Awe is a feeling of deep respect mixed sometimes with dread or surprise. According to research conducted by scientists at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, experiencing awe may make someone more generous and want to help others out more. “Our investigation indicates that awe, although often fleeting and hard to describe, serves a vital social function.” said Paul Piff, an associate professor of psychology and social behavior at UC Irvine. “By diminishing the emphasis on the individual self, awe may encourage people to forgo strict self-interest to improve the welfare of others.”
The scientists showed all of the study participants beautiful scenes of nature. Some of the scenes were video clips from the BBC show: Planet Earth. Then, Piff’s team asked questions of the people in the study. The researchers measured ethical behavior and generosity. Those who felt a sense of awe, or remembered a time when they had that emotional feeling, showed more ethical behavior as compared with someone, who felt pride when viewing the images. Adam Hoffman mentioned this, while writing for the Greater Good Science Center.
Interestingly, the same generous behavior was revealed in people, who were shown scenes of natural disasters. Hoffman thinks it’s because awe is defined partially by the fear people perceive something greater than themselves. When people experience this, they want to share that feeling with others. They don’t want to keep the great feeling for themselves. Another benefit of feeling awe is that it may boost a person’s immune system and make them more creative.