Affective, cognitive, and environmental inductions of humility and intellectual humility that center on self-transcendence

Abstract

Three pre-registered experiments (N = 998) examined affective, cognitive, and environmental self-transcendent experiences aimed at eliciting general humility (GH) and intellectual humility (IH). In Study 1, self-transcendent positive emotions elicited IH and gratitude emerged as a noteworthy predictor. Self-transcendent emotions occur in response to stimuli that are difficult to grasp logically, which underscores one’s intellectual limitations. In Study 2, cognitive appraisals of sanctification – involving interpreting something as sacred – were predictive of greater IH. Phenomena that are considered sacred are often experienced as ineffable and unknowable, which likewise increases awareness of one’s intellectual limits. In Study 3, individuals walking in nature experienced higher levels of self-transcendent emotions, sanctification appraisals, and GH than individuals walking in other settings. Although much of the literature discusses GH and IH as traits, this research emphasizes that they also function as dynamic states that can shift in response to emotions, cognitions, and environmental contexts.