Awe and Boredom: Unravelling Dual Pathways Through Meaning in Life

Possessing high meaning in life can prevent boredom. Recent evidence suggests that awe may increase meaning in life via vastness vis-à-vis the self (feeling connected to something bigger than the self) or decrease it through self-diminishment (feeling insignificant). Accordingly, we proposed and tested in four studies (N = 1173) that awe relates to boredom via these two competing pathways. We consistently found a negative indirect effect of awe on boredom via vastness vis-à-vis the self and meaning in life (Studies 1–3). This effect remained for threat-based awe (Study 3) and even after controlling for co-occurring emotions (Studies 2b and 3). The evidence for a positive indirect effect of awe on boredom via self-diminishment and meaning in life was present, albeit to a lesser extent. This research highlights the intricate relationship between awe and boredom, suggesting that awe can impact boredom through opposing effects on meaning in life.