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. 2025 Jul 24:16:1605528.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1605528. eCollection 2025.

The moderating role of legal emotions in the relationship between sensation seeking and risk-taking behaviors among college students

Zhiqiang Wang  1 , Min Zhang  2 , Shuhui Xu  2
Affiliations

The moderating role of legal emotions in the relationship between sensation seeking and risk-taking behaviors among college students

Zhiqiang Wang et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The dual-system model proposes that asynchronous maturation of the socioemotional and cognitive control systems underlies the high incidence of adolescent risk-taking. Although sensation seeking is strongly linked to such behaviors, the role of social emotions-particularly legal emotion-remains underexplored. In this study, 127 university students completed a sensation-seeking scale and the College Students' Legal Emotions Questionnaire. A subset of 110 participants with valid survey data then undertook an objective behavioral assessment of risk-taking (Balloon Analogue Risk Task). Results indicated that sensation seeking significantly and positively predicted risk-taking propensity, and that positive legal emotions attenuated this effect, whereas negative legal emotions showed no moderating impact. These findings highlight a novel intervention target: fostering positive legal emotions via school-based legal education may effectively reduce adolescent risk-taking behaviors.

Keywords: college students; legal education; legal emotions; risk-taking behaviors; sensation seeking.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Moderating effect of positive legal emotions on the relationship between sensation seeking and risk-taking behavior in college students.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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