The positive moral emotions Elevation awe admiration and

The positive moral emotions: Elevation, awe, admiration (and gratitude) Sage Lecture #3 Nov. 23, 2008 Jonathan Haidt University of Virginia

6 Lectures on Morality 11/10: What is morality and how does it work? 11/17: The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion 11/24: The positive moral emotions: Elevation, awe, admiration, and gratitude 12/1: Hive psychology, group selection, and leadership 12/8: The dark side: Why moral psychology is the greatest source of evil 12/15: The light side: How to pursue happiness using ancient wisdom and modern psychology ppt files available at www. Jonathan. Haidt. com, at bottom

Nativism Nature provides a first draft, which experience then revises… ‘Built-in' does not mean unmalleable; it means organized in advance of experience. “ (Marcus, 2004)

The Social Intuitionist Model (Haidt, 2001) 6 A’s Intuition 1 A’s Judgment 2 A’s Reasoning 5 4 B’s Reasoning B’s Judgment 3 B’s Intuition Four main processes: 1) the intuitive judgment link Two rare processes: 2) the post-hoc reasoning link 5) the reasoned judgment link 3) the reasoned persuasion link 6) the private reflection link 4) the social persuasion link

Intuition tilts the table

The New Synthesis in Moral Psych 1) Intuitive primacy (but not dictatorship) 2) Moral thinking is for social doing 3) Morality binds and builds 4) Morality is about more than harm and fairness

Traditional Morality: Uses every tool in the toolbox to increase MCC

Liberals 2 channels, Conservatives 5 Endorsement Harm Fairness Authority Ingroup Purity

The positive moral emotions: Elevation, awe, admiration (and gratitude) Sage Lecture #3 Nov. 23, 2008 Jonathan Haidt University of Virginia

An Investment Opportunity….

I) Unbalanced Emotions Appraisal of Agent’s Action Praiseworthy Self Other Pride Self-satisfaction Gratitude Awe Admiration Blameworthy Guilt Shame Anger Disgust Contempt From Ortony, Clore & Collins, 1988

I) Unbalanced Emotions Appraisal of Agent’s Action Praiseworthy Self Other Pride Self-satisfaction Gratitude Awe Admiration Blameworthy Guilt 1, 639 Shame 1, 601 Anger 3, 230 Disgust 306 Contempt 54 (From Psyc. Info search of words in title or key concepts, journal articles only, counted on 9/08)

I) Unbalanced Emotions Appraisal of Agent’s Action Praiseworthy Self Other Pride 247 Self-satisfaction 27 Gratitude 124 Awe 36 Admiration 19 Blameworthy Guilt 1, 639 Shame 1, 601 Anger 3, 230 Disgust 306 Contempt 54 (From Psyc. Info search of words in title or key concepts, journal articles only, counted on 9/08) --Ratio of neg to pos is 15 to 1 --There is almost NO empirical work on the “otherpraising” emotions (beyond recent work on gratitude).

Why So Little on the O. P. Emotions? 1) No animal models 2) No distinct facial expression 3) Not as discrete as the negative emotions 4) General neglect of positive phenomena (Seligman) 5) Lack of good theoretical approaches to positive emotions, until now: Broaden and Build (Fredrickson) 6) Lack of good theoretical approaches to moral emotions, until now: Divinity & Purity (Shweder, Rozin);

II) The Third Dimension of Social Space? Z=Divinity (elevation-disgust) X=Solidarity (like-dislike) Y=Hierarchy (respect upwards; Paternalist caring downwards)

Purity and Pollution: keep our animal/corporeal nature separated from god/divinity In Biblical Judaism: When a woman gives birth to a boy, “she shall continue in the blood of purification three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled. ” --Leviticus, 12: 4

Purity and Pollution: keep our animal/corporeal nature separated from god/divinity In Islam: “O believers, when you stand up to pray wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet up to the ankles. If you are defiled, purify yourselves…” --Koran, V: 9.

Purity/God/Goodness is Up Transmigration of souls: Up or down, based on Karma (right-action in this life) Hindu categorical imperative: “Any action that makes us go Godward is a good action and is our duty; any action that makes us go downward is evil and is not our duty. " --Vivekananda, 1890 s

Purity/God/Goodness is Up The Scala Natura: Greek and then Christian ordering of beings based on perfection, later virtue. God at top, devil/demons at bottom

In Victorian America Too "God has made no mistake in giving man a strong sexual nature, but any young man makes a fatal mistake if he allows the sexual to dominate, to degrade, and to destroy that which is highest and noblest in his nature. “ --Sylvanus Stall, 1904, What a young man ought to know.

