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<p>The term involution has been widely adopted by Chinese college students to describe experiences of over-competition and diminishing returns in education. Academic involution appears to provide little developmental benefit while imposing psychological and physiological costs, yet prior research has lacked a clear definition and standardized measurement. Across four studies, we advanced its conceptualization and assessment. Study 1 identified four recurrent features from the literature and confirmed that these also structure public understandings. Building on this foundation, Study 2 developed and validated the Core Academic Involution Scale (CAIS), confirming a three-factor structure with strong psychometric properties. Study 3 demonstrated that the CAIS aligns with students’ lived experiences of academic involution, supporting its ecological validity. Study 4 further examined the nomological network of the CAIS, showing that CAIS scores were higher among individuals with stronger zero-sum beliefs, were associated with higher anxiety, poorer sleep, and lower life satisfaction, and were negligibly associated with creative tendency. Taken together, these studies provide an integrative framework and validated measurement tool for academic involution, laying a foundation for future research on its educational and psychological implications.</p>

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Academic involution as a rat race at expense of health and well-being

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月14日

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  • Yingying Liu,
  • Xintong Xie,
  • Fengjie Yang,
  • Shunmin Zhang

摘要

The term involution has been widely adopted by Chinese college students to describe experiences of over-competition and diminishing returns in education. Academic involution appears to provide little developmental benefit while imposing psychological and physiological costs, yet prior research has lacked a clear definition and standardized measurement. Across four studies, we advanced its conceptualization and assessment. Study 1 identified four recurrent features from the literature and confirmed that these also structure public understandings. Building on this foundation, Study 2 developed and validated the Core Academic Involution Scale (CAIS), confirming a three-factor structure with strong psychometric properties. Study 3 demonstrated that the CAIS aligns with students’ lived experiences of academic involution, supporting its ecological validity. Study 4 further examined the nomological network of the CAIS, showing that CAIS scores were higher among individuals with stronger zero-sum beliefs, were associated with higher anxiety, poorer sleep, and lower life satisfaction, and were negligibly associated with creative tendency. Taken together, these studies provide an integrative framework and validated measurement tool for academic involution, laying a foundation for future research on its educational and psychological implications.