Interdependent Worldviews Evoked by Threat-based Awe in Japan

Awe is an emotional response to perceptually vast stimuli that transcend current frames of reference. Although prior studies argue that awe is a positive emotion, awe tinged with an element of threat differs from positive forms of awe in terms of its influence on cognition and behaviors. However, much of threat-based awe remains unknown. In addition, since there are cultural variations in awe, it is necessary to investigate what threat-based awe is in the context of Japanese culture. In the present research we used an online experiment to examine how threat-based awe differs from positive forms of awe. We found that threat-based awe in Japan was equivalent to “畏怖 (ifu)” in Japanese, which was associated with death, and evoked interdependent worldviews. Moreover, our results indicated that the association of death mediated the relationship between threat-based awe and interdependent worldviews. Together, these findings highlight the effect of awe on the relationships between individuals and groups, during and after natural disasters.