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Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

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Personality and Individual Differences


journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/paid

The role of passion and emotions in academic procrastination during a


pandemic (COVID-19)
Sonia Rahimi *, Robert J. Vallerand
Research Laboratory on Social Behavior, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This research examined the role of academic passion and emotions in procrastination. Two studies were con­
Academic procrastination ducted with undergraduate students (Study 1: n = 210, 63% male and 37% female, Mage = 26.93 years, SD =
Academic emotions 5.94 years; Study 2: n = 303, 59% male and 41% female, Mage = 26.13 years, SD = 7.05 years), including one
Harmonious passion
during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of Study 1 showed that obsessive passion was positively related to
Obsessive passion
COVID-19
negative emotions, whereas harmonious passion was negatively related to negative and positively to positive
emotions. In turn, negative emotions positively related to academic procrastination, while positive emotions
prevented it. Study 2 replicated the model of Study 1 and extended it to include the role of students’ passion and
emotions towards their favorite non-academic activity as predictors of academic procrastination. The results of
Study 2 showed that passion and emotions for other activities also predict academic procrastination over and
beyond academic passion and emotions. These findings provide support for the role of passion and emotions in
academic and leisure settings as predictors of academic procrastination behaviors and yield theoretical and
practical implications.

Procrastination refers to the voluntary and needless delay of an does this process take place during the COVID-19 pandemic?
intended action, despite inevitable unfavorable consequences (Steel,
2007). With respect to the educational domain, academic procrastina­ 1. Academic procrastination as emotion regulation
tion is defined as the irrational predisposition to delay the start and/or
completion of an academic assignment/task (e.g., writing papers, Procrastination is traditionally rendered as an undesirable behavior
studying, and doing readings, Senécal, Julien, & Guay, 2003). Academic linked with many problematic psychological variables including a pos­
procrastination has been regarded as an important problem for under­ itive relationship with neuroticism (Hess, Sherman, & Goodman, 2000),
graduate students and is related to maladaptive outcomes such as low perfectionism (Flett, Blankstein, Hewitt, & Koledin, 1992), and demo­
academic performance (Kim & Seo, 2015), more visits to health care tivation (Patrzek, Grunschel, & Fries, 2012; Steel, 2007), just to name a
professionals (Tice & Baumeister, 1997), and negative emotions such as few. Many studies have specifically found a significant positive rela­
anxiety (Fee & Tangney, 2000; Özer, Demir, & Ferrari, 2009). Given the tionship between academic procrastination and negative emotions, such
prominent role that academic procrastination occupies in students’ as anxiety (e.g., Pychyl, Lee, Thibodeau, & Blunt, 2000), guilt (e.g., Fee
lives, impeding their potential academic success and personal well- & Tangney, 2000), and boredom (Blunt & Pychyl, 1998). Theoretically,
being, it is of fundamental importance to comprehensively understand procrastination can be understood as a form of emotional regulation
the process whereby procrastination is initiated. Past research has (also called misregulation) in which students engage in procrastination to
assumed that procrastination takes place on academic tasks that stu­ reduce negative emotions that they experience when they begin to work
dents do not like (Steel, 2007). However, can procrastination also occur on their academic assignments/tasks (Balkis & Duru, 2016; Sirois &
on academic activities that students love? And if it does, what is the Pychyl, 2013). For example, students who begin writing their final term
process through which it takes place? Thus, the overall objective of this papers may suddenly experience anxiety. In an attempt to diminish this
research was to assess whether students engage in procrastination on anxiety, they stop writing and start doing something else in its place (e.
tasks that they love, and if so, are emotions involved in the process, and g., something enjoyable that reduces their anxiety, such as watching

* Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, P.O. Box 8888, Station Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada.
E-mail address: sonia.rahimi@mail.mcgill.ca (S. Rahimi).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110852
Received 15 November 2020; Received in revised form 11 March 2021; Accepted 15 March 2021
Available online 10 May 2021
0191-8869/© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

