When Science Journalism is Awesome: Measuring Audiences’ Experiences of awe from Reading Science Stories

Development of a Japanese version of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S): A structural topic modeling approach

“…Previous studies have shown that awe is associated with subjective psychological phenomena, such as a sense of self and consciousness, which highlights the need for a standardized questionnaire to assess the various dimensions of awe experiences ( Bai et al , 2017 ; Rudd et al , 2012 ; Takano & Nomura, 2021 ). The Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S), a widely used questionnaire that robustly measures the state of awe ( Yaden et al , 2019 ), has been translated into several languages ( Landrum et al , 2022 ; Ling-xiao et al , 2022 ; Rodrigues et al , 2022 ; van Houwelingen-Snippe et al , 2020 ). However, how the multiple facets of awe measured by the AWE-S relate to the representations of awe experiences in different cultural contexts remains unclear.…”

“…Connectedness indicates that awe experiences can create a greater sense of connection between individuals and their surroundings, which includes the supernatural, such as God(s) ( Liu et al , 2023 ; Van Cappellen & Saroglou, 2012 ). Vastness pertains to the perception of vastness vis-à-vis the self, where individuals encounter physically or conceptually enormous stimuli ( Keltner & Haidt, 2003 ; Landrum et al , 2022 ). Physiological captures awe-related physiological phenomena, such as goosebumps ( Quesnel & Riecke, 2018 ; Williams et al , 2022 ).…”

“…Due to its robustness and usefulness, the AWE-S has been validated in several countries and cultures via translation into other languages, such as Chinese, Portuguese, and Dutch ( Landrum et al , 2022 ; Li & Qian, 2022 ; Ling-xiao et al , 2022 ; Rodrigues et al , 2022 ; van Houwelingen-Snippe et al , 2020 ). Universal components and cultural variations of awe-related phenomena have been identified via this scale.…”