Awe, Group Cohesion, and Religious Self-Sacrifice

ABSTRACT Awe is an emotion frequently experienced in religious contexts. Research has documented the effects of awe on feelings of small self, spirituality, and sense of interconnectedness. We extend this literature by investigating the relationship between awe and religious group cohesion, which can ultimately lead to sacrifice for one’s religious group. Study 1 found that U.S. adult participants (N = 782) who experience greater dispositional awe-proneness are more willing to self-sacrifice for their group. This relationship was explained (mediated) by greater reports of a sense of vastness and greater cohesion with one’s religious group. In Study 2, U.S. community participants (N = 187) were randomly assigned to an awe induction condition or a neutral condition. While the manipulation successfully elicited feelings of awe and small self (both vastness and self-diminishment), it did not directly affect our other measures. We still found partial evidence for an indirect pathway from awe to vastness, group cohesion, and sacrifice for one’s religious group. This research highlights an emotional component of religious group cohesion, with implications for the role of awe in self-sacrificial forms of devotion.