television or playing an instrument). Their focus on this short-term less negative emotions in such contexts (Philippe et al., 2010; Vallerand
mood repair (i.e., lowering anxiety) comes at the expense of their et al., 2003; Zhao et al., 2015). Whereas OP is typically related to
long-term goals (e.g., getting their paper done, doing well in this class; negative emotions which are positively related to procrastination, HP is
Sirois & Pychyl, 2013). In support of conceptualizing procrastination as positively related to positive emotions, and would be expected to protect
affective regulation, recent findings from longitudinal cross-lagged a student against academic procrastination. In sum, there appears to be
models showed negative emotions (e.g., anxiety, shame) to positively evidence placing negative and positive academic emotions as possible
predict academic procrastination (Rahimi, 2019). mediators between passion and academic procrastination, yet research
On the other hand, students who experience positive emotions do not examining such a model is currently lacking.
engage in procrastination (Balkis & Duru, 2016; Rahimi, 2019; Zhou &
Kam, 2016). For example, students who experience hope while doing 2.1. Passion and the procrastination model
their academic tasks indicate that they feel confident that they will be
able to master their learning materials, thereby mitigating procrastina­ Given that research has demonstrated that different types of passion
tion (Rahimi, 2019). Thus, not only do negative emotions positively for one’s academic studies lead to different emotional experiences (e.g.,
predict academic procrastination, but positive emotions decrease sub­ OP is positively related to negative emotions, while HP is positively
sequent procrastination behaviors. However, little research has focused related to positive emotions, Philippe et al., 2010), and such emotions
on the determinants of these negative and positive emotional experi­ either positively or negatively influence academic procrastination (e.g.,
ences which influence procrastination. One key academic variable that negative emotions increase academic procrastination, whereas positive
has been found to predict negative and positive emotions is passion and emotions lead to lower academic procrastination, Rahimi, 2019), a
as such, it may be involved in procrastination (Vallerand, 2015, 2016). procrastination model involving passion, emotions, and academic pro­
crastination may be hypothesized. More specifically, students’ OP about
2. The dualistic model of passion their studies is hypothesized to positively influence negative emotions
which, in turn, lead to academic procrastination. Conversely, students’
Passion is defined as a strong inclination towards a given activity that HP for their studies should result in higher levels of positive emotions
an individual finds important, derives enjoyment from doing, and de­ which negatively relate to academic procrastination. The first objective
votes time and energy pursuing (Vallerand, 2010, 2015; Vallerand et al., of this research was to test this basic procrastination model.
2003). According to the Dualistic Model of Passion (DMP, Vallerand et al.,
2003), an activity that an individual is passionate about becomes 3. The role of passion for a second activity
internalized into their identity, which subsequently fosters the devel­
opment of a predominant type of passion. More specifically, there are When students procrastinate, they often put their books down and
two distinct types of passion called obsessive passion (OP) and harmo­ engage in other exciting activities such as playing video/smartphone
nious passion (HP, Vallerand, 2010, 2015; Vallerand et al., 2003). OP games, playing a musical instrument and so on (e.g., Klassen et al., 2010;
results from a controlled internalization concomitant with contingencies Pychyl et al., 2000). In such instances, students typically choose to do
attached to the activity such as self-esteem. Individuals with OP expe­ pleasant activities, despite their responsibilities to start, or complete
rience obsessive feelings and difficulties controlling urges to engage in their academic tasks. Whereas doing another activity is sometimes a
the activity that they love. For example, a student with an OP for planned action (e.g., planned breather leisure coping style, intentional
chemistry may love being in the lab and trying out different formulae. delay), using more enjoyable activities as a distraction from academic
However, whenever she feels uncertain about what she’s trying, she also tasks is positively associated with procrastination (e.g., avoidant coping
feels negative emotions and threats to her sense of identity as a bur­ style, Patry, Blanchard, & Mask, 2007). According to Sims (2014), one of
geoning chemist that may stall her quest for knowledge. On the other the factors explaining academic procrastination is called task competi­
hand, HP results from an autonomous internalization, involves having tion. Although seemingly important, the non-academic activity that
passion for an activity that is in harmony with other activities in one’s students participate in while they engage in procrastination (i.e., the
life, and occurs when the activity has been freely accepted into one’s second activity) and its impact on procrastination behavior has been
identity exclusive of contingencies accompanying it. Using the above- overlooked by researchers. In addition, according to the DMP, passion is
mentioned example, a student with HP would welcome the challenge, not experienced singularly for one activity only (Schellenberg & Bailis,
and experience positive emotions and little negative affect in the process 2015; Vallerand, 2015). On the contrary, one can have a passion for
that would propel her to continue on her quest for knowledge in the lab. several activities (e.g., passion for one’s studies and passion for a hobby
These two types of passion are predominant in educational contexts, such as playing a musical instrument). For instance, Lopes and Vallerand
each leading to different academic outcomes (for reviews, see Curran, (2020) showed that having an OP for sport and for a favorite non-sport
Hill, Appleton, Vallerand, & Standage, 2015; Ruiz-Alfonso & León, activity both led to burnout. Furthermore, Doty et al. (2020) recently
2016; Vallerand, 2015; Vallerand, Chichekian, & Paquette, in press). OP found that OP for a second (non-work) activity promotes procrastination
has been found to contribute to both well- and ill-being, with more on a work-related task. Thus, the second objective of the present article
prominent associations found with negative outcomes such as the was to examine how students’ passion and emotions towards their fa­
burnout subcomponents of exhaustion and cynicism (Saville, Bureau, vorite activity other than their studies (i.e., the second activity) impact
Eckenrode, & Maley, 2018), and rumination (Curran et al., 2015), while their academic procrastination. In light of the passion literature, it
HP leads to beneficial outcomes and contributes to well-being as stu­ would be expected that having an OP for another activity besides
dents tap into adaptive processes when they are engaged in their academia should foster, whereas an HP should be negatively associated
passionate activity such as flow (Carpentier, Mageau, & Vallerand, with procrastination (Vallerand, 2010, 2015, 2016).
2012), adaptive coping strategies (Schellenberg, Gaudreau, & Crocker,
2013), motivation (Ruiz-Alfonso & León, 2017), as well as deliberate 4. The role of COVID-19
practice (Vallerand et al., 2007, Study 2).
Although students with OP experience both negative and positive In the current world climate, students are experiencing elevated
emotions, they typically experience more pronounced negative levels of negative emotions and distractions due to the global outbreak
emotional experiences than positive emotions (e.g., anxiety, Bonneville- of COVID-19. The highly contagious novel coronavirus has quickly
Roussy & Vallerand, 2018, Philippe, Vallerand, Houlfort, Lavigne, & spread on a global scale with over 19.9 million cases and 732,000 deaths
Donahue, 2010; Vallerand et al., 2003; Zhao, St-Louis, & Vallerand, reported worldwide as of August 10th. Earlier this year, The World
2015), while students with HP experience more positive emotions and Health Organization declared this pandemic a global health emergency

