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A New Day Begins: How Morning Emotions Shape the Daily Journey of College Freshmen

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Title: A New Day Begins: How Morning Emotions Shape the Daily Journey of College Freshmen
Language: English
Authors: Yubei Xiao (ORCID 0000-0002-1412-4210), Ziqi Yuwen (ORCID 0009-0005-7600-0271), Xiang Yao (ORCID 0000-0001-8704-7327)
Source: Journal of Adolescence. 2026 98(4):1362-1373.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: College Freshmen, Psychological Patterns, Time Factors (Learning), Foreign Countries, Emotional Experience, Fatigue (Biology), Interpersonal Relationship, Prosocial Behavior, Life Satisfaction, Emotional Response
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1002/jad.70147
ISSN: 0140-1971
1095-9254
Abstract: Introduction: Morning emotions set the tone for individuals' daily experiences. As college freshmen transition into emerging adulthood, they often face challenges in emotional adaptation while navigating new academic and social environments. However, how morning emotions shape their daily experiences during this developmental transition remains unclear. Integrating the perspective of college adaptation into conservation of resources (COR) theory, we develop a dual-pathway model that concurrently examines psychological and social resources to understand how morning emotions relate to college freshmen's daily prosocial behavior and life satisfaction. Methods: Across the first academic year, 111 Chinese college freshmen completed five 9-day diary surveys (45 days total), with 57 women (51.35%) and an average age of 18.20 years (SD = 0.71). Results: Morning negative emotions were associated with lower afternoon socializing and higher emotional exhaustion, whereas morning positive emotions showed the opposite pattern. In turn, socializing was positively associated with evening prosocial behavior and life satisfaction, whereas emotional exhaustion was negatively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest that morning emotions are linked to college freshmen's prosocial behavior and life satisfaction through changes in psychological (emotional exhaustion) and social (socializing) resources. Conclusion: This study reveals the role of morning emotions in college freshmen's daily experiences through both psychological and social resource pathways. These findings align with COR theory's resource spirals, where early resource losses contribute to further losses and early gains foster subsequent gains.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507897
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: A New Day Begins: How Morning Emotions Shape the Daily Journey of College Freshmen
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yubei+Xiao%22">Yubei Xiao</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1412-4210">0000-0002-1412-4210</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ziqi+Yuwen%22">Ziqi Yuwen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7600-0271">0009-0005-7600-0271</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xiang+Yao%22">Xiang Yao</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-7327">0000-0001-8704-7327</externalLink>)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: Y
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  Data: 12
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Freshmen%22">College Freshmen</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+Patterns%22">Psychological Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Time+Factors+%28Learning%29%22">Time Factors (Learning)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Experience%22">Emotional Experience</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fatigue+%28Biology%29%22">Fatigue (Biology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+Relationship%22">Interpersonal Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prosocial+Behavior%22">Prosocial Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Life+Satisfaction%22">Life Satisfaction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Response%22">Emotional Response</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
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  Data: 10.1002/jad.70147
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  Data: 0140-1971<br />1095-9254
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Introduction: Morning emotions set the tone for individuals' daily experiences. As college freshmen transition into emerging adulthood, they often face challenges in emotional adaptation while navigating new academic and social environments. However, how morning emotions shape their daily experiences during this developmental transition remains unclear. Integrating the perspective of college adaptation into conservation of resources (COR) theory, we develop a dual-pathway model that concurrently examines psychological and social resources to understand how morning emotions relate to college freshmen's daily prosocial behavior and life satisfaction. Methods: Across the first academic year, 111 Chinese college freshmen completed five 9-day diary surveys (45 days total), with 57 women (51.35%) and an average age of 18.20 years (SD = 0.71). Results: Morning negative emotions were associated with lower afternoon socializing and higher emotional exhaustion, whereas morning positive emotions showed the opposite pattern. In turn, socializing was positively associated with evening prosocial behavior and life satisfaction, whereas emotional exhaustion was negatively associated with these outcomes. These findings suggest that morning emotions are linked to college freshmen's prosocial behavior and life satisfaction through changes in psychological (emotional exhaustion) and social (socializing) resources. Conclusion: This study reveals the role of morning emotions in college freshmen's daily experiences through both psychological and social resource pathways. These findings align with COR theory's resource spirals, where early resource losses contribute to further losses and early gains foster subsequent gains.
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      – SubjectFull: Psychological Patterns
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      – SubjectFull: Time Factors (Learning)
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      – SubjectFull: Prosocial Behavior
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      – SubjectFull: Emotional Response
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      – SubjectFull: China
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