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When a small self means manageable obstacles: Spontaneous self-distancing predicts divergent effects of awe during a subsequent performance stressor

Authors :
Deborah E. Ward
Mark D. Seery
Veronica M. Lamarche
Phuong Q. Le
Cheryl L. Kondrak
Thomas L. Saltsman
Source :
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 80:59-66
Publication Year :
2019
Publisher :
Elsevier BV, 2019.

Abstract

The emotion of awe occurs when one feels small relative to something vaster than the self; it leads to benefits such as care for others. However, because awe elicits the experience of a “small self,” it is unclear to what extent awe positively versus negatively affects responses to subsequent stressors. If personal obstacles seem trivial in comparison to awe-inspiring stimuli, stressors should seem either manageable or unimportant, but if one's capabilities seem comparatively insignificant, stressors should seem unmanageable. We hypothesized that awe would have a generally positive effect on responses during a subsequent performance stressor, but that this would further depend on whether people tended to spontaneously take on a self-distanced versus self-immersed perspective. In the face of awe, focusing less on the self (self-distanced perspective) should make obstacles in particular seem trivial, whereas focusing more on the self (self-immersed) should lead one's capabilities to seem insignificant. Using the biopsychosocial model of challenge/threat, we found that spontaneous self-distancing significantly moderated awe's effects on responses during a subsequent performance stressor (speech task): For participants who self-distanced, the awe condition led to cardiovascular responses consistent with greater challenge than the neutral control condition (reflecting evaluating the stressor as more manageable); for participants who self-immersed, awe predicted relative threat (less manageable stressor). There was no support for awe making people care less about the stressor (as reflected in cardiovascular responses consistent with task engagement). This offers insight into how awe can have divergent effects on people's experiences during performance stressors.

Details

ISSN :
00221031
Volume :
80
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........8f830f0e07b6beb9d0d53db441542427
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.07.010