Mediating Function of Awe from Collective Threat to Self-transcendental Values and Eudaimonia

Abstract

How do people react to collective threats such as natural disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic? Magnificent catastrophic events might have an impact on emotions of not only those who experienced direct harm from it but also those who feel threat without actual harm. The current study demonstrated that such threat enhances self-transcendent values that further leads to general well-being, mediated by the emotion of awe. Two surveys were conducted immediately after a severe typhoon hit Japan (Study 1) and during the early phases of the COVID-19 spread in Japan (Study 2). Predisposition to feel negative awe predicted participants’ attention to both collective threat events, which led to an affirmation of self-transcendent values and general well-being. Furthermore, when participants were asked to recall a collective threat (vs. control event), they felt more awe which led to more engaged meaning making during the event, in turn predicting their affirmation of self-transcendent values.