Psychology Research Digest
Social Psychological Bulletin
This is an open-access no-APC journal (free for both reader and authors), that publishes original empirical research, theoretical review papers, scientific debates, and methodological contributions in the field of basic and applied social psychology. SPB actively promotes standards of open-science, supports an integrative approach to all aspects of social psychological science and is committed to discussing timely social issues of high importance.
A meta-analytic review of cultural variation in affect valuation
What affective states do people ideally want to feel and why? In Affect Valuation Theory, Tsai et al. (2006) proposed and observed that (a) how people would ideally like to feel (their "ideal affect") differs from how they actually feel (their "actual affect"), and (b) cultural factors shape people's ideal affect even more than their actual affect. In this individual participant data meta-analysis, we reexamined these two premises in a combined data file of over 31,000 participants from 124 data sets collected by different research teams across the world. Consistent with Tsai et al., we observed that (a) actual affect and ideal affect are empirically distinct constructs, and (b) cultural differences in ideal affect are larger in magnitude than cultural differences in actual affect. These findings held across research teams, participant populations, and publication status. Importantly, most cultural differences in ideal affect endured over time, including European Americans' greater valuation of high arousal positive states compared to East Asian Americans and East Asians. New patterns also emerged: European Americans valued low arousal positive states more over time; differences in ideal affect emerged among specific East Asian cultural groups; and socioeconomic status, gender, and age were also associated with differences in ideal affect. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41627335 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000499
Publication date: Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Internalized racism and personal self-esteem among ethnoracial minoritized groups: A meta-analytic review
Internalized racism refers to the process by which individuals from marginalized ethnoracial groups internalize and accept beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes that reinforce the superiority of the dominant ethnoracial group and the inferiority of their own. Using theory-driven conceptualizations of internalized racism, we conducted the first meta-analysis examining its relationship with personal self-esteem. The analysis included k = 117 correlation effect sizes from 54 independent cross-sectional samples, involving 15,548 ethnoracial minority participants from 51 records published between 1982 and 2024. Findings revealed a statistically significant small-to-moderate negative correlation between internalized racism and self-esteem (r = -.22, p < .001). Moderator analyses showed that this association was stronger when internalized racism was self-directed rather than group-directed and when internalized racism manifested as self-hatred rather than the endorsement of negative group stereotypes and narratives. Results also revealed that studies with lower risk of bias yielded stronger effects, as well as mixed evidence of publication bias and little evidence of small-study bias. Critically, exclusive inclusion of cross-sectional studies in this meta-analysis limits causal interpretations, and it remains unclear whether low self-esteem leads individuals to internalize racism or vice versa. Additionally, since our meta-analysis included studies with only ethnoracial minorities, the extent to which these findings extend to ethnoracial dominant groups remains an open question. Collectively, these results offer a deeper understanding of the self-esteem-internalized racism relationship and emphasize the need for further research, particularly those involving non-U.S. populations and those using longitudinal designs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41627334 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000508
Publication date: Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Relative effects of implicit and explicit attitudes on behavior: A meta-analytic review and test of key moderators
The present study investigated the unique effects of implicit and explicit attitude forms on behavior and, critically, effects of salient conditions and contextual moderators expected to determine the relative size of each form on behavior in a meta-analytic synthesis review. Specifically, we tested the effects of salient methodological (e.g., methodology used to infer implicit attitude, measure of behavior characteristics, presentation order), conceptual (e.g., conceptualization of explicit attitude, degree of conscious control, social desirability concerns, target behavior), and sample-related (e.g., age) moderators on the relative effects of each form of attitude on behavior. We tested a model specifying unique effects of each form of attitude on behavior using multilevel meta-analytic structural equation modeling in studies (k = 1,108) identified in a systematic literature search. Moderator effects were tested by estimating the model across groups of studies at each level of the moderator. Consistent with prior research, we found unique bias-corrected averaged effects of both forms of attitude when regressed simultaneously on behavior, with a larger effect size for explicit attitudes. Moderator analyses revealed relatively few systematic differences in the effect of each form of attitude on behavior across moderator levels, although we observed larger explicit attitude effects in studies reporting larger correlations between implicit and explicit attitudes. Findings indicate nonzero small-sized unique effects of each form of attitude on behavior across contexts and samples, albeit with high residual heterogeneity after accounting for moderators signaling the need for large-sample primary research systematically testing the effects of further salient moderators. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41627333 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000506
