Cornelia Wrzus

Objective: This meta‐analysis systematically examines personality development during study abroad. It aims to synthesize previously fragmented longitudinal evidence and explain mixed findings by identifying how personality change varies by students' country of origin, duration of stay, and home‐host cultural distance. Method: This pre‐registered meta‐analysis synthesized 25 studies, including 40 independent samples and 184 effect sizes ( N = 5732) among diverse national and cultural contexts. Effect sizes were analyzed using a two‐level random‐effects model. Results: Results indicated an overall increase in openness ( d _E = 0.079), self‐evaluations and agency ( d _E = 0.117), and a decrease in neuroticism ( d _E = −0.145) while abroad. Baseline comparisons revealed self‐selection effects that sojourners differed from control groups before departure in all Big Five traits. Personality changes did not differ between adolescent and young adult sojourners but showed trait‐specific temporal dynamics both during and after the sojourn. Regional analyses suggested distinct change patterns across European, US, and Asian samples. Conclusions: These findings show that studying abroad robustly predicts personality changes among young adults, depending on time and home‐host cultural distance. Future studies are needed to scrutinize the short‐term processes of the international experience together with specific domains of cultural distance that explain individual differences in personality change.

Past research on how people evaluate and compare themselves in central characteristics focuses strongly on preconditions, processes, and consequences of such comparisons while neglecting individual differences. The current study bridges social and personality research by examining domain specificity, temporal stability, and age differences of social and past-temporal comparisons. Using lifespan samples from Germany ( N = 313, 18–84 years, 49.8% female) and the USA ( N = 302, 18–72 years, 52.0% female), participants reported the frequency and perceived usefulness of social and past-temporal comparisons concerning five domains: emotional stability, extraversion, physical appearance, professional success, and personal life. The results show that individual differences in comparison tendencies were rather domain-specific. Within a specific life domain, the usage of social and past-temporal comparisons was strongly correlated. Individual differences in comparison tendencies were moderately stable over four weeks (~ 0.60). With older age, participants indicated using comparisons less frequently and seeing them as less useful than young adults. We discuss that future research on social and temporal comparisons would benefit from a trait-state approach taking individual differences in domain-specific comparisons and the co-occurrence of social and temporal comparisons into account.

Social relationships are central to well-being because they fulfill social affiliation needs. To explain how social needs are regulated, theories describe daily-life processes among social desire, social contact, and affect. Still, these processes remain empirically underexplored because of their complexity. In this study, we estimated multivariate associations of social desire and affect with social contact across different modalities (in-person, digital), time scales (hourly, daily), and levels of analysis (between-person, contemporaneous, temporally lagged). Participants from two age-heterogeneous samples answered experience sampling questions and contributed data through unobtrusive smartphone sensing, with roughly hourly assessments across 2 days (N = 303) and daily assessments across 14 days (N = 377). Multilevel vector autoregressive network models revealed associations between social contact, social desire, and affect across levels of analysis. Results were highly specific to the examined time scale. When measured at an hourly timescale, people desired more social contact than usual when they engaged in more in-person contact, and higher social desire predicted more future social contact in both experience sampling and smartphone sensing. In contrast, at a daily timescale, social desire did not predict future contact. Bidirectional linkages of affect and social contact were also much denser hourly (vs. daily). Compared with in-person contact, calls and communication app usage generally showed distinct associations with affect. We discuss theoretical implications for the dynamic regulation of social needs, especially regarding homeostatic temporal processes and the role of positive affect in predicting social contact. Finally, we delineate future directions of multimethod research into daily-life social dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Virtual reality (VR) is a promising technology for the relief of physical and psychosocial burdens. We found that individualised VR videos were well tolerated and accepted and seemed to have a stronger effect on well-being and emotional connection than standardised VR in cancer inpatients under palliative care. For implementation, it is important to actively involve patients, as their input helps to ensure that the VR intervention meets their needs, thus making it more likely to be accepted and effective in practice, while balancing the needs of healthcare professionals. Aim: Exploration of patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on best practice VR intervention implementation. Design: Workshop-based 360° focus group using a strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats (SWOT) model and deductive/inductive qualitative analysis with a ‘framework’ approach. Setting/participants: The focus group took place at the National Centre for Tumour Therapy of a German university hospital. Participants were a local doctor (1) and nurses (3) with VR experience, the cooperating patient advisory board of the study (2), and members of a regional self-help group (3). Results: Eighteen subthemes were identified in the SWOT model. While there was agreement on the ‘strength of distraction’ and ‘opportunities of individualised VR’, concerns remained regarding data protection when using private VR content. There was an argument about gatekeeping by relatives worried about mental distress in patients immersing in home or family VR scenes. In contrast, many ideas were discussed regarding how to overcome rejectionist staff attitudes. However, the high organisational time and staff deployment were addressed as major weaknesses. Conclusions: Involving patient stakeholders and healthcare professionals in the planning of the implementation strategy revealed several issues that require attention. In particular, information needs to be provided not only to patients but also to relatives and hospital staff, alongside ensuring data protection and adequate staffing. Trial registration: Registered at German Clinical Trials Register (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien; DRKS); registration number: DRKS00032172; registration date: 11 July 2023.

