Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Awe: A Self-Transcendent and Sometimes Transformative Emotion

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Function of Emotions

Abstract

Awe is a complex emotion arising from the perception of literal or figurative vastness. Several subjective components of awe have been identified, including feelings of connectedness and self-diminishment, making it a form of self-transcendent experience. Awe has also been linked to increased well-being and altruistic behavior. This chapter describes recent advances in the experimental literature on awe, reviews some methods of inducing this emotion in the lab, and discusses some theories regarding its functions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Appleton, J. (1996). The experience of landscape. Chichester, England: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campos, B., Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., Gonzaga, G. C., & Goetz, J. L. (2013). What is shared, what is different? Core relational themes and expressive displays of eight positive emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 27, 37–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chirico, A., Cipresso, P., Yaden, D. B., Biassoni, F., Riva, G., & Gaggioli, A. (2017). Effectiveness of immersive videos in inducing awe: An experimental study. Scientific Reports, 7, 1218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-01242-0

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chirico, A., Ferrise, F., Cordella, L., & Gaggioli, A. (2018). Designing awe in virtual reality: An experimental study. Frontiers in Psycholology, 8, 2351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chirico, A., Serino, S., Cipresso, P., Gaggioli, A., & Riva, G. (2015). When music “flows”. State and trait in musical performance, composition and listening: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00906

  • Chirico, A., Yaden, D., Riva, G., & Gaggioli, A. (2016). The potential of virtual reality for the investigation of awe. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01766

  • Coelho, C., Tichon, J., Hine, T. J., Wallis, G., & Riva, G. (2006). Media presence and inner presence: The sense of presence in virtual reality technologies. In From communication to presence: Cognition, emotions and culture towards the ultimate communicative experience (pp. 25–45). IOS Press, Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6, 169–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P., & Cordaro, D. (2011). What is meant by calling emotions basic. Emotion Review, 3, 364–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fehr, B., & Russell, J. A. (1984). Concept of emotion viewed from a prototype perspective. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 113, 464–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, M. A., & Shrout, P. E. (2006). Children’s liking of landscape paintings as a function of their perceptions of prospect, refuge, and hazard. Environment and Behavior, 38, 373–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaggioli, A. (2016). Transformative experience design. In A. Gaggioli, A. Ferscha, G. Riva, S. Dunne, & I. Viaud-Delmon (Eds.), Human computer confluence: Transforming human experience through symbiotic technologies (pp. 96–121). Berlin: De Gruyter Open.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaggioli, A., Chirico, A., Triberti, S., & Riva, G. (2016). Transformative interactions: Designing positive technologies to foster self-transcendence and meaning. Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 14, 169–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., Johnson, M. W., McCann, U. D., & Jesse, R. (2008). Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 22, 621–632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., McCann, U., & Jesse, R. (2006). Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology, 187, 268–283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griskevicius, V., Shiota, M. N., & Neufeld, S. L. (2010). Influence of different positive emotions on persuasion processing: A functional evolutionary approach. Emotion, 10, 190–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, J. (2005). Primate spirituality. Encyclopedia of religion and nature 1303–1306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, A. M., Stellar, J. E., Anderson, C. L., McNeil, G. D., Loew, D., & Keltner, D. (2017). The dark side of the sublime: Distinguishing a threat-based variant of awe. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 310–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2003). Elevation and the positive psychology of morality. In C. L. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived (pp. 275–289). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hood, R. W., Jr. (1975). The construction and preliminary validation of a measure of reported mystical experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14, 29–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 144–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kant, I. (1914). Kant’s critique of judgement (rev. J. H. Bernard, Trans.). New York, NY: Macmillan (Original work published 1790).

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., & Gross, J. J. (1999). Functional accounts of emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 13, 467–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110, 265–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (1999). Social functions of emotions at four levels of analysis. Cognition and Emotion, 13, 505–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17, 297–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kimchi, R., & Palmer, S. E. (1982). Form and texture in hierarchically constructed patterns. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 8, 521–535.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Konecni, V. J. (2005). The aesthetic trinity: Awe, being moved, thrills. Bulletin of Psychology and the Arts, 5, 27–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristjánsson, K. (2017). Awe: An Aristotelian analysis of a non-Aristotelian virtuous emotion. Philosophia, 45, 125–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lench, H. C., Bench, S. W., Darbor, K. E., & Moore, M. (2015). A functionalist manifesto: Goal-related emotions from an evolutionary perspective. Emotion Review, 7, 90–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lench, H. C., Flores, S. A., & Bench, S. W. (2011). Discrete emotions predict changes in cognition, judgment, experience, behavior, and physiology: A meta-analysis of experimental emotion elicitations. Psychological Bulletin, 137, 834–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, E., & Laurence, S. (1999). Concepts: Core readings. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1962). Lessons from the peak-experiences. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2, 9–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H., & Pi, K. D. (1964). Religions, values, and peak-experiences. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. Columbus, Ohio.

