Why Awe Promotes Prosocial Behaviors? The Mediating Effects of Future Time Perspective and Self-Transcendence Meaning of Life
Jing-Jing Li, Kai Dou, Yu-Jie Wang, Yan-Gang Nie
Frontiers in Psychology May 29, 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01140 (opens in new tab) via DOAJ
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAwe, a positive emotion triggered by powerful stimuli beyond one's understanding, is linked to increased prosocial behavior. This occurs through two pathways: enhancing a person's sense of self-transcendent meaning in life and broadening their future time perspective. The findings suggest that experiencing awe can help individuals feel more connected to larger social contexts and foster concern for others.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational or correlational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Awe Prosocial behavior Future time perspective China Adolescence |
| Key finding | Dispositional awe improves self-transcendence meaning of life and future time perspective, which in turn increases prosocial behavior. |
Abstract
Awe is an emotion experience when individuals encounter with such powerful stimulate beyond their own understanding. Guided by conceptual analysis of awe as a trait positive emotion, we tested the hypothesis that dispositional awe results in an improvement of individual's self-transcendence meaning of life (STML) and affects future time perspective, and increase prosocial behavior. Mediational data demonstrate that the effects of awe on prosociality are explained, by improving STML self and future time perspective. These findings indicate that awe may help situate individuals within broader social contexts and enhance collective concern.