Table 1 Item-total correlation of the 40 items in SAS II (N = 435)

Social Cynicism

 1. People create hurdles to prevent others from succeeding.

0.50

 2. People dislike others who succeed in life.

0.46

 3. Powerful people tend to exploit others.

0.49

 4. People who become rich and successful forget the people who helped

them along the way.

0.45

    5. Kind-hearted people usually suffer losses.

0.58

 6. Opportunities for people to get wealthy promote dishonesty.

0.57

 7. Kind-hearted people are easily bullied.

0.55

 8. The only way to get ahead is to take advantage of others. **

0.37

Reward for Application

 1. One will succeed if he/she really tries.

0.49

 2. Success requires strong willpower.

0.57

 3. Hard-working people are well rewarded.

0.55

 4. Adversity can be overcome by effort.

0.64

 5. Difficult problems can be overcome by hard work and persistence.

0.68

 6. Hard working people will achieve more in the end.

0.59

 7. Endurance and determination are key to achieving goals.

0.68

 8. Building the way step by step leads to success. **

0.22

Social Complexity

 1. There is usually more than one good way to handle a situation.

0.58

 2. A person’s behavior is influenced by many factors.

0.71

 3. People can suddenly lose everything they have.

0.66

 4. Many issues appear far more complicated than they really are.

0.71

 5. People with different opinions can all be correct.

0.56

 6. People may have opposite behaviors on different occasions.

0.64

 7. One has to deal with matters according to the specific circumstances.

0.64

 8. A bad situation can suddenly change for the better. **

0.39

Fate Control

 1. Fate determines one’s successes and failures.

0.55

 2. Fate determines a person’s success in life.

0.61

 3. Matters of life and death are determined by fate.

0.61

 4. There are ways for people to find out about their fate.

0.56

 5. The people whom a person will love in his or her life is determined by fate.

0.51

 6. Individual characteristics, such as appearance and birthday, can reveal

one’s fate.

0.58

 7. Luck can be enhanced by certain tactics.

0.49

 8. There are certain ways for people to improve their destiny. **

0.39

Religiosity

 1. Belief in a religion helps one understand the meaning of life.

0.65

 2. Religious faith contributes to good mental health.

0.69

 3. Belief in a religion makes people good citizens.

0.57

 4. Religion makes people healthier.

0.69

 5. Religion helps people make good choices for their lives.

0.72

 6. Religion makes people happier.

0.67

 7. Religion slows down human progress. **

0.21

 8. There is a supreme being controlling the universe. **

0.32