A paper by Nao Maeura (Graduate student/Research Assistant, Kyoto University), Assistant Professor Masataka Nakayama and Professor Yukiko Uchida, entitled “Discrimination and similarity between “being moved” and “awe” in Japan,” has been published in Cognitive Studies

A paper by Nao Maeura (Graduate student/Research Assistant, Kyoto University), Assistant Professor Masataka Nakayama and Professor Yukiko Uchida, entitled “Discrimination and similarity between “being moved” and “awe” in Japan,” has been published in Cognitive Studies.

We often say that we are “moved”. There are a variety of subjects that we are moved by, ranging from everyday life experiences to life altering emotions. However, the feeling of awe has been studied mainly in Europe and the United States. In Japanese, this feeling, which is called “畏怖” or “畏敬”, is also similar to the feeling called “感動.” So, the research team analyzed the similarities and differences between “awe” and “being moved” by collecting awe-inducing and being-moved inducing situations.

Results indicate that being moved by something, for example, the beauty of nature, or being deeply moved by a life event, is similar to awe. On the other hand, results showed that being moved by a daily event is different from the experience of awe, and the negative experience of awe is not the same as being moved, particularly having a negative feeling of awe toward natural threats such as earthquakes.

Nao Maeura, Masataka Nakayama and Yukiko Uchida (2020), “Discrimination and similarity between “being moved” and “awe” in Japan.” 27(3), 262-279. Cognitive Studies.

https://doi.org/10.11225/cs.2020.036

2020/12/08