The Effect of shyness on life satisfaction among Chinese college students: a moderated mediation model

The psychological characteristic of shyness is negatively connected to life satisfaction. In this paper, we examined the mediating effect of core self-evaluation and the moderating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between shyness and individual life satisfaction among Chinese college students. A sample of 836 college students participated in this study and completed questionnaires regarding shyness, core self-evaluation, meaning in life, and life satisfaction. Mediation analysis indicated that core self-evaluation fully mediated the link between shyness and college students’ life satisfaction. The results of moderated mediation showed that college students’ perceived meaning in life moderated the associations between core self-evaluation and college students’ life satisfaction. For college students who endorsed a higher level of meaning in life, the association between core self-evaluation and life satisfaction is stronger compared to students who endorsed a lower level of meaning in life. The findings, theoretical contributions, and practical implications of the present paper are also discussed.