AUTHOR=He Yongcan , Wang Shuo , Liu Binyue , Wang Pingping , Yang Jimei , Zheng Maoping 

TITLE=Red musical identity and subjective wellbeing: a longitudinal study of the chain mediating roles of awe and prosocial behavior

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1635179

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1635179

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=ObjectivesRed music, as a distinctive form of red culture in China, plays an important role in fostering national identity and promoting subjective wellbeing. However, empirical research regarding red musical identity remains scarce. This study addresses this gap through a longitudinal study, using three waves of data to explore the relationship and potential psychological mechanisms between red musical identity and subjective wellbeing.MethodsThe Red Musical Identity Scale, Dispositional Positive Emotion Scale (Awe subscale), Prosocial Tendencies Measure, and Subjective Happiness Scale were used for assessments. The participants were 586 college students from a university in western China, the majority of whom were female (77.2%).ResultsThe results showed that red musical identity at Time 1, awe at Time 2, prosocial behavior at Time 2, and subjective wellbeing at Time 3 were significantly correlated, and all were positively associated with subjective wellbeing at Time 3. However, the direct effect of red musical identity at Time 1 on prosocial behavior at Time 2 was not significant. After adjusting for age, sex, awe, and prosocial behavior at baseline, red musical identity at Time 1 positively predicted subjective wellbeing at Time 3. Furthermore, awe at Time 2 mediated the path from red musical identity at Time 1 to subjective wellbeing at Time 3. In addition, a sequential indirect pathway was supported: red musical identity at Time 1 showed indirect effects on subjective wellbeing at Time 3 successively via the awe at Time 2 and prosocial behavior at Time 2.ConclusionThese findings provide preliminary longitudinal evidence for the psychological mechanisms linking red musical identity and subjective wellbeing. However, given the single-site, predominantly female student sample, the conclusions should be viewed as tentative and are most applicable to similar university contexts.