Building bridges with awe : exploring underlying mechanisms and moderators of the relationship between awe and prejudice towards sexual minority group members
- Author
- Wang Changcheng, Alice Lucarini, Veronica Margherita Cocco, Kim Dierckx (UGent) and Loris Vezzali
- Organization
- Abstract
- Awe is a self-transcendent emotion generating a range of benefits at the individual and at the societal level. Yet, research within the domain of intergroup relations is scarce. Across three studies-two experimental and one cross-sectional (total N = 2113)-we explored whether, how and for whom awe is negatively related to prejudice towards sexual minority group members (LGBT individuals) among sexual majority group members (heterosexual people). We found that participants assigned to a nature-induced awe (vs. control, Study 1; vs. control vs. amusement, Study 2) condition reported lower prejudice towards LGBT people. Moreover, Study 2 shed light on the underlying mechanisms through which nature-induced awe leads to lower prejudice, demonstrating the parallel mediating role of self-transcendence and belief in oneness, two constructs related to the promotion of broader group identities, by changing perceptions of the self and the world, respectively. Study 3 revealed that dispositional awe exerted a stronger negative effect on prejudice among heterosexual individuals with less frequent intergroup interactions with LGBT group members. The present investigation provides important insights into the complexity of the relationship between awe and prejudice, revealing that awe could be a powerful tool to reduce prejudice.
- Keywords
- awe, belief in oneness, prejudice, self-transcendence, sexual minorities, CROSS-GROUP FRIENDSHIPS, INTERGROUP CONTACT, POWER ANALYSIS, SELF, GRATITUDE, ATTITUDES, EMOTIONS, COMPASSION, KNOWLEDGE, MEDIATOR
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-01KKEYFKH8WW5VDT4FYM7XZWDC
- MLA
- Changcheng, Wang, et al. “Building Bridges with Awe : Exploring Underlying Mechanisms and Moderators of the Relationship between Awe and Prejudice towards Sexual Minority Group Members.” BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 64, no. 2, 2025, doi:10.1111/bjso.12884.
- APA
- Changcheng, W., Lucarini, A., Cocco, V. M., Dierckx, K., & Vezzali, L. (2025). Building bridges with awe : exploring underlying mechanisms and moderators of the relationship between awe and prejudice towards sexual minority group members. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, 64(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12884
- Chicago author-date
- Changcheng, Wang, Alice Lucarini, Veronica Margherita Cocco, Kim Dierckx, and Loris Vezzali. 2025. “Building Bridges with Awe : Exploring Underlying Mechanisms and Moderators of the Relationship between Awe and Prejudice towards Sexual Minority Group Members.” BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 64 (2). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12884.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Changcheng, Wang, Alice Lucarini, Veronica Margherita Cocco, Kim Dierckx, and Loris Vezzali. 2025. “Building Bridges with Awe : Exploring Underlying Mechanisms and Moderators of the Relationship between Awe and Prejudice towards Sexual Minority Group Members.” BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 64 (2). doi:10.1111/bjso.12884.
- Vancouver
- 1.Changcheng W, Lucarini A, Cocco VM, Dierckx K, Vezzali L. Building bridges with awe : exploring underlying mechanisms and moderators of the relationship between awe and prejudice towards sexual minority group members. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. 2025;64(2).
- IEEE
- [1]W. Changcheng, A. Lucarini, V. M. Cocco, K. Dierckx, and L. Vezzali, “Building bridges with awe : exploring underlying mechanisms and moderators of the relationship between awe and prejudice towards sexual minority group members,” BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 64, no. 2, 2025.
@article{01KKEYFKH8WW5VDT4FYM7XZWDC,
abstract = {{Awe is a self-transcendent emotion generating a range of benefits at the individual and at the societal level. Yet, research within the domain of intergroup relations is scarce. Across three studies-two experimental and one cross-sectional (total N = 2113)-we explored whether, how and for whom awe is negatively related to prejudice towards sexual minority group members (LGBT individuals) among sexual majority group members (heterosexual people). We found that participants assigned to a nature-induced awe (vs. control, Study 1; vs. control vs. amusement, Study 2) condition reported lower prejudice towards LGBT people. Moreover, Study 2 shed light on the underlying mechanisms through which nature-induced awe leads to lower prejudice, demonstrating the parallel mediating role of self-transcendence and belief in oneness, two constructs related to the promotion of broader group identities, by changing perceptions of the self and the world, respectively. Study 3 revealed that dispositional awe exerted a stronger negative effect on prejudice among heterosexual individuals with less frequent intergroup interactions with LGBT group members. The present investigation provides important insights into the complexity of the relationship between awe and prejudice, revealing that awe could be a powerful tool to reduce prejudice.}},
articleno = {{e12884}},
author = {{Changcheng, Wang and Lucarini, Alice and Cocco, Veronica Margherita and Dierckx, Kim and Vezzali, Loris}},
issn = {{0144-6665}},
journal = {{BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY}},
keywords = {{awe,belief in oneness,prejudice,self-transcendence,sexual minorities,CROSS-GROUP FRIENDSHIPS,INTERGROUP CONTACT,POWER ANALYSIS,SELF,GRATITUDE,ATTITUDES,EMOTIONS,COMPASSION,KNOWLEDGE,MEDIATOR}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{26}},
title = {{Building bridges with awe : exploring underlying mechanisms and moderators of the relationship between awe and prejudice towards sexual minority group members}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12884}},
volume = {{64}},
year = {{2025}},
}
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