AWE — LLMpedia

AWE
Name	AWE
Field	Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Religious studies
Notable people	Jonathan Haidt, Dacher Keltner, Paul Ekman, Richard Dawkins, Immanuel Kant
Related concepts	Emotion, Consciousness, Mysticism

Contents

AWE AWE is an emotional and cognitive state characterized by perceived vastness and a need for accommodation. It appears across research in Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Religious studies and is invoked in discussions by figures such as Jonathan Haidt and Dacher Keltner. Studies of awe draw on methods and frameworks from laboratories associated with University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Stanford University, and institutions like the Max Planck Society.

Definition and Etymology

Definitions of awe derive from historical treatments by thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and modern descriptions by scholars including Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt. The term traces etymologically to Old English and was used in contexts discussed by historians of language at places like Oxford University and Cambridge University. Contemporary operational definitions emphasize two components: perceived vastness and cognitive accommodation, a formulation found in publications from American Psychological Association venues and researchers affiliated with University of California, San Diego and University of Toronto.

Psychological models connect awe to appraisal theories advanced by scholars at Columbia University and Yale University, while neuroscientific studies investigate networks studied by labs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University College London. Functional imaging implicates regions such as the default mode network noted in work from Harvard Medical School and the anterior cingulate cortex examined by teams at University of Pennsylvania and University of Oxford. Neurochemical discussions reference research on dopamine pathways published by groups at National Institutes of Health and studies in affective neuroscience from Salk Institute.

Researchers categorize awe into kinds like positive, negative, and moral awe in literature from Princeton University and University of California, Los Angeles. Common triggers cited in empirical studies include natural phenomena investigated by scientists at Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society, architectural grandeur analyzed in collaborations with Columbia University and The Bartlett School of Architecture, music and performance studied at Juilliard School and Royal College of Music, and scientific revelations reported by institutions such as CERN and NASA. Social triggers, including encounters with leaders studied in political psychology at London School of Economics and University of Chicago, and religious experiences examined at Vatican Observatory and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, are also documented.

Empirical findings from experiments at University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin–Madison link awe to shifts in time perception and perceived self-size reported by teams at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and University of British Columbia. Behavioral consequences include increased prosociality observed in field studies by researchers at University of Pennsylvania and reduced materialism noted in work from University of Minnesota. Well-being outcomes have been explored in clinical contexts associated with Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins University, showing effects on stress markers studied at National Institute of Mental Health and immune parameters measured in collaborations with Cleveland Clinic.

Measurement approaches include self-report scales developed by scholars at University of California, Berkeley and Claremont Graduate University, experience sampling methods used in longitudinal studies at University of Cambridge and Columbia University, and physiological measures (heart rate variability, skin conductance) employed in labs at Massachusetts General Hospital and Karolinska Institutet. Behavioral proxies and coding systems have been applied in observational studies by teams at Princeton University and University of Oxford.

Anthropological and historical analyses from University of Chicago and University of California, Los Angeles examine awe in rituals and mythologies documented by researchers affiliated with British Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Theological treatments appear in scholarship connected to Vatican Library and Hebrew University of Jerusalem, while philosophers from Princeton University and University of Notre Dame analyze awe in aesthetics drawing on works by Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Schleiermacher. Artistic explorations encompass literature studied at Yale University Press, visual arts curated at Museum of Modern Art and Tate Modern, and musicology research from Juilliard School and Royal Academy of Music.

Applied research investigates awe-based interventions in clinical psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mayo Clinic, educational programs piloted in schools associated with Teachers College, Columbia University and Harvard Graduate School of Education, and workplace initiatives trialed by organizational teams from Harvard Business School and INSEAD. Environmental conservation campaigns leveraging awe have been run in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund and United Nations Environment Programme, while public health messaging incorporating awe has been evaluated by groups at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization.

Category:Emotions