Awe
Through a representative national survey, a study led by researcher Paul Piff ascertained that people who report feeling awe more often are, in fact, more generous. When given raffle tickets and offered the chance to donate some, those who frequently felt awe gave away more tickets. Then the researchers conducted four experiments in which they induced awe in some participants and other emotions such as pride or amusement in others. They evoked awe through videos of breathtaking natural scenes and by taking subjects outside to gaze upward at towering eucalyptus trees. In every case, those who experienced awe behaved in what psychologists call a more “prosocial” way, being more helpful or making more ethical decisions. By making us feel like a small part of something grander, the authors suggest, awe shifts our attention from our own needs to those of the greater good.