Seeing the world in awe : intra-individual and interpersonal changes

Although unjustly, awe has been of little interest to researchers in psychology. Through both a theoretical section and a dozen experiments, the present dissertation attempts to fill a gap in the existing knowledge in the nature, functions, and implications of the emotion of awe. First, subjective feelings associated with awe elicitors, such as amazing natural landscapes, pieces of art, or childbirth, will be closely investigated. Afterward, awe’s effects on attention and interpersonal relations, specifically on prosociality and social conformity, will be at the heart of in-depth inquiries. Indeed, since awe implies an intense absorption in an object of contemplation, it may shift the individual’s attention from the self to the surrounding world, and may consequently make room for social concerns.