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

and upon this announcement, Canadian provinces and American states were requested of students. Indeed, the pandemic represented a situa­
closed university campuses and students were asked to complete the tion wherein students could readily engage in procrastination.
remainder of their Winter 2020 terms from home (e.g., online classes) to
help reduce community spread of this virus. However, the imple­ 6. Study 1
mentation of these changes has considerably interfered with students’
academic activities and led to psychological consequences (Jenei, In Study 1, we examined the relationships between students’ passion
Cassidy-Mathews, Virk, Lulie, & Closson, 2020). Recent reports indicate and emotions towards their studies, and academic procrastination. The
that students are experiencing anxiety, confusion and anger during this overarching hypothesis in the study was that OP for academia would
turbulent time (Brooks et al., 2020; Wang & Zhao, 2020). mostly predict negative emotions, and to a lesser extent positive emo­
Furthermore, the shift to online learning from home can make tions, when students were engaging in academic tasks. Conversely, HP
balancing school and work life quite difficult and create additional for one’s studies should positively predict positive, and negatively pre­
conditions to engage in procrastination. While at home in their spare dict negative emotions. In turn, negative emotions should positively,
time, students are watching television, reading, writing, playing games, whereas positive emotions should negatively, predict academic pro­
and searching about the pandemic online (Pan, 2020). Students who crastination (see Fig. 1).
work online from home have increased chances of procrastinating (e.g.,
due to online distractions such as Facebook, Meier, Reinecke, & Meltzer,
6.1. Method
2016; and “Internet Procrastination” behaviors, Lavoie & Pychyl, 2001).
Taken together, given that students procrastinate on their academic
6.1.1. Participants and procedure
tasks most often when they experience negative emotions and when
Participants were 210 undergraduate students who were recruited
distractions are present, examining students’ academic procrastination
via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants consisted of 133 males (63%)
while they are home during this pandemic is a rare and unique oppor­
and 77 females (37%), with ages ranging from 19 to 61 years (Mage =
tunity for new insights into this behavioral disposition at a critical time.
26.93 years, SD = 5.94 years) from universities in the United States and
Therefore, the third objective of the present paper was to study pro­
Canada. Most participants were currently studying in the pure and
crastination during the pandemic in Study 2.
applied sciences (e.g., mathematics, computer science, etc., 23.8%) or
social sciences (e.g., psychology, economics, etc., 22.9%). Participants
5. The present research
had to be full-time undergraduate students to qualify for this study.
Before starting the study, participants provided informed consent.
The purpose of the present research was to bridge together the theory
of procrastination as a form of emotion regulation and the DMP in two
6.1.2. Measures
studies, examining the mediating role of emotions between students’
passion and academic procrastination. The main goal of Study 1 was to
6.1.2.1. Passion for one’s studies. The Passion Scale (Marsh et al., 2013;
test the role of students’ passion and emotions towards their studies in
Vallerand et al., 2003) was used to assess students’ passion for their
procrastination within the academic context. Based on previous research
studies. The original passion scale was created to assess passion towards
on passion and affect (e.g., Bonneville-Roussy & Vallerand, 2018; Phil­
a given activity, but we slightly adapted it by changing the words from
ippe et al., 2010; Vallerand et al., 2003; Zhao et al., 2015), OP was
“this activity” to “my studies”. Research has shown the scale to have
assumed to positively relate to both negative and positive emotions,
high levels of validity and reliability with support for the bi-factorial
with its association to negative emotions being stronger, while HP was
structure in over 20 studies and has demonstrated invariance as a
hypothesized to relate negatively with negative emotions and positively
function of gender, language, and activities (Marsh et al., 2013; Val­
with positive emotions. In line with previous studies on academic
lerand, 2015; Vallerand & Rahimi, in press). The Passion Scale consists
emotions and procrastination, negative emotions about one’s studies
of six items measuring OP (e.g., “I have difficulties controlling my urge
were assumed to positively influence procrastination, whereas positive
to do my studies,” α = 0.91) and six items measuring HP (e.g., “My
emotions were hypothesized to negatively relate to procrastination (e.g.,
studies are in harmony with the other activities in my life,” α = 0.87).
Balkis & Duru, 2016; Rahimi, 2019; Sirois & Pychyl, 2013).
Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement with each item
The first goal of Study 2 was to replicate Study 1 and we hypothe­
on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not agree at all) to 7 (very
sized such replication. The second objective was to extend Study 1 by
strongly agree), while thinking of how they generally feel about their
adding students’ passion and emotions towards their favorite activity to
studies (e.g., writing term papers, studying for exams, doing weekly
the model and assess how they contribute to academic procrastination.
readings, attending lectures, etc.).
We predicted that passion and emotions for one’s second activity would
predict academic procrastination in the same way as passion for one’s
6.1.2.2. Negative and positive emotions in one’s studies. Negative and
studies. Finally, the third objective of this research was to conduct this
positive emotions were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect
project during the COVID-19 pandemic while the stay-at-home protocols
Scale (PANAS, Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). The PANAS consists of

Fig. 1. Path diagram for the hypothesized full mediation model.

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

20 items measuring negative emotions (10 items, e.g., “nervous,” α = obtained the final model (Table 2, Study 1: Modified model). Study 1
0.95) and positive emotions (10 items, e.g., “determined,” α = 0.87). results based on the standardized solutions showed that OP was posi­
Students were asked to indicate to what extent they generally felt each tively related to negative emotions (β = 0.67, p < 0.001), whereas HP
listed emotion when engaging in tasks related to their studies on a 5- was negatively to negative emotions (β = − 0.11, p < 0.05) and posi­
point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 tively related to positive emotions (β = 0.57, p < 0.001). Negative
(extremely). emotions, in turn, positively predicted procrastination (β = 0.48, p <
0.001), while positive emotions negatively predicted it (β = − 0.12, p <
6.1.2.3. Academic procrastination. Academic procrastination was 0.05). A direct significant path between OP and procrastination was also
assessed using The Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS, Steel, 2010). The observed (β = 0.26, p < 0.01; please see Fig. 2 and Table 2).
PPS consists of 12-items assessing procrastination and has shown high In addition, indirect effects were investigated to assess emotions as
levels of validity and reliability. Given that our aim was to investigate mediators in the relationship between passion and academic procrasti­
procrastination reflecting the delay of an intended action in the aca­ nation. All three indirect paths were statistically significant or
demic context, items from the PPS were chosen to reflect procrastination approaching significance (e.g., p = 0.065, as outlined in Table 3) and the
regarding students’ studies (e.g., “In preparation for some deadlines, I lower and higher limits for the bias-corrected 95% bootstrapped confi­
often waste time by doing other things,” α = 0.94). Thus, four items dence intervals (CI’s) did not cross through zero. Standardized results
which reflected decisional procrastination and/or related to money were indicated that the indirect path from OP to procrastination was medi­
removed (e.g., “Putting things off till the last minute has cost me money ated by negative emotions and the indirect path from HP to procrasti­
in the past”) resulting in an 8-item academic procrastination assessment. nation was mediated by both negative and positive emotions.
Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement with each item In sum, the results of Study 1 provided basic support for the proposed
on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not agree at all) to 7 (very model. Specifically, OP for academia predicted negative emotions.
strongly agree), while thinking of how they generally feel about their Conversely, HP for one’s studies negatively predicted negative emotions
studies (e.g., writing term papers, studying for exams, doing weekly and positively predicted positive emotions. In turn, negative emotions
readings, attending lectures, etc.). positively predicted procrastination, while positive emotions negatively
predicted procrastination. Accordingly, OP contributed to procrastina­
6.2. Results tion directly and via negative emotions, while HP for one’s studies was
found to be adaptive in predicting positive emotions, as well as nega­
6.2.1. Preliminary analyses tively predicting negative emotions, and thus reducing academic
Descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS (version 20.0, IBM procrastination.
Corp., 2011). In accordance with Tabachnick and Fidell (2007), the data
were checked (e.g., proofreading the data against the original items). In 7. Study 2
addition to data accuracy, underlying assumptions of parametric testing
were assessed (i.e., missing data and normality of the data). To address In Study 2, we sought to replicate and extend the model presented in
missing data, frequency analyses were conducted which showed that Study 1 during the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to one’s studies and
less than 0.05% of the data included missing cases. Furthermore, one’s favorite activity as contributors of procrastination (Doty et al.,
normality was assessed by investigating the skewness and kurtosis of the 2020). The principal hypothesis in Study 2 was that the role of academic
study variables. Using the descriptive function in SPSS, the values for passion and emotions in procrastination obtained in Study 1 would be
skewness and kurtosis for all of the variables were acceptable (i.e., no z- replicated. Furthermore, we also predicted that passion and emotions
value was above 3.29 for a sample size ranging from 50 to 300, Kim, for one’s second activity would also serve as predictors of procrastina­
2013). Means, standard deviations, Cronbach alphas as well as corre­ tion in line with the previous hypotheses regarding academic passion
lations among all study variables appear in Table 1. and emotions (Fig. 3).