Publication date: Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Risk of undermining the cognitive benefits of physical activity by overcorrecting for risk of bias: Reply to Román-Caballero (2025)
An increasing number of meta-analyses examining chronic and acute effects of physical activity on cognition-varying in aims, eligibility criteria, and statistical methods to reduce risk of bias-have contributed to inconsistent conclusions. To make evidence-based statements about the effects of physical activity on cognition that can reliably inform policy development in physical activity advocacy documents, we need a transparent open science approach and a balanced trade-off between risk of over- and underestimation of effects. Our reply to Román-Caballero's commentary on our meta-analysis (Mavilidi et al., 2025) addresses the need to balance conflicting interpretations of meta-analytical strategies, results, and conclusions. Rather than debating which methodological strategies for evidence synthesis are generally most appropriate, we focus on identifying those best suited to examine the still overlooked role of context in advancing our understanding of the effects of physical activity on cognition. Thus, we justify our methodological choices in a way that, considering the complex and multifaceted nature of the relation between physical activity and cognition, should avoid the risk of discarding meaningful cognitive benefits while attempting to correct for risk of bias (i.e., prevent "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41428514 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000505
Publication date: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Positive and negative parenting practices and offspring disruptive behavior: A meta-analytic review of quasi-experimental evidence
Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are common in childhood and adolescence, with global estimates of 5.7%. While parenting practices are associated with DBDs, it is not clear whether these associations reflect causal effects or confounding. To strengthen causal inference, we meta-analyzed quasi-experimental evidence on the relationship between parenting practices and DBD symptoms. We conducted multilevel random-effects meta-analyses to pool results and assess evidence of heterogeneity and moderator analyses to further investigate potential sources of heterogeneity. We identified 45 studies that used data from 28 distinct cohorts (n = 38,591) and implemented seven different quasi-experimental methods. There was evidence of a causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBD symptoms (Pearson's r = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, CI [0.09, 0.16]; 95% prediction interval, PI [-0.08, 0.35]; n = 30,677), but no effect of positive parenting practices (r = -0.06; 95% CI [-0.14, 0.02]; 95% PI [-0.39, 0.28]; n = 21,100). Moderator analyses indicated that the effect of negative parenting was consistent across offspring characteristics and maternal and paternal parenting but varied by type of quasi-experimental method, informant for the exposure and outcome, and study quality. The present study thus provides evidence of a small, harmful, causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBDs. Effectively targeting such parenting practices could reduce the substantial societal burden of DBDs, with a potential 4% decrease in the global prevalence of DBD symptoms. This is equivalent to approximately 4.5 million school-aged children no longer meeting clinical thresholds for DBDs, which may reduce pressure on the criminal justice, health care, and social welfare sectors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41428512 | PMC:PMC12720486 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000495
Publication date: Mon, 22 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>The approach-inhibition theory of power: A meta-analytic test and synthesis
Keltner et al. (2003) presented an integrative theory of the social implications of possessing power. Their theory-the approach-inhibition theory of power-quickly became the dominant lens for empirical investigations of how power influences a person's cognition, affect, and behavior. Despite the many benefits of Keltner et al.'s theory, the past 20 years of research have surfaced several potential issues with the theory, including empirical dissensus, mediational ambiguity, and questions about cognitive versus affective primacy. The purpose of this study is to resolve these issues by conducting the first meta-analytic synthesis of the literature on the outcomes of power. Specifically, we tested Keltner et al.'s propositions that power is positively related to the approach-oriented outcomes of attention to rewards, automatic cognition, positive affect, and disinhibited behavior and negatively related to the inhibition-oriented outcomes of attention to threats, controlled cognition, negative affect, and inhibited behavior. Our meta-analysis included a final set of 1,712 effect sizes from 813 independent samples of 432 manuscripts with 269,534 participants. Our analysis demonstrates that the theory is well-supported; approach associations are larger than inhibition associations; power influences behavior indirectly through attention, cognition, and affect; and those indirect effects are largely conveyed through affect. Based on these findings, we suggest several future directions that scholars can take as the literature on power continues to evolve. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41396532 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000500
Publication date: Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Attention bias for facial expressions of emotion: A meta-analytic review
