Noor, Nurhafihz, Zainol, Zahirah, Tong, Ashley, Duong, Dang Thao Trang, and Agarwal, Manisha (2026) ChatGPT and student well-being: The cultural bridge of Mianzi. Journal of Tropical Futures. pp. 1-10. (In Press)

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Abstract

Higher education students are increasingly utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT for their school activities. Despite the increased adoption of such AI applications and continued concerns about how AI affects student learning, less is known about how these AI applications can affect the well-being of these students through a cultural lens. This understanding becomes particularly important in higher education settings where culturally embedded social values remain salient. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response theory and through a multidisciplinary synthesis of the literature on AI, service quality, culture and higher education, this study examines how the service performance of ChatGPT can affect the subjective well-being of students through Mianzi or face value. Results of the data collected from 128 higher education students, primarily from China and Singapore, show that Mianzi mediates the relationship between ChatGPT service quality and students’ subjective well-being. This study contributes to the literature on AI in education by identifying a culturally grounded mechanism linking AI service experiences and student well-being within this higher education Mianzi-relevant context. We offer insights that contribute to tropical higher education futures and advance the literature on student well-being through cultural systems prevalent in international higher education in the tropics.

Item ID:	92617
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2753-8931
Keywords:	Artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, higher education, Mianzi, service quality, well-being
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2026.
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2026 06:46
FoR Codes:	46 INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES > 4602 Artificial intelligence > 460299 Artificial intelligence not elsewhere classified @ 50% 39 EDUCATION > 3903 Education systems > 390303 Higher education @ 50%
SEO Codes:	22 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES > 2204 Information systems, technologies and services > 220403 Artificial intelligence @ 50% 16 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 1601 Learner and learning > 160102 Higher education @ 50%
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