{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,7]],"date-time":"2026-08-07T17:10:04Z","timestamp":1786122604431,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":37,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\u201cWan Geng\u201d (\u73a9\u6897) refers to the playful creation, remixing, and sharing of internet memes. While a global online behavior, it carries distinctive linguistic features in the Chinese cultural context and has become an important way for young people to express emotions and shape identity. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications Theory, Emotion Regulation Theory, and Self-Efficacy Theory, this study examined how different \u201cWan Geng\u201d motivations relate to emotion regulation strategies and emotion regulation self-efficacy among university students. Using convenience sampling, an online survey was conducted with 1,084 valid participants, who completed the College Students\u2019 \u201cWan Geng\u201d Motivation Scale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS and Mplus. Three findings emerged: (1) entertainment and group integration motivations were positively associated with emotion regulation self-efficacy; (2) \u201cWan Geng\u201d motivations were linked to emotion regulation strategies; (3) entertainment, self-identity, and group integration motivations were indirectly associated with emotion regulation self-efficacy via emotion regulation strategies, while emotion regulation and entertainment motivations showed direct associations. These findings suggest that \u201cWan Geng\u201d may constructively associated with university students\u2019 emotion regulation, offering a fresh perspective on how culturally embedded online behavior relates to psychological well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1802652","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T05:44:00Z","timestamp":1784267040000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The influence of college students\u2019 \u201cWan Geng\u201d motivation on emotion regulation self-efficacy"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Ziyue","family":"He","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Journalism and Communication, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yawen","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Journalism and Communication, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yiming","family":"Shan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fuyu","family":"Wan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tour","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]},{"name":"Tianjin Key Laboratory of Student Mental Health and Intelligence Assessment, Tianjin Normal University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"31004","DOI":"10.1007\/s12144-022-04099-3","article-title":"Regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs matter for (mal)adjustment: a meta-analysis","volume":"42","author":"Alessandri","year":"2023","journal-title":"Curr. 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