6.2.2. Main analyses


To test the proposed model, a path analysis was conducted using the 7.1. Method
Mplus 8 (version 8, (Muthén & Muthén, 2007) software with the
Maximum Likelihood estimator. The effects were examined using 7.1.1. Participants and procedure
bootstrapping (10,000 samples, with 95% bias-corrected confidence Participants were 303 undergraduate students who were recruited
intervals [CI’s]).1 Paths were drawn according to the model in Fig. 1. In via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants consisted of 178 males
addition, to assess the goodness-of-fit of each model, absolute and in­ (59%), 124 females (41%), and one individual who self- identified as
cremental fit indices were examined including the Comparative Fit fluid, with ages ranging from 18 to 69 years (Mage = 26.13 years, SD =
Index (CFI), the Tucker Lewis Index (TLI), the Root Mean Square Error of 7.05 years) from North American Universities. Most participants were
Approximation (RMSEA), and the Standardized Root Mean Residual currently studying in the social sciences (25.1%) or pure and applied
(SRMR). Ideal ranges for satisfactory fit depend on sample size and with sciences (23.4%). To participate in this study, participants had to be full-
our sample, CFI/TLI above 0.97 and RMSEA/SRMR below 0.06 are time undergraduate students who had classes with upcoming deadlines
required for acceptable fit (Hair, Black, Babin, & Anderson, 2010). in the Winter 2020 term. Furthermore, students had to have been asked
Acceptable fit was not obtained for the hypothesized full mediation by their schools to complete the remainder of their academic term at
model (Table 2, Study 1: Full mediation). Given that prior research had home given that this data was collected during the stay-at-home pro­
suggested a direct link between OP and academic procrastination (e.g., tocols outlined for the COVID-19 pandemic in March–April of 2020.
Doty et al., 2020) and based on model modification indices, a direct path Each participant provided informed consent before completing the
was added between OP and academic procrastination, resulting in a questionnaires.
model with adequate fit (Table 2, Study 1: Partial mediation). Upon
removing a non-significant path between OP and positive emotions, we 7.1.2. Measures

7.1.2.1. Passion for one’s studies. The Passion Scale (Marsh et al., 2013;
1
Hypothesized models were ran without bootstrapping in order to view Vallerand et al., 2003) was used to assess academic passion as in Study 1
modification fit indices. Modified models were obtained using bootstrapping (OP, α = 0.90; HP, α = 0.88). Students were asked to indicate their level
(10,000 samples). of agreement with each item on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

Table 1
Psychometric properties of study variables and correlations (Study 1, N = 210).
M SD α 1 2 3 4

1. Obsessive passion 3.93 1.64 0.91 1


2. Harmonious passion 4.80 1.21 0.87 0.40** 1
3. Negative emotions 2.32 1.09 0.95 0.62** 0.15* 1
4. Positive emotions 3.52 0.79 0.87 0.25** 0.57** 0.05 1
5. Procrastination 4.03 1.67 0.94 0.53** 0.15* 0.63** − 0.04

* p < 0.05.
** p < 0.01.
*** p < 0.001.

Table 2
Results of the path analysis for the different models.
Model χ2 (df) CFI TLI RMSEA 90% CI SRMR

Study 1 (N = 210)
Hypothesized model: full mediation 15.811 (3) 0.958 0.873 0.143 0.079; 0.215 0.048
Hypothesized model: partial mediation (only OP) 2.823 (2) 0.997 0.988 0.044 0.000; 0.151 0.020
Modified model: partial mediation (only OP) 3.072 (3) 1.000 0.999 0.011 0.000; 0.117 0.017
Study 2 (N = 303)
Hypothesized model: full mediationa 22.803 (3)** 0.950 0.849 0.148 0.095; 0.207 0.041
Hypothesized model: partial mediation (only OP)a 2.707 (2) 0.998 0.992 0.034 0.000; 0.124 0.016
Hypothesized model: full mediationb 386.368 (18)** 0.648 0.414 0.260 0.238; 0.283 0.150
Hypothesized model: partial mediation (OPs and OPo)b 365.702 (16)** 0.666 0.374 0.269 0.245; 0.293 0.141
Modified model: partial mediationb 18.891 (10) 0.992 0.975 0.054 0.010; 0.091 0.038

Note. OPs = OP about studies. OPo = OP about other (i.e., second) favorite activity.
* p < 0.05.
** p < 0.01.
*** p < 0.001.
a
Replication study.
b
Extension study.

