Elevation and the Self-Transcendent Emotions

 

 

In my work on the moral emotions I have stumbled upon a class of emotions that is almost completely unstudied: the emotions we feel when other people do good, skillful, or admirable things. These emotions are unusual in that they are not primarily about ourselves, our goals, and our normal petty concerns. These emotions give people a sense of uplift and inspiration; they make us feel like better people; they are self-transcendent. I have focused my work on the emotion of moral elevation (a reaction to moral beauty). But I have also begun to study gratitude (with Sara Algoe) and awe (with Patrick Seder and Dacher Keltner).

 

I) Theory Papers on Elevation:

Here is the major theoretical statement on elevation:   ** Haidt, J. (2003). Elevation and the positive psychology of morality. In C. L. M. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.) Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived. Washington DC : American Psychological Association. (pp. 275-289). Request Paper

Here is a shorter, earlier statement: Haidt, J . (2000). The positive emotion of elevation. Prevention and Treatment, 3. Request Paper

 

 

II) Empirical Papers (evidence) on Elevation

 

The major empirical article giving the basic features of elevation and admiration is
Algoe, S. B. and J. Haidt (2009). "Witnessing excellence in action: The 'other-praising' emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration." Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 105-127. Request Paper
 

Here is an article showing that moral elevation causes lactation, perhaps by triggering the release of oxytocin:
Silvers, J., & Haidt, J. (2008). Moral Elevation Can Induce Lactation. Emotion, 8, 291-295.
Request Paper

 

Here are empirical findings from other researchers on elevation:

 

Landis, S., Sherman, M., Piedmont, R., Kirkhart, M., Rapp, E., & Bike, D. (in press). "The relation between elevation and self-reported prosocial behavior: incremental validity over the five factor model of personality." Journal of Positive Psychology.

 

To measure moral elevation as a personality trait, you can use the 3rd part of the Engagement with Beauty Scale (EBS), developed by Rhett Diessner, and described in this paper: Diessner, R., Parsons, L., Solom, R., Frost, N., & Davidson, J. (in press). Engagement with beauty scale: Validation of measures of natural, artistic and moral beauty. The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied.

 

Freeman, D., Aquino, K., & McFerran, B. (2009). Overcoming Beneficiary Race as an Impediment to Charitable Donations: Social Dominance Orientation, the Experience of Moral Elevation, and Donation Behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 72-84.

 

 

III) Papers/Articles for a general (non-academic) audience

 

Haidt, J. (2001). “Elevation and the revelation of our better selves.” Research News in Science and Theology, October. Request Paper

 

Haidt, J. (2005). “Disgust and Elevation: Opposing Sources of ‘Spiritual Information’”. In C. L. Harper, Jr. "Spiritual information": 100 perspectives. Philadelphia, PA : Templeton Foundation Press. Request Paper

 

Yoffe, E. (2008) Obama in your heart. Slate, Dec. 3, 2008 (on the role of elevation in Obama's victory)

 

NBC Nightly News, story on how good deeds are contagious, 3/17/09

 

 

IV) Papers on awe and other positive emotions:

Keltner, D., & Haidt, J . (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17, 297-314. Request Paper

Haidt, J. & Keltner, D . (2004). Appreciation of beauty and excellence. In C. Peterson and M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.) Character strengths and virtues. Washington DC : American Psychological Association Press. pp. 537-551. Request Paper

Algoe, S., & Haidt, J., & Gable, S. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8, 425-429. Request Paper

Haidt, J., Seder, P., & Kesebir, S. (in press). Hive Psychology, Happiness, and Public Policy. Journal of Legal Studies. Request Paper

And here is a paper on prestige and admiration that I didn’t write, but it is so good and so relevant to elevation, awe, and admiration that I want everyone to read it: Henrich, J. & Gil-White, F. (2001) The Evolution of Prestige: freely conferred status as a mechanism for enhancing the benefits of cultural transmission. Evolution and Human Behavior, 22, 1-32.

 

 


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Last Updated March 17, 2009