Religiosity and Subjective Well-Being Among Old People: Evidence from a Transitional Country

Applied Research in Quality of Life - Using data from the 2011 Vietnam National Aging Survey, we examined whether religion is associated with subjective well-being (i.e. happiness or life...     

Feeding upon awakening in breastfeeding and bottlefeeding mothers does not affect the awakening cortisol response

An acute breastfeeding stimulus is generally followed by a transient decrease in cortisol levels in mothers. It is currently not clear whether breastfeeding upon waking up would affect the awakening cortisol response (ACR), a significant increase in salivary cortisol levels occurring within 30-45 min after awakening. In the present study, we measured the amplitude and stability of the ACR in response to infant feeding in women who were exclusively bottle-feeding (n = 16), or breastfeeding (n = 13) or feeding their child solid food (n = 12). The results show that the type of infant feeding did not affect the amplitude and stability of the ACR. Given that the ACR has been reported to reflect physical and psychological well-being, our finding that infant feeding upon waking up might not be a confounding factor in ACR studies on the postpartum population represents valuable methodological information.     

A meta-analysis of the antecedents and consequences of pay level satisfaction

This study reports results from a meta-analysis of 28 correlates of pay level satisfaction involving 240 samples from 203 studies conducted over the past 35 years. Results are presented in 4 categories: primary determinants, antecedents, correlates, and outcomes of pay satisfaction. The authors controlled for pay in examining relations between correlates and pay level satisfaction, as suggested by theory and when primary studies were available to do so. The authors found support for many of the relations suggested by a theoretical model and also note some limitations in the research that has tested this model. The authors recommend changes and additions to the model and suggest additional primary research in specific areas.     

Exploring the inhibitory effect of maximising mindset on impulse buying

Although impulse buying could temporarily increase sales, it is essential to explore how to curb impulse buying because impulse buying leads to negative consequences for both consumers and enterprises in the long run. Previous research investigated the negative correlation between impulse buying and situational factors or personal traits. However, these factors were complicated for marketers or consumers to manipulate, so the research gap was that a lack of research focused on how to curb impulse buying through external intervention. This study aimed to find an effective external intervention to curb impulse buying and thus fill the blanket. This study introduced maximising mindset, a mindset that could be manipulated externally and used effectively by consumers and marketers to curb impulse buying. Data were collected online from 1106 participants in China through the research platform Sojump. The results demonstrated that maximising mindset negatively correlated with impulse buying, and future-oriented thinking played a role as a mediator. This study contained theoretical for future research on impulse buying and practical value in helping consumers achieve better decisions and helping companies achieve long-term growth.     

Semi-Post algebras

In this paper, semi-Post algebras are introduced and investigated. The generalized Post algebras are subcases of semi-Post algebras. The so called primitive Post constants constitute an arbitrary partially ordered set, not necessarily connected as in the case of the generalized Post algebras examined in [3]. By this generalization, semi-Post products can be defined. It is also shown that the class of all semi-Post algebras is closed under these products and that every semi-Post algebra is a semi-Post product of some generalized Post algebras.     

The bizarre mnemonic

Summary Five experiments measured effects of bizarre contexts on the free recall of noun triplets after brief retention intervals. More triplets were remembered from bizarre than from common contexts in short mixed lists (12 sentences) when the sentences were presented at a controlled (10 seconds/sentence) rate, regardless of incidental task (rating images for bizarreness, vividness, or memorability). The average number of words/sentence recalled, however, tended to be higher for common than for bizarre contexts. No memory benefit from bizarreness was found for pure lists nor for lists containing more than six triplets in bizarre contexts. The bizarreness effect was less when the subject controlled the rate of presentation. A sixth experiment, which tested recall after immediate and two-day retention intervals, found that the Bizarre/Common Context by Pure/Mixed List interaction increased over longer retention intervals.     

Sex differences in English language acculturation and learning strategies among Vietnamese adults aged 40 and over in the United States

This study examines sex differences in English language acculturation and learning strategies among older Vietnamese in the United States in a nationwide probability sample. Data of this study came from the Southeast Asian Refugee Self-Sufficient Study (1982). The results reveal that older Vietnamese women had more problems with their English language than older Vietnamese men. In addition, the Vietnamese men were more likely to use various learning strategies to improve their English skills than the women.     

Social Support from Family and Friends and Subjective Well-Being of Older African Americans

This study examines the impact of informal social support from family and friends on the well-being of older African Americans. Analyses are based on a nationally representative sample of older African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (n = 837). Three measures of well-being are examined: life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem. The social support variables include frequency of contact with family and friends, subjective closeness with family and friends, and negative interactions with family. Results indicate that family contact is positively correlated with life satisfaction. Subjective closeness with family is associated with life satisfaction and happiness and both subjective closeness with friends and negative interaction with family are associated with happiness and self-esteem. There are also significant interactions between family closeness and family contact for life satisfaction, as well as friendship closeness and negative interaction with family for happiness. Overall, our study finds that family and friend relationships make unique contributions to the well-being of older African Americans. Qualitative aspects of family and friend support networks (i.e., subjective closeness, negative interactions) are more important than are structural aspects (i.e., frequency of contact). Our analysis verify that relationships with family members can both enhance and be detrimental to well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to prior research on social support and negative interaction and their unique associations with well-being among older African Americans.