Fig. 2. Results of the path analysis: Study 1.


Note. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001.

agree at all) to 7 (very strongly agree), while thinking of how they about, indicate to what extent you feel the following emotions currently”
generally feel about their studies (e.g., writing term papers, studying for on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5
exams, doing weekly readings, attending lectures, etc.). (extremely).

7.1.2.2. Upcoming academic deadlines. Students were asked to specify 7.1.2.4. Academic procrastination. Academic procrastination was
two upcoming academic deadlines (when the deadline was, in what assessed using the same 8-item Pure Procrastination scale that was used
class, what type of task it was). The PANAS and the PPS were answered in Study 1 adapted to specifically refer to their academic assignments
in reference to these academic tasks/deadlines. (PPS, Steel, 2010, α = 0.94). In reference to their upcoming academic
deadlines, students were asked the following: “during the current
7.1.2.3. Negative and positive emotions about one’s studies. The same outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and while thinking of or while
scale that was used in Study 1 (PANAS, Watson et al., 1988) was used engaging in the academic assignments that you previously wrote about,
again to assess students’ academic negative (α = 0.94) and positive to what extent are you engaging in the following behaviors or thoughts
emotions (α = 0.92). Students were asked the following: “during the currently” on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not agree at all) to 7
current outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and while thinking of or (very strongly agree).
while engaging in the academic assignments that you previously wrote

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

Table 3
Bootstrap estimates of the indirect effects and their associated bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals.
Predictor Mediator Outcome β 95% CI p-Value

Indirect paths (Study 1)


OP Negative emotions Procrastination 0.32 [0.21, 0.44] p < 0.001
HP Negative emotions Procrastination − 0.05 [− 0.12, − 0.00] p = 0.065
HP Positive emotions Procrastination − 0.07 [− 0.14, − 0.00] p < 0.05
Indirect paths (Study 2)
OP (S)a Negative emotions (S) Procrastination 0.31 [0.24, 0.40] p < 0.001
OP (S)a Positive emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.07 [− 0.12, − 0.03] p < 0.01
HP (S)a Negative emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.13 [− 0.21, − 0.07] p < 0.001
HP (S)a Positive emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.07 [− 0.12, − 0.02] p < 0.05
OP (S)b Negative emotions (S) Procrastination 0.09 [0.04, 0.17] p < 0.01
OP (S)b Positive emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.09 [− 0.15, − 0.04] p < 0.01
HP (S)b Negative emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.04 [− 0.08, − 0.00] p = 0.053
HP (S)b Positive emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.06 [− 0.12, − 0.03] p < 0.01
OP (O)b Negative emotions (O) Procrastination 0.09 [0.04, 0.15] p < 0.01
HP (O)b Negative emotions (O) Procrastination − 0.06 [− 0.10, − 0.02] p < 0.01
OP (S)b Negative emotions (O) Procrastination 0.19 [0.12, 0.28] p < 0.001
OP (O)b Negative emotions (S) Procrastination 0.08 [0.03, 0.15] p < 0.01
HP (O)b Positive emotions (S) Procrastination − 0.03 [− 0.07, − 0.01] p < 0.05

Note. S = about studies. O = about other (i.e., second) favorite activity.


a
Replication study.
b
Extension study.

Fig. 3. Path diagram for the hypothesized full mediation model.

7.1.2.5. Favorite activity. Students were asked to specify their favorite ranging from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely).
activity (other than their studies) that they most often did instead of
working on their academic assignments. This is also referred to as the 7.2. Results
second activity. The Passion Scale and PANAS were answered in refer­
ence to these academic tasks/deadlines. 7.2.1. Preliminary analyses
Descriptive statistics were obtained using SPSS (version 20.0, IBM
7.1.2.6. Passion for another favorite activity. The Passion Scale was used Corp., 2011). The data were checked and cleaned (Tabachnick & Fidell,
to assess passion for another favorite activity (OP, α = 0.87; HP, α = 2007). The dataset contained no missing data. Normality was assessed
0.89). Students were asked to indicate their level of agreement with each by investigating the skewness and kurtosis of the study variables. Using
item on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not agree at all) to 7 (very the absolute values criterion, none of the study variables violated the
strongly agree), while thinking of how they generally feel about their assumption of normality (±2 for skewness and ±7 for kurtosis, as rec­
favorite activity. ommended for samples with greater than 300 participants, Kim, 2013).
Table 4 presents the descriptive statistics and correlations for all Study 2
7.1.2.7. Negative and positive emotions about another favorite activity. variables.
The PANAS was used to assess students’ negative (α = 0.97) and positive
emotions (α = 0.89) about their favorite activity. Students were asked to 7.2.2. Main analyses
indicate their level of agreement with each item on a 5-point Likert scale Path analysis was conducted using the Mplus 8 (version 8, Muthén &

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

Table 4
Psychometric properties of the study variables and correlations (Study 2, N = 303).
M SD α 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1. Obsessive passion (S) 3.86 1.57 0.90 1


2. Harmonious passion (S) 4.80 1.16 0.88 0.56** 1
3. Negative emotions (S) 2.51 1.08 0.94 0.44** 0.07 1
4. Positive emotions (S) 3.13 0.97 0.92 0.56** 0.55** 0.22** 1
5. Procrastination 3.88 1.61 0.94 0.40** 0.04 0.62** 0.08 1
6. Obsessive passion (O) 4.29 1.47 0.87 0.62** 0.30** 0.46** 0.37** 0.45** 1
7. Harmonious passion (O) 5.00 1.18 0.89 0.27** 0.50** 0.10 0.39** 0.07 0.50** 1
8. Negative emotions (O) 2.10 1.16 0.97 0.59** 0.16** 0.74** 0.40** 0.60** 0.45** 0.06 1
9. Positive emotions (O) 3.57 0.85 0.89 0.21** 0.38** 0.16** 0.52** 0.07 0.45** 0.67** 0.07

S = for studies, O = for the second favorite activity.


