Piloerection is not a reliable physiological correlate of awe.
Awe
Emotion
Goosebumps
Physiology
Piloerection
Journal
International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology
ISSN: 1872-7697
Titre abrégé: Int J Psychophysiol
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 8406214
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 2021
01 2021
Historique:
received:
22
09
2020
revised:
19
11
2020
accepted:
20
11
2020
pubmed:
28
11
2020
medline:
26
10
2021
entrez:
27
11
2020
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
In scientific and popular literature, piloerection (e.g. goosebumps) is often claimed to accompany the experience of awe, though this correlation has not been tested empirically. Using two pre-registered and independently collected samples (N = 210), we examined the objective physiological occurrence of piloerection in response to awe-inducing stimuli. Stimuli were selected to satisfy three descriptors of awe, including perceptual vastness, virtual reality, and expectancy-violating events. The stimuli reliably elicited self-reported awe to a great extent, in line with previous research. However, awe-inducing stimuli were not associated with the objective occurrence of piloerection. While participants self-reported high levels of goosebumps and "the chills," there was no physical evidence of this response. These results suggest that piloerection is not reliably connected to the experience of awe-at least using stimuli known to elicit awe in an experimental setting.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33245919
pii: S0167-8760(20)30268-3
doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2020.11.011
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
88-93Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.