Facial expressions of emotion are critical to survival and social interaction. Their importance is underscored by evolutionary adaptations that enable their automatic production and recognition. As a result, emotional faces may receive attentional prioritization, even when completely irrelevant to the task at hand. Although attentional bias is theoretically plausible, empirical findings have been inconsistent: Some studies have reported bias toward emotional faces, whereas many others have not. To clarify this discrepancy, we conducted a meta-analysis of attentional bias for task-irrelevant emotional expressions, including studies using the additional singleton and spatial cuing paradigms (which includes dot probe paradigms). We found an overall effect between zero and small (Hedges's g = 0.08), based on 160 cases. The only significant moderator was the data set from which the emotional face stimuli were drawn, with the Gur data set (Gur et al., 2002) producing the strongest bias. In a second meta-analysis, we examined studies where the emotional expression was task relevant because both the expression and the target were singletons. Here, the overall attentional bias was small to medium (g = 0.41), based on 25 cases. We conclude that facial expressions of emotion do not bias attention when they are task irrelevant. In the discussion, we highlight some empirical and theoretical challenges to emotion automaticity and offer explanations for why the effect was between zero and small. One potential explanation is studies often utilize static photographs of actors portraying facial expressions of emotion, which are low in salience and ecological validity because they lack context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41396530 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000496
Publication date: Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Intergenerational stability in parenting across two generations: A multilevel meta-analytic review
Estimates of intergenerational stability in parenting mechanisms differ within and across studies. This preregistered meta-analysis synthesized the results of longitudinal three-generation studies that measured parenting in two generations of parents with minors. Three-level random-effects analyses included 408 effect sizes from 24 data sets, reported in 51 peer-reviewed articles published until November 2021 (sample size: mean N = 373.32). The results showed that the intergenerational stability in parenting is low on average (r = .12, 95% confidence interval [.09, .16], p < .001), with significant and substantial variation in effect sizes within and between data sets. Moderation analyses showed that effect sizes were larger for Generation 1 (G1) acceptance and negativity as opposed to autonomy support and structure, G1 mothers or both G1 parents as opposed to G1 fathers, measurements of G1 parenting, and when Generation 2 (G2) children were younger, rather than older. Effect sizes were smaller when G1 and G2 parenting were both reported by G2 and when attrition was higher. A funnel plot, Precision Effect Test-Precision Effect Estimate with Standard Errors test, and three-parameter selection model provided few indications of publication bias. Effect sizes were also not dependent on the journal's impact factor and publication year. Overall, this meta-analysis showed that intergenerational stability in parenting is on average modest but also identified conditions under which there is more intergenerational stability. Differences in intergenerational stability of parenting can be explained by considering parenting dimensions, gender, age, and methodological factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41231586 | PMC:PMC12676645 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000494
Publication date: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>Feeds, feelings, and focus: A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the cognitive and mental health correlates of short-form video use
The resurgence of short-form videos (SFVs), popularized by TikTok and Douyin, has transformed social media platforms, with features like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts fostering their widespread adoption. Although initially geared toward entertainment, SFVs are increasingly used in education, political campaigns, advertising, and consumerism, yet their design, characterized by endless scrolling interfaces, has raised concerns about addiction and negative health implications. Given the recent surge of studies on SFV apps, a comprehensive synthesis is needed to clarify how SFV use relates to different health indicators. This systematic review and meta-analytic investigation comprised data from 98,299 participants across 71 studies. Increased SFV use was associated with poorer cognition (moderate mean effect size, r = -.34), with attention (r = -.38) and inhibitory control (r = -.41) yielding the strongest associations. Similarly, increased SFV use was associated with poorer mental health (weak mean effect size, r = -.21), with stress (r = -.34) and anxiety (r = -.33) showing the strongest associations. These findings were consistent across youth and adult samples and across different SFV platforms. Relatively few studies examined cognitive domains beyond attention and inhibitory control (e.g., memory, reasoning), highlighting critical directions for future research. Interestingly, SFV use was not associated with body image or self-esteem, which may reflect the diverse content and creators featured on these platforms. Further research is therefore needed to clarify how different types of content exposure may shape these associations. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of understanding the broader health implications of SFV use, given its pervasive role in daily life and potential to impact health, behavior, and well-being. By synthesizing current evidence, this study provides a critical foundation for future research to explore understudied health domains (e.g., cognitive health, physical health) and offers insights to guide public discourse and the development of research-informed approaches for promoting more balanced engagement with SFVs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41231585 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000498
