Research Design Connections: Awe and Conformity

Prade and Saraglou’s work makes it clearer how awe influences how we think and behave.  Awe can be induced by design in a variety of ways, for example, via exquisite workmanship.  The Prade and Saraglou team report that “Given that awe experiences promote collective identity and decrease self-importance, we reasoned that they should lead individuals to be more prone to cherish social conformity value and to adopt conformity behaviors. In two online experiments . . . compared to neutral and amusement emotional states, awe was found to drive individuals to value the respect of social norms in a greater extent (Experiment 1), and to lead individuals to conform to the majority opinion on an evaluative judgment task (Experiment 2).” Claire Prade and Vassilis Saraglou.  “Awe and Social Conformity:  Awe Promotes the Endorsement of Social Norms and Conformity to the Majority Opinion.”  Emotion, in press, DOI: 10.1037/emo0001225 Sally Augustin, PhD, a …