II) The Third Dimension of Social Space? Z=Divinity (elevation-disgust) X=Solidarity (like-dislike) Y=Hierarchy (respect upwards; Paternalist caring downwards)

The Third Dimension: Divinity What do we feel when we see people move up, blurring the human/divine boundary? God Angels Saints Human Beings Monsters Social Disgust is felt when we see people move down, especially when they blur the human/animal boundary. Animals Demons The Devil

Example, From a Spiritual Autobiography: There’s another kind of tear. This one’s less about giving love and more about the joy of receiving love, or maybe just detecting love. It’s the kind of tear that flows in response to expressions of courage, or compassion, or kindness by others. A few weeks after Mother’s Day, we met here in the sanctuary and considered whether to become a Welcoming Congregation. When John stood in support of the resolution, and spoke of how, as far as he knew, he was the first gay man to come out at First Parish, in the early 1970 s, I cried for his courage. Later, when all hands went up and the resolution passed unanimously, I cried for the love expressed by our congregation in that act. That was a tear of celebration, a tear of receptiveness to what is good in the world, a tear that says it’s okay, relax, let down your guard, there are good people in the world, there is good in people, love is real, it’s in our nature. That kind of tear is also like being pricked, only now the love pours in.

Tears of Elevation Free hugs New York Subway Hero Team Hoyt The stone wall inside of him has fallen, the hardness in his heart has broken down. The rest of us can, I think, imagine this by recalling our state of feeling in those temporary 'melting moods' into which either the trials of real life, or theatre, or a novel sometimes throw us. Especially if we weep! For it is then as if our tears broke through an inveterate inner dam, and let all sorts of ancient peccancies and moral stagnancies drain away, leaving us now washed and soft of heart and open to every nobler leading. (James, p. 216 -217)

III) Elevation: Three main features 1) Elicitors: acts of courage, kindness, loyalty. . or any other act of moral beauty 2) Phenomenology/physiology: calm/relaxed, a warm/open/pleasant feeling in the chest; sometimes getting “choked up”. 3) Motivation: emulation, moral self-improvement, (altruism? )

A) Video and Diary Studies (Algoe & Haidt, in press, JPP) 3 groups (N=136), watch one of 3 videos, then fill out “event record” Elevation (Trevor) Admiration (Jordan) Amusement (comedians) Then given packet of event records and further instructions: For 3 weeks, fill out a record each time you see/hear someone: --Do something good or kind for someone else [elevation] --Exceed normal standards of skill or performance [admiration] --Tell a joke [amusement, positive affect control]

Results: Physical Feelings % reporting: Warm Chest Chills High energy Increased Heart rt Video Induction Elev Admir Amus 51* 43* 20 10 10 13 *=differs from amusement at p<. 05 37* 52* 20* 2 20 4 Diary Study Elev Admir Amus

Results: Physical Feelings % reporting: Warm Chest Chills High energy Increased Heart rt Video Induction Elev Admir Amus 51* 43* 20 10 10 13 37* 52* 20* 2 20 4 Diary Study Elev Admir Amus 35 31 30 6 16 14 28* 56* 37 2 36 19 *=differs from amusement at p<. 05 --Elevation causes feelings in the chest (but all pos em’s do) --Admiration linked to chills and energy

Results: Changes in Motivations -4=much less, +4=much more Do good deeds Video Induction Elev Admir Amus 2. 62* 1. 39*. 44 Become better prsn 2. 28* 1. 57* Emulate the other 2. 03* 1. 85* . 16. 33 Be successful . 62 1. 82* 2. 70* *=differs from amusement at p<. 05 Diary Study Elev Admir Amus

Results: Changes in Motivations -4=much less, +4=much more Do good deeds Video Induction Diary Study Elev Admir Amus 2. 62* 1. 39*. 44 2. 02*. 81. 35 Become better prsn 2. 28* 1. 57* Emulate the other 2. 03* 1. 85* . 16 1. 51* 1. 13*. 33 1. 61* 2. 15* . 49 Be successful . 62 . 49 1. 82* 2. 70* . 34 1. 97* *=differs from amusement at p<. 05 --Elevation is linked to moral motivations -Admiration is linked to motivations to copy and work hard