Publication date: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 06:00:00 -0500 Access the article >>How does perceived social support relate to human thriving? A systematic review with meta-analyses
Extensive research has illuminated how perceived social support bolsters functioning and buffers individuals from negative life outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined associations between various types (informational, instrumental, emotional, and a combination of types) and sources (parents, peers, teachers/classmates, and others) of perceived social support and five domains of human thriving-mental and physical health, risk-taking behaviors, educational functioning, and work performance-yielding 604 studies with 1,014 effect sizes that met criteria for inclusion. On average, perceived social support had the largest associations with better mental health, r+ = .35, 95% CI [.152, .578]; and better work performance, r+ = .37, 95% CI [.343, .401]. Perceived social support also demonstrated significant associations with other domains of thriving: better physical health, r+ = .24, 95% CI [.220, .617]; lower risk-taking behaviors, r+ = -.17, 95% CI [-.453, -.154]; and better educational functioning, r+ = .21, 95% CI [.047, .454]. Different types and sources of support demonstrated similar associations with mental health and educational functioning, but varying associations with physical health, risk-taking behaviors, and work performance. Associations between support and physical health and risk-taking behaviors were larger in childhood and adolescence than in emerging or later adulthood. Associations between support and educational functioning were larger for non-Western than Western cultural groups, whereas associations between support and work performance were larger in Western than non-Western cultural groups. Analyses provided evidence for both concurrent and prospective associations between perceived social support and five domains of human thriving. Multiple types and sources of perceived social support and thriving must be considered when examining the theoretical and practical implications of perceived social support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:41100292 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000491
Publication date: Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>Internalized racism, stress, and health: A comprehensive meta-analytic structural equation model test of the internalized racism framework
We used meta-analytic structural equation modeling to test the internalized racism framework, which posits that internalized racism (IR) is associated with poor health directly and indirectly via stress processes and engagement in health-compromising behaviors. We synthesized correlation effects from 149 studies (141 reports, 38,650 participants, 1982-2024). IR was significantly (p < .05) positively associated with (a) psychological stress (k = 64, r = .18), (b) biophysiological stress (k = 18, r = .10), (c) engagement in health-compromising behaviors (k = 52, r = .16), (d) negative mental health (k = 330, r = .23), and (e) negative physical health (k = 31, r = .09) and significantly negatively associated with (f) positive mental health (k = 50, r = -.19) and (g) positive physical health (k = 14, r = -.08). IR was not associated with (h) overall health (k = 5, r = -.06). After adjusting for covariates (gender, age, ethnoracial group, publication year, peer-review status, and form and evaluative focus of IR), only the associations between IR with psychological stress and with negative mental health remained significant. The association between IR and negative mental health was partially explained by health-compromising behaviors, but not by psychological stress. There was mixed evidence of publication bias, and study quality only moderated the association between IR and positive mental health. Findings support an expanded internalized racism framework, the IR-stress-vulnerability model, which highlights bidirectional relationships among IR, stress, health-compromising behaviors, and health, with implications for addressing IR among minoritized ethnoracial groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:40952698 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000486
Publication date: Mon, 15 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>A meta-analytic reassessment of the vicious cycle of psychopathology and stressful life events: Commentary on Rnic et al. (2023)
Rnic et al. (2023) conducted a comprehensive multilevel meta-analysis examining the stress generation hypothesis across various forms of psychopathology. They utilized the bivariate correlation between psychopathology at Time 1 and stress at Time 2 to estimate effect sizes. To address potential confounding from baseline stress assessments, we reanalyzed the data by (a) using the cross-lagged association in a multilevel meta-analysis to examine longitudinal links between Time 1 psychopathology and Time 2 stress and (b) incorporating Time 1 stress as a control variable in a meta-analytic structural equation model. Based on a subset of Rnic et al.'s original data set (33 studies with 18,684 participants and 126 effect sizes), our findings revealed cross-lagged associations of rC.L = .12 for the predictive effect of baseline psychopathology, especially internalizing psychopathology, on subsequent dependent stress and rC.L = .06 for independent stress. These effects were homogeneous across diverse samples, measures, and contexts. Moreover, even after controlling for Time 1 stress, dependent stress continued to mediate the relationship between baseline psychopathology and subsequent symptoms, whereas independent stress did not mediate, underscoring the role of dependent stress in perpetuating the cycle of stress and psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:40875341 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000475
