Is it trying to “squeeze” me? The zero-sum mentality of college students affects how they interpret others’ efforts, and this has consequences.

The study aims to uncover the psychological mechanisms behind the phenomenon of “involution” and the intense academic competition among students. Two studies were conducted (totaling three sub-studies, N=571), exploring how students’ beliefs about academic zero-sum relationships (the idea that one person’s academic success means another’s failure) affect their interpretation of peers’ efforts. Specifically, it was investigated whether these students perceive peers’ efforts as a form of competition aimed at surpassing others, or as efforts aimed at self-improvement. The survey results showed that students with stronger beliefs about academic zero-sum relationships tended to interpret peers’ efforts as competitive rather than cooperative.