B) Cross-Cultural Interviews Method: Structured interviews with small samples in --India --Japan (Yuki Amano) --among Born-again Christians (Carter Chandler) --among Palestinian Americans (Mona Hasan) Results: In all groups, we find linkage among --virtuous acts --feelings in body (chills or chest) --motivation to help others or work for a higher cause

Elevation and Suicide Bombing (Mona Hasan) Question: Does suicide bombing cause elevation? Participants: 36 Palestinians and Palestinian Americans recruited from a mosque in Northern Virginia, interviewed 11/01 -2/02, during period of heavy suicide bombing in Israel Reem Riyashi, 22 & daughter

Elevation and Suicide Bombing (Mona Hasan) Method: Structured interviews about 4 situations: 1) Good deed (“when you saw or heard about someone doing something good, kind, or compassionate for someone else”) 2) Self-sacrifice (“when you saw or heard about someone who risked or lost his life to further his cause”) 3) Rescue (“when you saw or heard about someone who risked or lost his life to help others, or save someone else’s life”) -------------------------------4) Achievement (“when you accomplished a goal”)

Results: % who mentioned Affect words: self-praising (pride, bold) other-praising (adm. , awe, grat) Physical symptoms: goosebumps, chills, chest, tears Motivations: Self-focused (celebrate, continue) Other-focused (help, emulate) * = differs from achievement p<. 05 Good Self. Deed Sacrifice Rescue Achieve -ment 0* 32* 3* 31* 0* 62* 80 3 35* 26* 17 7 3* 74* 0* 83* 0* 72* 47 7

Discussion of Suicide Bombings --Half were supportive, half ambivalent. None opposed. --Some mentions of revenge, hate, “negative” moral motives --No mentions of rewards in heaven --What feelings do you have when you hear about a successful suicide attack in Israel? Satisfaction (67%) happiness (61%), admiration (61%), gratitude (56%). Conclusions: --Self-sacrifice in suicide bombers often causes otherpraising emotions in other members of the group. --These emotions include motivations to do the same thing --Terrorism is better understood as motivated by moral emotions than by free-floating “evil”

C) Physiology of Other-Praising Emotions (Gary Sherman) 1) Warm chest plus calm: --Parasympathetic activity + --Oxytocin? Endorphins? 2) Chills plus energy: --Parasympathetic activity + --Adrenaline? (no cortisol)

Lactation Study (Silvers & Haidt, 2008, Emotion) Method: --44 Lactating women come to lab with infant --insert nursing pad, watch neutral baseline video --watch elevation or amusement video (IV) --left alone for 5 minutes, behavior videotaped (DV) --nursing pads weighed (DV)

% of Mothers Who…. p=. 06 * *

Thomas Jefferson was here

Elevation: Discovered in Charlottesville! When any …act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also. On the contrary when we see or read of any atrocious deed, we are disgusted with its deformity and conceive an abhorrence of vice. . . And whether the fidelity of Nelson, and generosity of Blandford in Marmontel do not dilate his breast, and elevate his sentiments as much as any similar incident which real history can furnish? . . . --Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Robert Skipwith, 1771

Elevation: Discovered in Charlottesville! When any …act of charity or of gratitude, for instance, is presented either to our sight or imagination, we are deeply impressed with its beauty and feel a strong desire in ourselves of doing charitable and grateful acts also. On the contrary when we see or read of any atrocious deed, we are disgusted with its deformity and conceive an abhorrence of vice. . . And whether the fidelity of Nelson, and generosity of Blandford in Marmontel do not dilate his breast, and elevate his sentiments as much as any similar incident which real history can furnish? . . . --Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Robert Skipwith, 1771 Appraisal Action tendency Physical changes Affective phenomenology

Elevation and Disgust are Opposites Disgust Elicitor People moving down, blurring human/animal divide Physical feelings Gut (unpleasant) Elevation People moving up, blurring human/god divide Chest (warm glow) Motiv. Tendency Separate, close off, Merge, open up, reject copy virtuous example Contamination Negative Positive

Rembrandt: The Good Samaritan

Serrano: Piss Christ

Elevation opens people to new moral commitments “I can’t believe I just shook the Dalai Lama’s hand!” Jocelyn Diaz, a 21 year old senior, shouted… “I feel changed by this. You get so caught up with your life and then you see these people who are making so much of a difference. ” “Attending even a single event can have a consciousness-raising effect, ” said Christina Bull, a 19 -year-old junior… “It just reminds you that there are people who care so much about causes, ” she added. “It makes you want to get involved. ”

Elevation and Politics Ask not. . .

