AUTHOR=Ochadleus Cassidy , Kirby Charissa , Scollon Christie Napa 

TITLE=It’s awe-fully unfamiliar: The effect of familiarity on awe within a virtual reality setting

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096283

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096283

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Awe-inducing scenes are purported to involve vastness and a need for accommodation. Familiarity with a stimulus should reduce the need for accommodation, thereby reducing the intensity of awe experienced. The present study tested the effect of familiarity to a natural awe-inducing scene on the experience of awe. Forty undergraduate participants (<italic>N</italic> = 40) participated in a virtual reality experiment. Using a within-subjects design, participants viewed (in counterbalanced order) an awe-inducing nature scene that was either familiar or unfamiliar. The dependent measure was self-reported awe. Results confirmed that participants experienced diminished awe while viewing a familiar awe-inducing scene compared to viewing an unfamiliar awe-inducing scene.</p>