* p < 0.05.
** p < 0.01.
*** p < 0.001.

Muthén, 1998–2017) software with the Maximum Likelihood estimator. sake of parsimony: 1) between positive emotions for one’s second ac­
The effects were examined using bootstrapping (10,000 samples, with tivity and academic procrastination, and 2) OP for one’s studies and
95% bias-corrected confidence intervals [CI’s]). In addition, the same academic procrastination. The final model had acceptable fit (Table 2,
goodness-of-fit cut-offs that were used in Study 1 were used in Study 2 Study 2: Modified mediation — Extension).
(please see Table 2 for fit indices). To first replicate the findings from Results from Study 2 based on the standardized solutions showed
Study 1, paths were drawn from the endogenous variables (students’ OP that OP for one’s studies was positively related to negative emotions (β
and HP about their studies) to the mediators (students’ negative and = 0.34, p < 0.001), however, unlike Study 1, OP for one’s studies was
positive emotions about their studies), between the mediators and the positively related to positive emotions (β = 0.38, p < 0.001). On the
outcome variable (academic procrastination), and a covariance was other hand, HP for one’s studies was negatively related to negative
estimated between OP and HP. Acceptable fit was not obtained for the emotions (β = − 0.14, p < 0.05) and positively to positive emotions (β =
full mediation model (Table 2, Study 2: Full mediation — Replication). 0.28, p < 0.001). In line with Study 1, negative emotions, in turn,
Given the results of Study 1, a direct path between OP and academic positively predicted procrastination (β = 0.27, p < 0.001), while positive
procrastination was added and this partial mediation model had emotions negatively predicted it (β = − 0.23, p < 0.001). Furthermore,
acceptable fit (Table 2, Study 2: Partial mediation — Replication). OP for one’s second activity was also positively related to negative and
Results provided support for the basic model. Specifically, the stan­ positive emotions about one’s second activity (β = 0.23, p < 0.001; β =
dardized solutions showed that OP was positively related to negative (β 0.16, p < 0.01, respectively), while HP for one’s second activity led to
= 0.58, p < 0.001) and positive emotions (β = 0.36, p < 0.001), whereas less negative and more positive emotions about one’s second activity (β
HP was negatively to negative emotions (β = − 0.25, p < 0.001) and = − 0.15, p < 0.01; β = 0.59, p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, only
positively related to positive emotions (β = 0.35, p < 0.001). Negative negative emotions about one’s second activity were positively related to
emotions, in turn, positively predicted procrastination (β = 0.54, p < academic procrastination (β = 0.39, p < 0.001), with no relationship
0.001), while positive emotions negatively predicted it (β = − 0.18, p < found between positive emotions for one’s second activity and pro­
0.01). Also, the direct path between OP and procrastination was sig­ crastination behaviors.
nificant (β = 0.26, p < 0.001). Indirect effects were all also statistically Findings were mostly consistent with our hypotheses, however,
significant (p < 0.05) and the corresponding bias-corrected 95% boot­ cross-paths were also uncovered such that both OP’s were related to
strapped CI’s did not cross through zero (see Table 4). Results showed negative emotions in the opposite activity (i.e., OP for studies was
that the indirect path from OP to procrastination was mediated by positively related to negative emotions in one’s second activity, β =
negative and positive emotions and the indirect path from HP to pro­ 0.49, p < 0.001; and OP for one’s second activity was positively related
crastination was mediated by both negative and positive emotions. to negative emotions in studies; β = 0.29, p < 0.001), and HP for one’s
Thus, the findings from Study 1 were replicated, with the addition of one second activity was positively related to positive emotions in studies (β
path between OP and positive emotions about students’ studies. = 0.15, p < 0.01). Lastly, one direct path between OP for one’s second
A second path analysis was conducted to extend upon this model and activity and procrastination was uncovered (β = 0.24, p < 0.001; please
include students’ passion and emotions about their favorite activities see Fig. 4).
other than their studies. To begin, paths were drawn from each OP and In addition, indirect effects were investigated with standardized re­
HP to both negative and positive emotions, and between these emotions sults indicating that the indirect paths from OP for one’s studies to
and academic procrastination. Covariances between all OP’s and HP’s procrastination were mediated by negative and positive emotions about
were also estimated. We hypothesized a full mediational model. one’s studies. Indirect paths from HP for one’s studies to procrastination
Acceptable fit was not obtained for the full mediation model (Table 2, were also mediated by both negative and positive emotions about one’s
Study 2: Full mediation — Extension). Given the results of Study 1, past studies (as outlined in Table 3). With respect to students’ favorite ac­
passion research, and as suggested by the modification indices, direct tivity other than their studies, indirect paths from OP and HP to pro­
paths between OP for both academic studies and favorite activity and crastination were mediated by negative emotions. In addition, cross-
academic procrastination were added. However, this partial mediation domain indirect effects were found such that negative emotions in one
model also did not have acceptable fit (Table 2, Study 2: Partial medi­ domain mediated the relationship between OP in the other domain and
ation — Extension). Three additional changes were made which resulted academic procrastination. Lastly, positive emotions for one’s studies
in our modified model. First, by reviewing the modification indices, mediated the relationship between HP for one’s second activity and
several (5) covariances were added among all negative and positive procrastination.
emotions for one’s studies and for one’s second activity. Second, cross- In sum, the results of Study 2 provided further support for Study 1’s
activity paths between some of the passion and emotions variables were proposed model in demonstrating that one’s OP for academia influences
added (e.g., OP for one’s studies to negative emotions about one’s sec­ negative emotions which in turn, positively predicted procrastination,
ond activity). Lastly, two non-significant paths were removed for the while HP for one’s studies positively influenced positive emotions that,

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

Fig. 4. Results of the path analysis: Study 2.


