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This article is methodological in nature, addressing and discussing the challenges the research team encountered in constructing a new international well-being index called the World Love Index. This index represents the first quantitative operationalization of the concept of Social Love, which seeks to capture actions or social relationships characterized by excess and care for the benefit of individuals outside the primary circle, loved for their irreducibility. Starting with a discussion of the project's objective rooted in the Beyond GDP debate, the article first analyzes the theoretical definition of Social Love and its semantic dimensions for operationalization. It then focuses on the methodological construction of the index through secondary data analysis, particularly examining the transition from the first wave to the second wave. Through the first wave of the WLI, this concept was systematically investigated on a transnational level. However, the first wave faced criticism for its weaknesses due to decisions made during the index's construction. This paper, from a purely methodological perspective, demonstrates how the second wave of the WLI aims to address these challenges and turn them into strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the protective role of emotional relationships and rehabilitative actions in reducing recidivism within the prison context. Data were collected from three Italian prisons as part of the European project "Calypsos". This study examines the role of love across its various expressions and components in the social reintegration of inmates, exploring how family ties, educational programs, and employment opportunities contribute to their well-being and socio-affective regeneration. Descriptive analyses and multiple linear regression were used to assess the impact of these factors on recidivism. The results indicate that stable family relationships, positive interactions with teachers, and meaningful work experiences significantly reduce the likelihood of reoffending. The findings highlight the necessity of policies supporting the maintenance of emotional bonds and the provision of educational and vocational training within prisons. This study concludes that integrating these elements into rehabilitation strategies can improve inmate outcomes, reduce recidivism, and enhance social cohesion. Finally, the article identifies love as a performative right as a future research direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to explore how attitudes to science and scientists may be related to anti-vax positions and whether the psychological trait known as Need for Closure may influence the relationship between any or all of these attitudes. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1128 young people aged 18–25 living in Italy during the COVID-19 health crisis. Based on the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which allowed the extraction of a three-factor solution (scepticism about science, unrealistic expectations about science and anti-vax postures), we tested our hypotheses by means of a structural equation model. We found that anti-vax positions are strongly correlated with sceptical views of science, while unrealistic expectations about science affect attitudes to vaccination only indirectly. Either way, Need for Closure emerged as a key variable in our model, as it significantly moderates the effect of both factors on anti-vax positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why sometimes people use their own resources to help unknown others? What drives an entrepreneur to adopt expensive socially responsible behaviours? What prompts a public employee to spend time with a customer outside the working hours?

School guidance in general terms and, more specifically, school career guidance are effective means for the positive development of students in the academic and personal-social domains, as well as in their approach toward the labor market. Indeed, guidance programs can boost dimensions that play a relevant role in keeping students' high motivation within the academic context, thus preventing drop-out, ameliorating their academic achievement and orienting them toward their future career. In light of this, the present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different guidance tools in producing more specific increases in participants' self-efficacy, self-esteem, attitude toward enterprise and in several EntreComp dimensions. The main focus is on the Career ToolVip24, a career guidance tool developed in Norway. The study, which is part of the European Project Erasmus+ KA2 "Tool VIP24", was conducted across four European countries (i.e., Germany, Italy, Norway and Poland), involving middle and high school students ranging from the 8th to the 13th grade. Results indicate how the students participating in the Career ToolVip24, but not the students in the control group nor students participating in other guidance tools, significantly ameliorated in many of the investigated dimensions (including self-efficacy, self-esteem and attitude toward enterprise) at a postintervention evaluation compared to a pre-intervention evaluation. The implications of the results for students' attitude toward both the school and the labor market are discussed, together with the limitations of the study and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]