Landewe, Stijn (2025) The Influence of Awe on Interpersonal Movement Synchronization: An Experimental Study. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The experience of awe, a self-transcendental and profound emotion, is linked to various prosocial behaviours and is thought to promote a sense of connectedness between individuals. One such marker of interconnectedness is movement synchronization. This exploratory study examined whether awe influences interpersonal movement synchronization during dyadic interactions. Dyads watched either an awe-inducing (experimental) video or a neutral (control) video, followed by a 5-minute conversation about their ideal day. Interpersonal synchrony was quantified using Motion Energy Analysis of video-recorded interactions. Due to the limited sample size, the study remains exploratory. However, the findings showed that participants in the awe condition showed slightly higher movement synchronization and self-reported connection scores than those in the control condition. These results are in line with earlier findings suggesting awe reduces self-focus and promotes attention towards others and they support grounded cognition perspectives, which propose that experiences such as awe are not merely cognitive and emotional but also manifest in bodily states. The findings highlight the potential value of cultivating shared experiences of awe in therapeutic or work contexts. Future research should aim to replicate these findings with larger samples to enable robust statistical analyses and draw more definitive conclusions.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Ostafin, B.D. and Kim, J.J. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Psychology (CP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Sep 2025 14:10 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Sep 2025 14:11 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5936 |
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