexibility were the dependent variables. No significant results were found using emotion suppression as the mediator. These findings yield theoretical and practical implications about the role of emotional strategies in pursuing the ability to generate divergent ideas. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

The game of chess is a valuable extracurricular activity for children, with positive effects on their cognitive skills and academic achievements. We investigated the extent to which the Giant Chess Game (GCG) played on a giant chessboard enhances working memory in “navigational-vista” space and “reaching” space. We also assessed if the GCG enhances mental rotation skills. For 10 weeks, 15 children (GCG group) were involved in a giant chess class, while 15 gender and age-matched children were involved in standard didactics (control group—CG). Children were tested twice, before (T0) and after (T1) the GCG, by tasks aimed at measuring: visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) in the navigational-vista space (Walking Corsi test); VSWM in the reaching space (Corsi Block-Tapping task); mental rotation (Rotating Flowers test). We found that the GCG group significantly improved its performance more than the CG in VSWM in both navigational-vista space and reaching space, as well as in mental rotation. Our results suggest that the GCG has positive effects on visuo-spatial abilities underlying topographical skills. Therefore, the training using GCG can help enhancing spatial ability and may have a role in contrasting the spreading of navigational deficits such as the Developmental Topographical Disorientation (DTD).

Background: Research in psychology has attempted to identify the main predictors and strategies that are useful to promote well-being. Although personality has been recognized as one of the main determinants of well-being, the primary mechanisms involved in this relationship are not fully disclosed. This research addressed the impact of pro-environmental behaviors in the interplay between the Big Five (openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and psychological well-being (eudaimonic). Methods: A total of 176 young adults (mean age = 21.55 years; SD age = 1.76 years; 114 F; mean education = 14.57 years; SD = 2.11 years) participated in this study. The participants were requested to complete a short battery of self-report questionnaires, including the Big Five Inventory-10, the Pro-environmental Behavior Questionnaire, and the Psychological Well-being Scale. Results: The results revealed that pro-environmental behaviors only mediated the association between agreeableness and eudaimonic well-being (B = 2.25, BootSE = 1.26, BootCIs 95% [0.149, 5.050]). Conclusions: These findings contributed to identifying the potential mechanisms through which personality contributes to individual eudaimonic well-being, also providing insights into the development of promoting interventions based on eco-sustainable behaviors. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.