    Google Scholar 

  • North, M. M., & North, S. M. (2016). Virtual reality therapy. In J. Luiselli & A. Fischer (Eds.), Computer-assisted and web-based innovations in psychology, special education, and health (pp. 141–156). Oxford, England: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Onu, D., Kessler, T., & Smith, J. R. (2016). Admiration: A conceptual review. Emotion Review, 8, 218–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, T. D. (2015). Virtual reality for enhanced ecological validity and experimental control in the clinical, affective and social neurosciences. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00660

  • Pearsall, P. (2007). Awe: The delights and dangers of our eleventh emotion. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108, 883–899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plutchik, R. (1980). A general psychoevolutioanry theory of emotion. In R. Plutchik & H. Kellerman (Eds.), Emotion: Theory, research, and experience: Theories of emotion (pp. 3–33). New York, NY: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prade, C., & Saroglou, V. (2016). Awe’s effects on generosity and helping. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, 522–530.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ritter, S. M., Damian, R. I., Simonton, D. K., van Baaren, R. B., Strick, M., Derks, J., & Dijksterhuis, A. (2012). Diversifying experiences enhance cognitive flexibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 961–964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riva, G. (2005). Virtual reality in psychotherapy: Review. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 8, 220–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riva, G., Villani, D., Cipresso, P., Repetto, C., Triberti, S., Di Lernia, D., … Gaggioli, A. (2016). Positive and transformative technologies for active ageing. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 220, 308–315.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riva, G., & Waterworth, J. A. (2003). Presence and the self: A cognitive neuroscience approach. Presence Connect, 3(3.) Retrieved from: http://www8.informatik.umu.se/~jwworth/Riva-Waterworth.htm

  • Riva, G., & Waterworth, J. A. (2014). Being present in a virtual world. In M. Grinshaw (Ed.), The oxford handbook of virtuality (pp. 205–221). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosch, E. (1983). Prototype classification and logical classification: The two systems. In E. K. Scholnick (Ed.), New trends in conceptual representation: Challenges to Piaget’s theory (pp. 73–86). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23, 1130–1136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schindler, I., Hosoya, G., Menninghaus, W., Beermann, U., Wagner, V., Eid, M., & Scherer, K. R. (2017). Measuring aesthetic emotions: A review of the literature and a new assessment tool. PLoS One, 12, e0178899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, K. J. (2009). Awakening to awe: Personal stories of profound transformation. Plymouth, England: Jason Aronson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiota, M. N., Campos, B., & Keltner, D. (2003). The faces of positive emotion. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1000, 296–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & John, O. P. (2006). Positive emotion dispositions differentially associated with Big Five personality and attachment style. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 61–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & Mossman, A. (2007). The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept. Cognition and Emotion, 21, 944–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiota, M. N., Neufeld, S. L., Yeung, W. H., Moser, S. E., & Perea, E. F. (2011). Feeling good: Autonomic nervous system responding in five positive emotions. Emotion, 11, 1368–1378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sidanius, J., & Pratto, F. (2001). Social dominance: An intergroup theory of social hierarchy and oppression. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silvia, P. J., Fayn, K., Nusbaum, E. C., & Beaty, R. E. (2015). Openness to experience and awe in response to nature and music: Personality and profound aesthetic experiences. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 9, 376–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stellar, J. E., Gordon, A. M., Piff, P. K., Cordaro, D., Anderson, C. L., Bai, Y., … Keltner, D. (2017). Self-transcendent emotions and their social functions: Compassion, gratitude, and awe bind us to others through prosociality. Emotion Review, 9, 200–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sung, B., & Yih, J. (2015). Does interest broaden or narrow attentional scope? Cognition and Emotion, 30, 1485–1494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triberti, S., & Chirico, A. (2016). Healthy avatars, healthy people: Care engagement through. In G. Griffigna (Ed.), Transformative healthcare practice through patient engagement, Hershey, PA: IGI Global (pp. 247–275). doi: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0663-8.ch010.

  • Triberti, S., Chirico, A., La Rocca, G., & Riva, G. (2017). Developing emotional design: Emotions as cognitive processes and their role in the design of interactive technologies. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valdesolo, P., & Graham, J. (2014). Awe, uncertainty, and agency detection. Psychological Science, 25, 170–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Cappellen, P., Saroglou, V., Iweins, C., Piovesana, M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Self-transcendent positive emotions increase spirituality through basic world assumptions. Cognition and Emotion, 27, 1378–1394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterworth, J. A., Waterworth, E. L., Mantovani, F., & Riva, G. (2010). On feeling (the) present. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 17, 167–188.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterworth, J. A., Waterworth, E. L., Riva, G., & Mantovani, F. (2015). Presence: Form, content and consciousness. In B. F. Lombard, M. Freeman, J. IJsselsteijn, & W. Schaevitz (Eds.), Immersed in media: Telepresence theory, measurement & technology (pp. 35–58). Berlin: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Eichstaedt, J. C., Schwartz, H. A., Kern, M. L., Le Nguyen, K. D., Wintering, N. A., … Newberg, A. B. (2015). The language of ineffability: Linguistic analysis of mystical experiences. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 8, 244–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Jr., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017). The varieties of self-transcendent experience. Review of General Psychology, 21, 143–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Iwry, J., Slack, K. J., Eichstaedt, J. C., Zhao, Y., Vaillant, G. E., & Newberg, A. B. (2016). The overview effect: Awe and self-transcendent experience in space flight. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Kaufman, Hyde, Chirico, Gaggioli, Zhang, & Keltner. (in press). The awe experience scale (AWE-S): A multifactorial measure for a complex emotion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Le Nguyen, K. D., Kern, M. L., Belser, A. B., Eichstaedt, J. C., Iwry, J., … Newberg, A. B. (2017). Of roots and fruits: A comparison of psychedelic and nonpsychedelic mystical experiences. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 57, 338–353.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yaden, D. B., Le Nguyen, K. D., Kern, M. L., Wintering, N. A., Eichstaedt, J. C., Schwartz, H. A., … Newberg, A. B. (2016). The noetic quality: A multimethod exploratory study. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4, 54–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y., Yang, Z., Bao, T., Liu, Y., & Passmore, H.-A. (2016). Elicited awe decreases aggression. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology, 10, 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy

    Alice Chirico

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    David B. Yaden

Authors
  1. Alice Chirico
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David B. Yaden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David B. Yaden .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Heather C. Lench

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Chirico, A., Yaden, D.B. (2018). Awe: A Self-Transcendent and Sometimes Transformative Emotion. In: Lench, H. (eds) The Function of Emotions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77619-4_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation