Acceso usuarios
Xinyu Pan, Tonglin Jiang, Wenying Yuan, Chenxiao Hao, Yang Bai, Dacher Keltner
Awe has been shown to promote well-being through various mechanisms (see Monroy & Keltner, 2023). In this research, we propose a novel perspective for the well-being benefits of awe: Awe fosters equanimity—a balanced state of mind toward all experiences of any valence—and we document how this works, namely, through temporal distancing. Across seven studies, using a combination of experiments, big data analytics, and intervention methods, we provide support for our hypotheses. In Studies 1–3, induced awe increased equanimity, indexed by a self-report scale (Study 1), a decrease in emotional reactivity (Study 2), and an unbiased behavioral approach to positive and negative experiences (Study 3). In Studies 4–6, awe increased equanimity via temporal distancing. This effect persisted beyond self-diminishment (i.e., feeling small and insignificant) and proved to be cross-culturally robust (Study 4). An analysis of almost 200,000 posts on social media (Study 5) revealed that the proposed mediation model manifested in ecologically rich contexts. Study 6 provided causal evidence for the mediation model. Finally, in a 5-day awe intervention (Study 7), awe increased psychological and physical well-being, with equanimity accounting for these benefits. Taken together, these findings reveal that awe cultivates a balanced state of mind by shifting one’s temporal perspective on life events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
