Department of Social Psychology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 15;13(1):22506. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-49681-2.
The structure and function of awe have been examined by focusing on the average level of outcomes during awe experiences. In the present study, we tested the psychophysiological process of experiencing awe, focusing on time-series changes in skin conductance responses (SCRs), a moment-by-moment measure of sympathetic nervous responses, and pupil diameter, which is dilated or constricted through the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The responses were measured through an experiment where 77 Japanese university students watched emotional (awe, amusement, or neutral) videos while moving a joystick when they felt supernatural agency or non-agency, examining the underlying psychological processes. We found that experiencing awe was associated with frequent and steep changes in SCRs and frequent changes in pupil diameter. The joystick inclination, the perceptions of the supernatural, was kept at a high level from the start to the end of awe experiences. These results may reflect the psychophysiological processes of awe: the "fluctuation" of the sympathetic nervous system might underlie awe-specific experiences. Our findings shed new light on the mechanisms of the body-mind interaction in awe experiences.
我们通过关注敬畏体验过程中的平均结果水平来研究敬畏的结构和功能。在本研究中，我们测试了体验敬畏的心理生理过程，重点关注皮肤电反应（SCR）的时间序列变化，SCR 是交感神经系统反应的即时测量指标，以及瞳孔直径，瞳孔直径通过交感和副交感神经系统扩张或收缩。通过一项实验来测量这些反应，77 名日本大学生在观看情感（敬畏、娱乐或中性）视频时，当他们感到超自然的能动性或非能动性时，会移动操纵杆，以此来检验潜在的心理过程。我们发现，体验敬畏与 SCR 的频繁和陡峭变化以及瞳孔直径的频繁变化有关。敬畏体验开始到结束时，操纵杆倾斜度（感知超自然的程度）一直保持在较高水平。这些结果可能反映了敬畏的心理生理过程：交感神经系统的“波动”可能是敬畏特有的体验的基础。我们的研究结果为敬畏体验中的身心互动机制提供了新的视角。
