Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026

The Modified Temptation Resistance Task: A Paradigm to Elicit Children's Strategic Lie-telling
Published on: April 6, 2018
Bidirectional relationship between autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat" among Chinese youth
Huanhua Lu1, Jinli Wang1, Feng Kong2
1School of Marxism, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, China.
Objective:
Amid China's competitive social environment, young people increasingly perceive "involution" as undermining autonomy, with some asserting that "lying flat" serves as an autonomy-restoring strategy. Here, we attempted to explore whether unmet autonomy needs drive "lying flat" or if "lying flat" genuinely fulfils individuals' autonomy need through empirical research.
Method:
We combined a large-sample questionnaire survey (Study 1) and a longitudinal follow-up study (Study 2) to investigate the relationship between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat".
Results:
In Study 1, we found that there was a significant negative correlation between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat". More importantly, the cross-lagged analysis in Study 2 found that individuals' autonomy need satisfaction negatively predicted "lying flat" 1 month later, and "lying flat" also negatively predicted individuals' autonomy need satisfaction 1 month later.
Conclusions:
These findings revealed a bidirectional negative prediction relationship between individuals' autonomy need satisfaction and "lying flat", which challenge the folk viewpoint that "lying flat" satisfies autonomy needs.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Close Relationships and Culture
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Strategies of Self-Presentation II: Self-Verification
Relationship Growth
Self-Discrepancy Theory

