Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness

Previous research has demonstrated that awe can influence corporate social responsibility; however, the mechanism through which awe affects social responsibility among Chinese adolescents remains unclear. According to the Broaden-and-Build theory of positive emotions, individuals may be prompted to...

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Main Authors: Junyi Yang, Qingyang Zhang, Beibei Li, Dandan Tong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004287
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author Junyi Yang
Qingyang Zhang
Beibei Li
Dandan Tong
author_facet Junyi Yang
Qingyang Zhang
Beibei Li
Dandan Tong
author_sort Junyi Yang
collection DOAJ
description Previous research has demonstrated that awe can influence corporate social responsibility; however, the mechanism through which awe affects social responsibility among Chinese adolescents remains unclear. According to the Broaden-and-Build theory of positive emotions, individuals may be prompted to take positive actions, such as enhancing social mindfulness, due to the situational stimuli that evoke their sense of awe. Conversely, these positive actions promote the formation of social responsibility. Thus, the present study aims to explore the impact of awe on adolescents' social responsibility and the mediating role of social mindfulness in this relationship using questionnaire-based and experimental approaches. In Study 1, 1370 adolescents completed the Dispositional Awe Scale, the Social Mindfulness Self-Report Scale and the Social Responsibility Scale. The results revealed that dispositional awe had a significant effect on social responsibility, with social mindfulness mediating 73.28 % of this effect. In Study 2, 140 adolescents participated in an experiment where video-induced emotions were used to elicit awe in the experimental group and neutral emotions in the control group, and the results indicated that awe emotion significantly influenced social responsibility, with social mindfulness mediating 62.76 % of the effect. In Study 3, results showed that a 4-week awe training increased dispositional awe, social mindfulness, and social responsibility. In addition, social mindfulness partially mediated the effect of dispositional awe on social responsibility, accounting for 48.15 % of the total effect. These findings provide novel insights into the role of awe in fostering social responsibility among adolescents, highlighting the mediating role of social mindfulness and the potential of awe-based interventions.
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spelling doaj-art-94f2ecf86b554e57be21f5405486a0f12025-08-20T02:06:17ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-07-0125710511510.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105115Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulnessJunyi Yang0Qingyang Zhang1Beibei Li2Dandan Tong3School of Educational Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, China; Corresponding author at: No. 237 Nanhu Road, Shihe District, Xinyang City, Henan Province 406, School of Education and Science, Xinyang Normal University, China.School of Educational Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, ChinaSchool of Educational Science, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, ChinaSchool of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, ChinaPrevious research has demonstrated that awe can influence corporate social responsibility; however, the mechanism through which awe affects social responsibility among Chinese adolescents remains unclear. According to the Broaden-and-Build theory of positive emotions, individuals may be prompted to take positive actions, such as enhancing social mindfulness, due to the situational stimuli that evoke their sense of awe. Conversely, these positive actions promote the formation of social responsibility. Thus, the present study aims to explore the impact of awe on adolescents' social responsibility and the mediating role of social mindfulness in this relationship using questionnaire-based and experimental approaches. In Study 1, 1370 adolescents completed the Dispositional Awe Scale, the Social Mindfulness Self-Report Scale and the Social Responsibility Scale. The results revealed that dispositional awe had a significant effect on social responsibility, with social mindfulness mediating 73.28 % of this effect. In Study 2, 140 adolescents participated in an experiment where video-induced emotions were used to elicit awe in the experimental group and neutral emotions in the control group, and the results indicated that awe emotion significantly influenced social responsibility, with social mindfulness mediating 62.76 % of the effect. In Study 3, results showed that a 4-week awe training increased dispositional awe, social mindfulness, and social responsibility. In addition, social mindfulness partially mediated the effect of dispositional awe on social responsibility, accounting for 48.15 % of the total effect. These findings provide novel insights into the role of awe in fostering social responsibility among adolescents, highlighting the mediating role of social mindfulness and the potential of awe-based interventions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004287Dispositional aweAwe emotionSocial mindfulnessSocial responsibility
spellingShingle Junyi Yang
Qingyang Zhang
Beibei Li
Dandan Tong
Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
Acta Psychologica
Dispositional awe
Awe emotion
Social mindfulness
Social responsibility
title Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
title_full Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
title_fullStr Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
title_full_unstemmed Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
title_short Influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
title_sort influence of awe on social responsibility in adolescents and the mediating role of social mindfulness
topic Dispositional awe
Awe emotion
Social mindfulness
Social responsibility
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825004287
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AT qingyangzhang influenceofaweonsocialresponsibilityinadolescentsandthemediatingroleofsocialmindfulness
AT beibeili influenceofaweonsocialresponsibilityinadolescentsandthemediatingroleofsocialmindfulness
AT dandantong influenceofaweonsocialresponsibilityinadolescentsandthemediatingroleofsocialmindfulness