Note. *p < 0.05. **p < 0.01. ***p < 0.001. The covariance was estimated between all OP’s and HP’s but are not presented in the figure for parsimony reasons.

in turn, negatively influenced academic procrastination. However, un­ second activity were unrelated to procrastination in Study 2. In Study 2,
like Study 1, a novel path was uncovered between OP for one’s studies two cross-paths were also uncovered in which OP for students’ studies
and positive emotions about one’s studies. Past research has also found and second activity were related to negative emotions in the other ac­
that OP sometimes contributes to positive emotions during activity tivity, and HP for one’s second activity was positively related to positive
engagement (Vallerand, 2015). In addition, passion and emotions for emotions in one’s studies. Lastly, a direct path was found for OP for
one’s favorite activity also played a role in procrastination where one’s studies (Study 1) and second activity (Study 2) with
negative emotions and OP were directly related to academic procrasti­ procrastination.
nation. These findings suggest that, the emotional and behavioral costs
associated with OP potentially outweigh any pleasant emotions expe­ 8.1. The role of academic passion in academic procrastination behaviors
rienced while engaging in one’s favorite activity. In addition, HP for
one’s studies was found to negatively influence negative emotions and A first implication of the present findings is that passion for academic
positively influence positive emotions in both academic and leisure activities is involved in academic procrastination. Contrary to previous
contexts, leading to optimal behavioral outcomes with respect to aca­ research which had consistently found procrastination to take place on
demic procrastination. In sum, results of Study 2 largely supported the academic tasks that students found unpleasant (e.g., task-aversiveness,
hypotheses on the role of passion and emotions in procrastination. Steel, 2007), the present findings are the first to show that procrasti­
nation also takes place with respect to academic activities that students
8. General discussion are passionate about, to the extent that their passion for academia is
obsessive. Higher levels of HP were associated with lower levels of self-
The principal purpose of the present research was to examine the role reported procrastination. These findings are in line with other research
of passion for academia in academic procrastination in two separate on passion for academia that shows OP to lead to negative outcomes
studies. The second and third objectives of this research were to examine such as burnout, whereas HP leads to beneficial outcomes by positively
an extended passion and procrastination model in which the mediating contributing to well-being (e.g., work satisfaction; Vallerand, Paquet,
role of emotions between students’ passion and academic procrastina­ Philippe, & Charest, 2010). As discussed later, such effects are largely
tion in both academic (i.e., students’ studies) and leisure contexts (i.e., mediated by negative and positive emotions, respectively.
students’ favorite activity other than their studies) were assessed during The present findings also provide support for the DMP that posits that
an unprecedented tumultuous time dealing with the COVID-19 OP entails a maladaptive form of engagement in the beloved activity
pandemic. Our main hypotheses concerning students’ passion, emo­ that leads to a less than optimal on-task engagement experience. Past
tions, and procrastination for their studies and their second activities research has also shown OP to lead to dropping out of a variety of
were supported for Studies 1 and 2 showing that: 1) OP was positively passionate activities such as sports (Vallerand et al., 2003, Study 2),
related to negative emotions, 2) HP was negatively related to negative music (Bonneville-Roussy, Vallerand, & Bouffard, 2013), and romantic
emotions and positively with positive emotions, and 3) negative emo­ relationships (Ratelle, Carbonneau, Vallerand, & Mageau, 2013).
tions positively related to procrastination, whereas positive emotions However, the present research is the first to show that OP results in
negatively related to procrastination (in each activity, respectively). short-term withdrawal from the activity (i.e., procrastination) and such
Disconfirming our initial hypotheses, OP for students’ studies was un­ is not the case with HP where one can remain engaged in academia when
related to positive emotions in Study 1, and positive emotions for one’s required.