This study examined the similarity of partners’ event perceptions of a major life event (i.e., moving in together as a couple) and how similarity relates to relationship satisfaction. Considering event perceptions from multiple individuals can enhance knowledge of the event itself and the relationship dynamics in which it occurs. Using multilevel models, we analyzed data from N = 400 participants (200 couples), who provided self- and partner-reported multidimensional event perceptions and ratings of relationship satisfaction at two assessments. First, we found evidence for similarity of self-reports and similarity of self- and partner reports between partners—higher than in random couples or due to normativeness. Second, higher similarity was related to higher relationship satisfaction. Third, similarity did not increase over time, and fourth, similarity did not co-develop with relationship satisfaction. Similarity of self-reports appears to be most relevant for relationship satisfaction, informing future research and potential intervention programs with couples.

Personality change interventions (PCIs) are structured approaches that help people intentionally modify aspects of their personality in line with self‐endorsed goals. This article synthesizes theoretical and empirical advances in volitional personality change and sets a research agenda for PCIs. We review core models of self‐regulated personality change, summarize evidence for PCI effectiveness and putative mechanisms, and delineate methodological, ethical, and societal challenges. Priorities for future research include active‐control randomized trials, multi‐method outcome assessment (self, informant, behavioral), and long‐term follow‐ups. We argue for personalized, adaptive approaches and for broadening targets from trait levels to skills and behavioral flexibility. We also map the ethical landscape (e.g., potential harm, pressure to conform, possible exacerbation of social disparities), while outlining corresponding safeguards. The result is a framework that clarifies what can change, for whom, under which conditions, and with what downstream consequences. When designed responsibly, PCIs may foster favorable individual and collective outcomes, including adaptive functioning, well‐being, and resilience in a rapidly changing world.

In psychology, mobile sensing is increasingly used to record behavior in real-life situations. However, little is known about the selectivity of samples participating in these new data collection approaches and thus about potential risks to the validity of research findings. We therefore investigated two potential sources of selection bias in smartphone-based data collections. Specifically, we examined whether smartphone system ownership (Android vs. iOS, i.e., platform-related differences) and willingness to participate (nonparticipation vs. intention to participate vs. actual participation, i.e., nonresponse error) are associated with sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and personality characteristics. Using two large-scale panel studies, we found replicable patterns for platform-related differences (N = 1,218 and N = 5,123) and nonresponse error (N = 1,673 and N = 2,337): The ownership of Android devices (in comparison to iOS devices) was associated with lower levels of education, income, and extraversion. The willingness to participate in mobile sensing studies was found to be higher among younger age groups, males, those with higher levels of openness to experience, and those with lower levels of neuroticism. Furthermore, different person characteristics played different roles at different stages of the recruitment process. Taken together, the results show that some selection bias in mobile sensing studies exists and that the effects were small to moderate in magnitude as well as comparable to selection bias for other, more common data collection approaches, such as online surveys. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has rapidly grown in popularity, offering engaging experiences that span social interaction, gaming, education, and mental and physical health. Widespread adoption of this emerging technology will likely depend on how people evaluate both its potential benefits and risks. Despite growing global interest, little is known about how personality characteristics and cultural background shape these perceptions of iVR and its subsequent adoption. We conducted a cross-cultural survey among 785 adults (Mage = 41.24; SDage = 14.66; age range = 18-79; 49% female) from Germany, the United States, Japan, and India to examine how personality characteristics (Big Five traits, escapism, technology affinity) predict expected benefits and perceived risks of iVR, and how these perceptions shape intention to use IVR and average iVR usage. Findings from a multigroup structural equation model with constrained coefficients across cultural groups revealed that individuals with higher conscientiousness and greater technology affinity expected more benefits of iVR, whereas individuals with higher neuroticism perceived greater risks. Higher escapism tendencies were associated with both greater perceived benefits and risks. Notably, expected benefits were a strong predictor of intention to use iVR, while perceived risks were only weakly related to lower intention. Moreover, a higher intention was associated with greater average iVR usage. Culture-specific structural equation models showed meaningful differences in several path coefficients, highlighting the importance of the sociocultural context in predicting the perception and adoption of iVR technology.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic drastically increased work demands and stress for medical professionals. Aim: To complement knowledge on detrimental long-term consequences of stress, we examine short-term dynamics of the stress processes, especially anticipation of stress and recovery. Design and methods: This diary study assessed anticipation of and recovery from work stress as well as individual differences therein related to self-efficacy, optimism, and neuroticism. Before and after up to eight work shifts in winter/spring 2021, 146 medical professionals (42.5% male, M _age = 32.3 years, SD = 10.6) reported their affective well-being, anticipated stress, experienced stress, perceived exertion, perceived recovery, and non-work activities. Results: Multilevel models revealed that anticipating stress was associated with already lower affective well-being before the shift, but it did not buffer or amplify associations between experienced stress and affective well-being after work. Lower affective well-being after a shift led to less recovery, which in turn was associated with lower affective well-being following the next shift. Above-average engagement in pleasant activities, and even completing chores, as well as less rumination were associated with more pronounced recovery. Self-efficacy and neuroticism, but not optimism, were associated with affective well-being before and after work shifts. Conclusions: Neuroticism and low self-efficacy may place medical professionals especially at risk in medical crises. Promoting leisure activities to support recovery may replenish resources for handling work-related stress.