台大心理系

Awe – defined as an emotional response to physically or conceptually vast, extraordinary stimuli – has only recently begun to receive serious attention in empirical psychology. This gap reflects perception of awe as a “luxury” item in the human emotional repertoire, without an easily defined adaptive or social function. In this talk I offer a theoretical definition of awe rooted in evolutionary psychology, emphasizing its role in human learning, and present research from my own laboratory consistent with this definition. Future directions of this program of research are discussed, and ideas for cross-cultural research on awe are invited.