The proximal experience of awe

Abstract

Research on awe has grown exponentially in recent decades; however, few studies have considered whether awe-inspiring experiences also inspire other emotions. In two studies, we explored whether interventions targeting awe also evoke other discrete emotions. Additionally, we considered two constructs that may be associated with increases in each emotion—self-relevant thoughts and connectedness. In Study 1, we manipulated awe in virtual reality and examined the potential effects of a prototypical awe experience—a spacewalk accompanied by an audio clip of Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot . In Study 2, we manipulated awe with a video depicting scenes of Earth from outer space paired with the same audio clip. Across both studies, a prototypical awe experience was associated not only with awe, but with compassion, gratitude, love, and optimism, along with connectedness and self-relevant thoughts. Furthermore, we found that increases in self-relevant thoughts and connectedness in response to the awe induction predicted increases in each emotion evoked and vice-versa. These findings suggest that experiences that are commonly considered awe-inspiring—such as viewing a picturesque landscape—may be more appropriately conceptualized more broadly as self-transcendent. More work is needed to determine whether the documented benefits of awe may be more appropriately interpreted as the benefits of self-transcendent emotions.

Influence of Positive and Threatened Awe on the Attitude Toward Norm Violations

“…Positive awe enhances a sense of connection to a particular person (e.g., a friend) or to people in general (Shiota et al, 2007;Van Cappellen and Saroglou, 2012;Krause and Hayward, 2015;Stellar et al, 2017;Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019). In an American sample, positive awe was found to decrease self-focused attention and strengthen the feeling of being included in a community .…”

Awe and the interconnected self

“…For example, Anderson et al (2018) found that experiencing awe in nature and outdoor activities improved well-being in military veterans and at-risk youth. More recently, some research has found that awe can promote other positive emotions such as compassion, gratitude, and optimism (Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019) and decrease anxiety during waiting periods for uncertain news (Rankin et al, 2019).…”

“…Awe has also been shown to provide spiritual benefits. Awe promotes a sense of connectedness (Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019), a willingness to travel to spiritual destinations such as Tibet (Van Cappellen & Saroglou, 2012), and prompts people to look beyond mundane concerns (Chirico & Yaden, 2018;Jiang et al, 2018;Shiota et al, 2017;Yaden et al, 2016).…”

“…Awe is uniquely transformative and associated with selftranscendent experiences (Chirico & Yaden, 2018;Jiang et al, 2018;Shiota et al, 2017;Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019;Yaden et al, 2016). Awe can flip one's frame of reference, such as viewing Earth from outside its atmosphere.…”

“…Awe then becomes a conduit to social connection, oneness with environments, and meaning in life. Studies have linked awe to enhancements in social and ecological connectedness (Nelson-Coffey et al, 2019;Yaden et al, 2017), and meaning in life judgements (Rivera et al, 2019) through the experience of the 'small self.' Statements such as, 'I felt small or insignificant,' 'I felt the presence of something greater than myself,' and 'I felt closely connected to the world around me' (Shiota et al, 2007) puts an individual into a larger context, and points them to the grand scheme of existence.…”