Awe has been linked to prosociality, curiosity, authenticity, and meaning, yet a unifying account remains underspecified. We propose that awe's broad effects arise because it promotes psychological depth, operationalized via ratings collected after reflection tasks.


We test this account in naturalistic and virtual reality (VR) experimental settings. Participants completed reflection tasks and a scale assessing experienced depth in the reflection, measuring (a) the depth of evoked ideas and principles and (b) the depth of the reasoning process as a whole.


In our naturalistic study (N=74), each participant underwent two separate reflection tasks on topics chosen before the experiment. Awe was manipulated by counterbalancing the reflection location (top vs. ground floor) in an 88-meter-tall building with a panoramic, awe-eliciting view. Mixed-effects models showed that reflections in the awe condition were experienced as deeper than those in the control condition. Awe also increased state authenticity, reflecting alignment with deeper values and beliefs.


In our lab study (N=79), participants completed reflection tasks under four conditions—neutral control, positive-emotion control, awe-nature, and awe-space—with stimuli presented via a VR headset. Awe reliably increased experienced depth relative to both controls, and this effect was accompanied by higher ratings of emotional engagement, insight, and meaning.


Collected data include manipulation checks, dispositional awe and several other measures (e.g., a 100-item Big Five inventory), writing samples from participants' reflections, and heart rate monitoring.


This research underscores awe's role in promoting reflection and psychological depth, with theoretical and practical implications. Findings support a depth-based account of awe, showing how this emotion can support reflection on personally relevant topics. These results also suggest practical interventions to elicit deeper self-examination in applied settings.