Publication date: Thu, 28 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>The global decline in sexism: A multilevel meta-analytic review of trends in countries' hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, and gender inequality over time
The continued prevalence of sexism and gender inequalities across the world is a priority for research. We meta-analyzed all research since the inception of ambivalent sexism theory (1996-2023) that measured hostile sexism (i.e., derogatory attitudes) or benevolent sexism (i.e., patronizing attitudes) toward women. Using 1,097 samples from 81 countries, we considered evidence for principles of ambivalent sexism theory, including the extent to which endorsements of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism (a) differed across years, (b) were associated with one another, and (c) were associated with countries' gender inequalities. Multilevel meta-analytic models indicated that endorsement of sexism generally followed trajectories of small declines over years, provided robust evidence that sexism is "ambivalent" because hostile sexism was consistently associated with greater benevolent sexism, and suggested that people's greater endorsement of hostile sexism in a country predicted greater gender inequality in that country, although this association was attenuated in later samples. Implications of these tests informed theoretical gaps in need of research: investigating why the declining trajectories of sexism were stronger in some countries relative to others, identifying the most appropriate markers of gender inequality, and specifying the time lags between experienced inequalities and endorsement of sexism. Our multilevel meta-analysis provided initial information about the cross-country patterns of ambivalent sexism and established a need for longitudinal cultural research to identify the origins of ambivalent sexism and its consequences for gender inequalities across the world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:40758284 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000485
Publication date: Mon, 04 Aug 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>Trust and subjective well-being across the lifespan: A multilevel meta-analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal associations
Trust in other people and institutions is associated with people's well-being across the lifespan. Yet, the strength of these associations varies considerably across studies, and it remains unclear which factors account for this variation. Moreover, some longitudinal studies indicate that trust not only predicts well-being but that subjective well-being also predicts levels of trust. This preregistered meta-analysis provides a comprehensive synthesis of this vast field of research, establishing both the direction and strength of the association between trust and subjective well-being. Based on 991 effect sizes, including a total of 2,518,769 participants, the results of the multilevel meta-analysis revealed a positive overall association between trust and subjective well-being (r = .21). The strength of this association varied depending on the type of trust and component of subjective well-being examined, the age of the participants, and the national-level generalized trust of the country in which the study took place. Despite these variations, the association between trust and subjective well-being was found across all sample and study characteristics examined, underlining the robustness of the association. In addition, results of the longitudinal meta-analyses showed that trust predicts subsequent well-being (k = 55) and that well-being predicts subsequent trust (k = 49). Together, these results suggest that trust and well-being mutually reinforce each other in a cyclical fashion. Since trust needs to be built, these findings underscore the importance of being genuinely trustworthy, whether as an individual or as an institution. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:40504645 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000480
Publication date: Thu, 12 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>Effectiveness of psychotherapy: Synthesis of a "meta-analytic research domain" across world regions and 12 mental health problems
The scientific output generated in psychology has surged in recent decades, including the number of studies investigating psychological treatments. To keep track of all this evidence, we developed the "Metapsy" meta-analytic research domain: a comprehensive system of open databases and tailored software that allows for rapid evidence generation. We leverage this novel infrastructure to summarize the effect of psychological treatment across 12 mental health problems and trace back the global expansion of psychotherapy research over the past 50 years. Including 1,029 studies with 85,952 patients, our results indicate small to moderate average benefits in treating psychosis (g = 0.32), suicidal ideation (g = 0.34), borderline personality disorder (g = 0.46), and prolonged grief (g = 0.49). In contrast, psychological interventions have large average effects on depression (g = 0.73), problem gambling (g = 0.80), panic (g = 0.83), generalized anxiety (g = 0.86), social anxiety (g = 0.95), obsessive-compulsive (g = 1.18), posttraumatic stress disorder (g = 1.18), and phobias (g = 1.25). Most available evidence (83.4%-86.1%) comes from high-income and Western countries, but their dominance is declining. We found no indication that psychotherapy is less effective in low- and middle-income countries (g = 0.38-2.41) or non-Western cultures (g = 0.74-2.20). We discuss ways to further enhance psychotherapy's public health impact, as well as how the meta-analytic research domain concept may be extended to other types of psychological research in the future. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).PMID:40489181 | DOI:10.1037/bul0000465
Publication date: Mon, 09 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400 Access the article >>Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
- Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1962)
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