# Social interactions and affective neuroscience personality traits among Chinese educators: a randomized intervention study on wellbeing

## TL;DR

This study shows that short interventions based on brain-based emotion theories can improve teachers' emotional health and job satisfaction.

## Contribution

The study applies Affective Neuroscience Theory to teacher wellbeing through structured interventions, showing modifiable emotional traits in educators.

## Key findings

- Both interventions increased positive emotional systems (SEEKING, CARING, PLAYING) and reduced negative ones (FEAR, SADNESS).
- Emotional and occupational improvements were maintained for three months after the interventions.
- Stress management interventions had more pronounced effects on emotional and social outcomes than communication training.

## Abstract

Teacher wellbeing is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of instructional quality and professional sustainability. However, evidence-based interventions grounded in neurobiological models of emotion remain limited in educational contexts. Drawing on Affective Neuroscience Theory (ANT), which conceptualizes primary emotional systems such as SEEKING, CARING, and PLAYING as foundational to adaptive functioning, this study examines whether brief, well-structured interventions can modulate trait-level emotional functioning and relate to occupational and social outcomes among teachers. Here, we focus on ANT-defined trait-like primary emotional systems rather than broader applied constructs (e.g., emotional intelligence), and we interpret changes as shifts in trait-level affective functioning.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 182 Chinese secondary school teachers assigned to a four-week social interaction stress management program, a four-week communication skills training program, or a no-intervention control group. The two interventions followed a parallel structure but targeted distinct affective pathways. Primary emotional traits were assessed using the Chinese Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales, and work engagement and satisfaction with social interactions were measured with validated self-report instruments. Mixed-design ANOVAs were used to evaluate changes from pre-intervention to post-intervention and to a three-month follow-up.

Compared with the control group, both intervention groups showed greater increases in positive primary emotional systems (SEEKING, CARING, and PLAYING) and reductions in negative affective systems (FEAR and SADNESS, and to a lesser extent ANGER), with changes generally more pronounced in the stress management condition. Modest improvements in work engagement and satisfaction with social interactions were also observed in the intervention groups. Most emotional and occupational changes were maintained at the three-month follow-up.

The findings suggest that brief, theory-driven interventions may be associated with meaningful changes in teachers’ affective profiles and related occupational outcomes. By applying an ANT-based framework within an educational setting, this study contributes to the growing literature on affective plasticity and teacher wellbeing and highlights the potential value of neuroscience-informed approaches in professional development. Future research should further examine underlying mechanisms, longer-term sustainability, and cross-cultural generalizability. Conceptually, the study helps position ANT-based primary emotional systems as modifiable affective dispositions within teacher professional development, offering an experimentally grounded complement to the broader teacher wellbeing intervention literature.