Awe, the diminished self, and collective engagement: Universals and cultural variations in the small self.

Abstract

Awe has been theorized as a collective emotion, one that enables individuals to integrate into social collectives. In keeping with this theorizing, we propose that awe diminishes the sense of self and shifts attention away from individual interests and concerns. In testing this hypothesis across 6 studies (N = 2137), we first validate pictorial and verbal measures of the small self; we then document that daily, in vivo, and lab experiences of awe, but not other positive emotions, diminish the sense of the self. These findings were observed across collectivist and individualistic cultures, but also varied across cultures in magnitude and content. Evidence from the last 2 studies showed that the influence of awe upon the small self accounted for increases in collective engagement, fitting with claims that awe promotes integration into social groups. Discussion focused on how the small self might mediate the effects of awe on collective cognition and behavior, the need to study more negatively valenced varieties of awe, and other potential cultural variations of the small self. (PsycINFO Database Record

Awe and meaning: Elucidating complex effects of awe experiences on meaning in life

“…Natural disasters, with their powerful and destructive forces, are likely examples. We therefore heeded recent calls (Bai et al., ; Gordon et al., ) and included a negative awe‐inducing condition in Study 4. We predicted that a positive awe elicitor, relative to a control condition, would elicit divergent effects on meaning in life identical to those reported in Studies 1–3.…”

“…For example, Bai et al. () found that awe experiences diminished the perceived size of the self in both independent and collectivistic cultures. These feelings have been dubbed the “small self” and may decrease perceptions of meaning in life, given that an important aspect of meaning in life is the feeling that one's life is significant (Heintzelman & King, ).…”

“…On the one hand, we might hypothesize that awe (vs. neutral) experiences will increase a perception that one's life is meaningful, which would align with work showing that positively colored awe experiences increase happiness (Valdesolo & Graham, ) and life satisfaction (Gordon et al., ; Rudd et al., ). On the other hand, making that hypothesis ignores the equally plausible and theoretically informed prediction that awe experiences might decrease meaning in life by eliciting feelings of self‐diminishment (Bai et al., ; Piff et al., ; Preston & Shin, ). There are thus opposing, but untested, possibilities for how awe experiences might influence meaning in life.…”

Awe, spirituality and conspicuous consumer behavior

“…Despite large amounts of evidence suggesting the impeding impact of awe on conspicuous consumption behavior, research exploring the potential mechanisms that underlie this relationship is limited. The majority of related studies have only proposed one psychological mechanism—the small self (e.g., Bai et al, ; Piff et al, ; Yang et al, ). Focusing on the collective feature of awe, the small self is effective to explain the social function of awe on an individual’s other‐oriented behavior.…”

“…In fact, research on the social function of awe is increasing in prevalence. Some studies have proved that awe can enhance various types of interpersonal behavior, including prosocial behavior (Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato, & Keltner, ), collective engagement (Bai et al, ), generosity and helping (Prade & Saroglou, ). However, limited research exists on the nonsocial function of awe.…”