How Awe Works in Humanitarian Setting in East Asia: Cultural Differences in Describing the Experience of Awe

Abstract Whether an individual copes with loss in a positive and constructive manner or a negative one depends on cultural values, individual differences, and the quality of support they receive. For example, the experience of awe has been shown to diminish the sense of self, which in turn increases generosity, helping behavior, or healthy mental conditions. To date, however, few studies have examined awe in non-Western contexts. This chapter contributes an empirical study with behavioral methods as well as a theoretical literature review on culture and positive emotion, specifically the awe-related experiences among individuals from East Asia, providing novel insights into how awe experiences work in the face of loss. We found that interpersonal situations and natural disasters (e.g., the earthquake of March 2011) were the most common awe-inspiring events described by the participants, which mostly elicited negative emotions indicating that awe-related experiences may motivate people to connect with others in interdependent contexts and may serve to alleviate negative emotions in the face of natural disasters. The findings from these studies highlight the how culture serves as a protective factor in mental health, particularly for interdependent cultures, and the importance of awe in humanitarian settings, such as natural disasters, were among the most awe-inspiring emotional events.