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Optimism, a positive mindset towards the future, serves various adaptive functions. While its significance has been acknowledged in the literature, the role of self-transcendence in fostering optimism remains underexplored. The present research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that awe, a typical self-transcendent emotion, fosters optimism through self-transcendence. We tested the proposition in four studies. In Study 1, we manipulated awe and found that awe boosted optimism. In Study 2, we compared the effect of awe with amusement on optimism, ruling out alternative explanations such as awe being merely a positive emotion or related to nature exposure. In Study 3, we tested the mediating effect of self-transcendence and excluded the potential mediating role of self-smallness. In Study 4, we manipulated self-transcendence and measured optimism to test the causal effect of self-transcendence on optimism. These findings offer new insights into cultivating optimism and highlight the importance of self-transcendence in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether and how awe impacts inspiration lacks sufficient empirical research. We conducted five studies (N = 941) to examine the awe – inspiration link and the mediating effect of self-transcendence. We found that awe promoted inspiration, which was indexed by an actual behavior indicator, others' ratings (Study 1), and multiple self-reported scales (Studies 2–4). Self-transcendence mediated this effect (Studies 3–4). The effect of awe on inspiration and the mediating effect of self-transcendence were established when comparing awe with a general positive emotion (i.e., amusement in Study 2a and happiness in Study 2b) and nature (Study 4), having emotions controlled for (Studies 2–4), and inducing awe with a threatening experience (Study 4). Taken together, awe exerted a unique effect on inspiration, and self-transcendence mediated this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that the emotion of awe (i.e., challenge that exceeds the scope of one's mental structures, requiring cognitive accommodation) awakens self-transcendence (i.e., reaching beyond one's self-boundary), which in turn invigorates pursuit of the authentic self (i.e., alignment with one's true self). This process has implications for prosociality. We supported our theoretical model in 14 studies (N = 4,438) using distinct awe manipulations or measures, employing different assessments of authentic-self pursuit, testing participants both in laboratory and field settings, and involving samples from both collectivistic and individualistic cultures. In Studies 1–2 (N = 828), dispositional awe was positively associated with authentic-self pursuit and induced awe motivated authentic-self pursuit. In Studies 2–9 (N = 2,461), dispositional awe was positively associated with, and induced awe strengthened, authentic-self pursuit via self-transcendence. These effects were independent of pride and happiness. In Study 10 (N = 281), self-smallness (i.e., a sense of self as small and insignificant), albeit induced by awe, did not account for the unique effects of awe on authentic-self pursuit via self-transcendence. Finally, in Studies 11–14 (N = 868), awe-induced authentic-self pursuit was linked with higher general prosociality, but lower inauthentic prosociality. The findings invite a reexamination of awe's relation with the self, while highlighting the complexity and intricacy of that relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social pain is ubiquitous and has deleterious effects on people's health. Thus, identifying how to promote social pain recovery is important. Across three studies (N = 989), we examined whether a self-administered online awe-intervening approach could help people recover from social pain. With participants from the United States and China, we found that the online awe-intervening approach helped people recover from social pain associated with both cyber-social exclusion (Study 1) and real-life social exclusion events (Studies 2 and 3). Moreover, we found a significant mediating effect of the global sense of connectedness (Studies 2 and 3). We further demonstrated that the awe-intervening approach's effect on social pain recovery and the mediating effect of the global sense of connectedness were distinct from general positive emotions, exposure to nature, self-diminishment, and distraction (Study 3). Taken together, our findings endorse the online awe-intervening approach as an effective social pain reliever. • Online awe-intervening approach promotes social pain recovery. • Extended awe's benefits from intrapersonal to interpersonal problems. • Global connectedness mediated this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]