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

8.2. The mediational role of emotions in the passion/procrastination link contributes to procrastination in two ways. First, it leads to negative
emotions while engaging in the non-academic activity that, in turn,
The second implication of the present findings is that as expected, leads to academic procrastination. It would then seem that the person
emotions were found to be the key mediating process between passion may experience some negative emotions such as guilt and anxiety
and academic procrastination. It was hypothesized that academic OP (Vallerand et al., 2003, Study 1) that may lead students to further
would be positively related to negative emotions that, in turn, would engage in the non-academic activity to alleviate the negative emotions.
predict procrastination. Conversely, it was hypothesized that HP would Second, OP for the favorite activity also leads to negative emotions while
predict positive emotions that, in turn, would negatively predict pro­ engaging in academic activities. It would thus appear that one may
crastination. Results from both studies provided support for these hy­ experience some sense of irritability and distress while engaging in ac­
potheses. Specifically, in line with the DMP (Vallerand, 2010), students’ ademic activities as one would rather engage in alternative non-
OP positively, and students’ HP negatively, influenced negative emo­ academic activities. This reasoning is in line with the findings of Car­
tions in both studies. In addition, while students’ OP was unrelated to, pentier et al. (2012) that showed that OP for one’s favorite activity leads
and students’ HP positively influenced positive emotions in Study 1, one to ruminate while studying, thereby undermining positive states
both OP and HP positively influenced positive emotions in Study 2. while studying. Such was not the case with HP which was found to
In turn, students’ negative emotions about their studies/favorite promote positive affective states when studying.
activities were positively associated with procrastination in both These findings are in line with those of Vallerand (1997) that posited
studies, supporting the notion that procrastination is a form of mis­ that a complete analysis of motivational effects on a given activity must
regulation and showing that students avoid academic tasks to relieve take into account motivational processes in the different life domains in
themselves of negative emotions associated with doing or completing one’s life. In addition, the present results are in line with those of
such activities (e.g., Pychyl & Sirois, 2016). Moreover, results from Schellenberg and Bailis (2015) who showed that it is possible to be
Study 2 specifically extend our understanding of the influence of nega­ passionate for two activities in one’s life and the highest level of well-
tive emotions on academic procrastination seeing as negative emotions being is attained when HP is experienced for both. The present find­
about another activity also influence students’ procrastination on aca­ ings follow this line of reasoning as they underscore that the highest
demic tasks. level of protection from procrastination takes place when one has a HP
Of major importance, students’ positive emotions about their studies for both in academia as well as for one’s favorite activity (i.e., the second
mediated the relationship between OP (Study 2)/HP (Studies 1 and 2) activity). Focusing on simply the academic sphere provides only a
and academic procrastination. Specifically, as hypothesized, students’ limited view of the psychological processes at play in procrastination.
positive emotions for their studies was negatively related to academic
procrastination in both studies. Thus, high levels of positive emotions 8.4. The role of COVID-19 in passion, emotions, and academic
were associated with lower levels of procrastination on academic tasks. procrastination
Similar to other findings demonstrating that situational positive affect
mediated the relationship between HP and subjective well-being (e.g., During this current COVID-19 pandemic, the present findings
Rousseau & Vallerand, 2008), positive emotions are conceptualized as yield some insights regarding procrastination and how it may take
adaptive in nature and lead to better decision-making processes by place. Although some learning and leisure activities can be done at
broadening a person’s awareness of their thought-action repertoire (e.g., home (e.g., cooking, watching television, online classes), others
Broaden-and-Build Theory, Fredrickson, 2001). These results provide a cannot under quarantine conditions (e.g., attending classes or doing
strong rationale for incorporating the enhancement of students’ positive group projects in person, seeing friends, engaging in group activities
emotions, instead of focusing only on reducing negative emotional ex­ such as sports or playing an instrument in a band). Based on pre­
periences in future intervention studies. As theorized, combining the vious work illustrating the inner workings of OP, having to choose
notion of procrastination as emotion regulation with the DMP illustrates among tasks, or being prevented from doing what one loves pro­
a more comprehensive, refined, and complete analysis of the academic duces unfavorable consequences for students with this type of pas­
procrastination process. sion. During this pandemic, the lines between schoolwork and life
Given that prior research has focused on the relationships between have become more blurred and students must choose which activ­
anxiety and procrastination, we conducted supplemental analyses (with ities to pursue. Students with OP persist rigidly towards their goals
data from Study 2) using specific items from the PANAS scale which and this form of perseverance is accompanied with conflict
reflected anxiety (e.g., distressed, scared, nervous, jittery, and afraid). regarding what one “should be doing” (Vallerand, 2015). Thus,
Our results showed that the magnitude of the correlations was slightly students who have an OP for leisure tasks that are accessible to
smaller between anxiety and procrastination than negative emotions them during the pandemic (e.g., Internet games) may experience
and procrastination, especially with respect to students’ studies (e.g., conflict in trying to decide if they should engage in online classes
studies: r = 0.62 vs. 0.55, other activity: r = 0.60 vs. 0.58). Thus, it or engage in their favorite online activities. Conversely, students
appears that anxiety is not the only negative emotion influencing aca­ who are prevented from engaging in their favorite activities (e.g.,
demic procrastination. Consequently, other negative emotions besides cannot go to class or see their friends to play guitar) may also
anxiety (e.g., shame, guilt, hopelessness, etc.) are worth considering in experience some frustration given that OP is strongly related to
future procrastination research. negative affect when one is prevented from engaging in the
passionate activity (e.g., Vallerand et al., 2003). Such is not the
8.3. The role of passion for a second activity in academic procrastination case with HP as it was found to relate to positive emotions and
behaviors negatively relate with procrastination. Thus, the present findings
suggest that in order to be successful during a pandemic such as the
The third implication of the present research is that passion towards current one, education should encourage students to develop a HP
alternative activities in students’ lives also play a role in procrastination. not only for academic activities but also for the other activities in
As previously mentioned, in the place of academic activities such as the other spheres of their life such as music, sports, and the like.
working on academic assignments, or preparing for final examinations, One is referred to Vallerand (2015, 2016), Bélanger, Nisa, Schumpe,
students engage in activities that they love like playing a musical in­ and Chamberland (2019), and Dubreuil et al. (2016) for strategies
strument and playing sports. However, the type of passion underlying to promote HP and limit OP.
one’s engagement in these other activities matters greatly as pertains to
procrastination. Having an OP for a favorite non-academic activity

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S. Rahimi and R.J. Vallerand Personality and Individual Differences 179 (2021) 110852

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There were some limitations in the present research. First, because a being. Psychology of Music, 48(2), 266–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/
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inferred. Although past research has shown that experimental in­ Bonneville-Roussy, A., Vallerand, R. J., & Bouffard, T. (2013). The roles of autonomy
support and harmonious and obsessive passions in educational persistence. Learning
ductions of OP and HP lead to similar findings as measuring them with and Individual Differences, 24, 22–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2012.12.015.
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Lafrenière, Vallerand, & Sedikides, 2013), future research should be Rubin, G. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it:
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assessment, teachers’ assessment) reports of procrastination. Third, Curran, T., Hill, A. P., Appleton, P. R., Vallerand, R. J., & Standage, M. (2015). The
most students were from Canadian and American Universities. Thus, psychology of passion: A meta-analytical review of a decade of research on
additional research is necessary to assess whether these findings hold in intrapersonal outcomes. Motivation and Emotion, 39(5), 631–655. https://doi.org/
10.1007/s11031-015-9503-0.
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10.1016/j.chb.2019.08.014.
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Declaration of competing interest
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Lafrenière, M. A. K., Vallerand, R. J., & Sedikides, C. (2013). On the relation between
We have no conflict of interest to disclose. self-enhancement and life satisfaction: The moderating role of passion. Self and
Identity, 12(6), 597–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2012.713558.
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Acknowledgments superhighway: A web-based survey of online procrastination, attitudes, and emotion.
Social Science Computer Review, 19(4), 431–444. https://doi.org/10.1177/
We would like to acknowledge two funders: (1) Chaire de Recherche 089443930101900403.
Lopes, M., & Vallerand, R. J. (2020). The role of passion, need satisfaction, and conflict in
du Canada sur les Processus Motivationels et le Fonctionnement athletes’ perceptions of burnout. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 48, 101674.
Optimal, Canada, Grant ID #950-230793, and (2) Recherches https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101674.
Théoriques et Appliquées sur les Processus Motivationnels, Canada, Marsh, H. W., Vallerand, R. J., Lafrenière, M.-A. K., Parker, P., Morin, A. J. S.,
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