Abstract
BACKGROUND: In recent years, with the increase of mental health burden on Chinese college students, the level of SWB (subjective perception of well-being)has been decreasing. However, physical activities have been verified to have a significant positive impact on the physical and mental health of individuals. METHOD: In this paper, questionnaire was used to conduct three substudies and one supplementary study. Among them, Study One examined the relationship between physical activities and SWB among college students, with a total of 244 college students completing the study; On the basis of Study 1, Study 2 examined the mediating effect of subjectively perceived health on the relationships between physical activities and SWB among college students. A total of 248 college students completed the study; Based on Study 2 and Study 3, the moderating role of implicit mentality in this process of mediation was examined, with a total of 280 college students completing the study; A supplementary study was conducted to further validate the applicability of the research mechanism by changing the measurement scales of variables. A total of 332 college students completed the study. RESULTS: (1) physical activities positively affect SWB, i.e., the higher the level of physical activities, the stronger SWB; (2) subjectively perceived health partially mediates the relationship between physical activities and SWB among college students, i.e., the higher level of physical activities, the higher level of subjectively perceived health for the college students, which in turn lead to higher SWB; and (3) the implicit mentality moderates the first stage of this mediating pathway and also has a direct influence on the relationship between physical activities and SWB. CONCLUSION: (1) The implicit mentality moderates the relationship between physical activity and subjectively perceived health. Compared with college students with a fixed mentality, those with a developing one exhibit greater subjectively perceived health while being more involved in physical activities, which in turn contributes to the enhanced SWB; (2) The implicit mentality also moderates the association between physical activities and SWB. Relative to students with a fixed mentality, students with a developing one are more engaged in physical activities and reported to have higher levels of SWB; (3) Physical activities serve as a positive restorative mechanism for alleviating physiological and psychological stress among college students, thereby exerting a beneficial influence on overall well-being.