UC Berkeley

Stress in the quotidian events of daily life, or daily hassles, is a powerful predictor of individuals' health and well-being. In the current investigation, across four studies, I tested whether and how awe reduces hassle-related stress, and thus leads to boosts in people's well-being. On a trait level, individuals with higher awe proneness (Study 1) reported lower levels of hassle-related stress. In follow-up laboratory experiments (Studies 2 & 3), induction of awe, compared to control conditions (amusement, joy, pride, & neutral), significantly decreased the intensity of individuals' major hassle-related stress. Finally, a naturalistic induction of awe in which participants viewed august sceneries from the top floor of a 200 feet campus tower reduced levels of both general hassle-related stress and personal major concerns (Study 4). Mediational data demonstrated that the effect of awe on reduced daily hassle-related stress is explained by a sense of perceived vastness. Furthermore, the relationship between awe and decreased daily hassle-related stress, in turn, explained awe's positive influence upon individuals' well-being. Together, these data establish awe's unique role in reducing daily concerns as well as increasing well-being.