Problem: No clear property lines Elevation Awe Admiration Inspiration

IV) Awe People report feeling awe towards so many things….

The Evolution of “Awe”: Starts with fear OED 1: From old Norse root “agi, ” related to old English and German words meaning immediate and active fear; terror, dread. [Obs]. OED 2: “From its use in reference to the Divine Being this passes gradually into: Dread mingled with veneration, reverential or respectful fear; the attitude of a mind subdued to profound reverence in the presence of supreme authority, moral greatness or sublimity, or mysterious sacredness. ”

Saul on the road to Damascus . . . suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, why do you persecute me? ” And he said, “Who are you, Lord? ” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. ” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one (Acts 9. 3 -7).

Krishna instructs Arjuna…. .

Gives him a celestial eye. . . Arjuna: Things never seen before have I seen, and ecstatic is my joy; yet fear-andtrembling perturb by mind…. Krishna: Do works for Me, make Me your highest goal, be loyal-in-love to Me, cut off all other attachments. . (Gita, 11. 45 -55) Awe disorientation, loss of old self, commitment to new leader/goal. Awe is a reset button.

Awe joins up with Beauty OED 3. “The feeling of solemn and reverential wonder, tinged with latent fear, inspired by what is terribly sublime and majestic in nature, e. g. thunder, a storm at sea. ” --Edmund Burke (1757) on the sublime: a feeling of expanded thought and greatness of mind that is produced by literature, poetry, painting, and viewing landscapes. --Two key features: power and obscurity –After 18 th Cent. Awe becomes a kinder, gentler emotion. Link to fear and submission is weakened. Anything good becomes “totally awesome”

Modern American English: Anything surprising and impressive. Almost always good. Awe. jpg

A Theory of Awe (Keltner & Haidt, 2003) Many kinds of awe: at power, nature, skill, divinity, magic…. 2 Central appraisals: Vastness (Burke’s power) and Need for accommodation (Burke’s obscurity) 5 Peripheral or “flavoring” appraisals: Threat, Beauty, Ability, Virtue, Supernatural Evolutionary origins ? Adaptive submission to new power, then selecting best role models (Henrich & Gil-White) Function? Awe prepares the mind to switch identities, allegiances, ideas. (Rumsfeld used the word correctly. Obama uses the emotion effectively)

The Inspire and Rewire Hypothesis PTSD: Extraordinarily powerful experiences of fear flood the brain with cortisol/CRF/NE? leading to longlasting changes in the amgydala and hippocampus. These changes are associated with personality changes that are experienced as greater negativity: fearfulness, irritability, and guilt. Extraordinarily powerful experiences of awe/elevation flood the brain with _____ leading to long-lasting changes in the ______. These changes are associated with personality changes that are experienced as greater positivity: love, moral growth, commitment to prosocial causes.

Applications (of awe, elevation, and admiration) 1) Moral development (with Jesse Graham) --Basic research on the emergence of elevation and admiration in elementary schools --Goal: design a moral development curriculum that uses other-praising emotions to foster change, malleability 2) Self-improvement (With Patrick Seder) --Can other-praising emotions catalyze psychotherapy? --Can admiration enhance exercise and weight loss? 3) Politics, rhetoric, charisma --What is the role of awe/charisma in voting? --What is the role of “moving” speech in moral persuasion?

The New Synthesis in Moral Psych 1) Intuitive primacy (but not dictatorship) --so look at the moral emotions 2) Moral thinking is for social doing --moral emotions change relationships 3) Morality binds and builds --pos moral emotions are about selftranscendence; I becomes WE 4) Morality is about more than harm and fairness --look to the ancients, and traditional morality, to broaden the narrow modern imagination

Thanks to. . Sara Algoe, Patrick Seder, Gary Sherman, Jennifer Silvers Templeton Foundation Papers & powerpoints available at: www. Jonathan. Haidt. com