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Cited by 484Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionEmotions and Moral BehaviorCultural Differences and Values

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

Bai, Yang, Maruskin, Laura A., Chen, Serena, Gordon, Amie M., Stellar, Jennifer E., McNeil, Galen D., Peng, Kaiping, Keltner, Dacher·2017·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/pspa0000087
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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

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  • Research on transcendent positive emotions, particularly awe, demonstrates that such emotions expand individuals' sense of social connectedness and increase identification with broader collective categories, thereby promoting generosity, helping, and cooperative behavior.

    “Research on transcendent positive emotions, particularly awe, demonstrates that such emotions expand individuals’ sense of social connectedness and increase identification with broader collective categories, thereby promoting generosity, helping, and cooperative behavior (Bai et al., 2017; Piff et al., 2015; Stellar et al., 2017).”

    From Peer Attachment and Prosocial Behavior: The Mediating Role of Positive Legal Emotion and the Moderating Effect of Social Exclusion (2026) · cites this paper as Bai et al., 2017

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Authors
Bai, Y., Maruskin, L. A., Chen, S., Gordon, A. M., Stellar, J. E., McNeil, G. D., Peng, K., & Keltner, D.
Affiliations
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • University of Toronto (CA)
  • Tsinghua University (CN)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2017-08
Volume
113
Issue
2
Pages
185-209
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/pspa0000087
OpenAlex
W2613687067
Cited by
476
References
130
Citations by year
2026: 61 · 2025: 78 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 66 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 20 · 2016: 35
FWCI
30.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
John Templeton Foundation (38671)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
Keywords
awe, collective engagement, collective emotions, cultural variation, social integration, positive emotions, self-concept
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, China, Cognition, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Ego, Emotions, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Middle Aged, Self Concept, United States, Young Adult

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