Interpersonal adaptation means that individuals consciously actively adjust their own ideas and behavior patterns, provide warmth and support to others, and establish and maintain a social atmosphere full of goodwill, so as to achieve good communication with others, establish harmonious relations, and adapt to modern society (Tian,2018). Good interpersonal adaptation is the necessary condition of college students' study and life, the guarantee of their adaptation to society, and the important cornerstone of their service to society and career development. However, with the rapid development of the information age and the increasing complexity of social relations, college students are more prone to interpersonal maladjustment when they are not equipped with mature mind and good self-control ability. Studies have shown that college students' interpersonal adaptability is closely related to their individual mental health and academic performance. A low level of interpersonal adaptability will produce negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, inferiority complex and loneliness, and fail to form harmonious friendships, resulting in the loss of individuals' social needs (Wang,2022). Physical exercise is conducive to the formation of good interpersonal relationships among college students, is conducive to individual physical and mental health, and promotes individual development. In the process of participating in physical exercise, it can help college students establish self-confidence, make them dare to communicate with others and be willing to get along with others, especially group physical exercise can meet the needs of college students in interpersonal communication. Improve the interpersonal adaptability of college students (Zhang,2013). Therefore, in this study, we attempt to explore the mechanism of the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation of college students, as well as the mediating role of self-control and personal growth initiative in this relationship, in order to provide theoretical guidance for improving interpersonal adaptation of college students.
1.1Physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation
Physical exercise refers to a kind of physical activity carried out by individuals with the help of various physical exercise techniques and methods under certain natural and sanitary conditions with the goal of strengthening the body, developing sports ability and promoting mental health development (Zheng,2019). At present, researchers have conducted relevant studies on the relationship between college students' physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation. According to the study (Li,2021), college students' physical exercise level is significantly positively correlated with interpersonal adaptation, and the interpersonal adaptation dimension under social adaptation has the greatest correlation with physical exercise level. (Sun et al,2019) pointed out that there is a correlation between physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation of college students, and the correlation size is affected by the intensity of physical activity. The positive impact of high-intensity physical activity on interpersonal adaptation is significantly higher than that of low-intensity physical activity on interpersonal adaptation. Physical exercise provides a platform for individuals to participate in social activities, and its participation, competition and cooperation promote the communication between people and enhance the emotional exchange between them, which is also a reflection of social emotions. In this way, college students who participate in physical exercise are strengthened by the society, get the opportunity to participate in social interaction and enhance feelings, and form good interpersonal adaptability (Liu&Qu,2017). Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 1: College students' physical exercise has a significant predictive effect on interpersonal adaptation.
1.2The mediating role of self-control
Self-control is a process in which individuals regulate their original habitual thoughts and behaviors, restrain their negative thoughts and control their impulsive behaviors, so as to achieve their positive development goals. It is one of the important will qualities of individuals (Wang,2020). The self-control power model theory shows that: Self-control behavior will consume self-control resources, which have a certain reserve and can be gradually recovered after consumption. Such self-consumption is similar to muscle fatigue caused by exercise (Yu et al,2013), while physical exercise requires input of self-control resources. Therefore, domestic scholars concluded that physical exercise can also improve the resource reserves of self-control in the same way as improving muscle endurance, and found through experiments that adhering to physical exercise can improve the resource reserves of self-control (He&Shi,2015). According to relevant studies, physical exercise has been proved to have a significant positive correlation with self-control ability (zhu et al,2014; Yao,2018; Zhang et al,2018), and can promote the development of college students' self-control (Schondube et al, 2017). college students with high physical exercise level have stronger self-control ability than those with low physical exercise level (Huang,2017).
The improvement of self-control ability enables individuals to make reasonable adjustment and control when facing the temptation of reality, bad life experience and unreasonable psychological needs, so that their behavior is more in line with social norms, which increases the degree of acceptance and recognition by everyone, and interpersonal relations will be more harmonious. In other words, individuals' interpersonal adaptability has been developed accordingly (Tangney et al.,2004). According to studies, self-control is significantly positively correlated with interpersonal adaptation,The stronger the self-control ability, the higher the interpersonal adaptation level (Zhang,2018). Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 2: Self-control plays an intermediary role in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation.
1.3The mediating role of personal growth initiative
Personal growth initiative refers to the psychological tendency and awareness activities that individuals actively carry out self-improvement and self-improvement in the process of growth, focusing on how individuals actively seek opportunities suitable for their own development through independent regulation to improve their level of psychological awareness and achieve the purpose of change and growth (Robitschek,1998). In addition to physical fitness and sports skills, the impact of physical exercise on college students is more important to cultivate people's character and quality, improve interpersonal relations, promote the effect of individual socialization, and promote the initiative of college students' personal growth (Zhang,2010). Robitschek(1997), who proposed the theory of personal growth initiative, designed the earliest intervention scheme of personal growth initiative: the life/career renewal courses (LCR courses). This intervention program was a self-consciously implemented physical exercise activity lasting 8 to 15 days by the participants, and the results showed that the physical exercise activity effectively improved the level of personal growth initiative of the participants, and remained stable three months after the intervention (Guo,2018). Studies have proved (Lv,2019) that personal growth initiative has a significant positive impact on interpersonal adaptation. Individuals with high personal growth initiative are more inclined to take the initiative to explore themselves or seek external help to achieve their own growth, showing higher enthusiasm and self-confidence. Therefore, they tend to have a higher ability in interpersonal adaptation than those individuals with lower levels of personal growth initiative. Individuals with high personal growth initiative also tend to show more positive attitudes and behaviors in interpersonal communication, thus showing better interpersonal adaptation level (Martin, 2009). Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 3: Personal growth initiative plays an intermediary role in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation.
1.4The chain mediating role of self-control and personal growth initiative
Self-control positively predicts personal growth initiative. Individuals with high self-control ability have more psychological resources and are able to self-regulate and control their behavior and thinking, so as to better implement the goal of self-development and growth. The achievement of the goal prompts individuals to have higher self-efficacy and self-worth. To participate more actively in their own growth and development (Wu & Li,2023). At the same time, individuals with a higher level of self-control will consciously carry out, control and adjust their own behaviors to actively overcome difficulties, so the level of personal growth initiative is also higher (Huang,2022). The self-control behaviors that individuals may choose include corrective self-control behavior, improvement self-control behavior and growth self-control behavior. Growth self-control behavior is not only a simple stress behavior, but a more challenging and positive experience, which is beneficial to individual self-realization and growth development (Zhao & Xu,2011). Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 4: Self-control and personal growth initiative play a chain mediating role in the relationship between physical exercise and interpersonal adaptation.