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Elevation (emotion)
Elevation (emotion)
Elevation (emotion)
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Elevation is an emotion elicited by witnessing actual or imagined virtuous acts of remarkable moral goodness.[1][2] It is experienced as a distinct feeling of warmth and expansion that is accompanied by appreciation and affection for the individual whose exceptional conduct is being observed.[2] Elevation motivates those who experience it to open up to, affiliate with, and assist others. Elevation makes an individual feel lifted up and optimistic about humanity.[3]

Elevation can also be a deliberate act, characteristic habit, or virtue that is characterized by disdaining the trivial or undignified in favor of more exalted or noble themes. Henry David Thoreau recommended, for example that a person "read not the Times [but rather] read the Eternities" so that he "elevates his aim."[4]

Background/overview

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Elevation is defined as an emotional response to moral beauty. It is related to awe and wonder. It encompasses both the physical feelings and motivational effects that an individual experiences after witnessing acts of compassion or virtue.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt also posits that elevation is the opposite of social disgust, which is the reaction to reading about or witnessing "any atrocious deed."[3] Haidt insists that elevation is worth studying because we cannot fully understand human morality until we can explain how and why humans are so powerfully affected by the sight of strangers helping one another.

The goal of positive psychology is to bring about a balanced reappraisal of human nature and human potential. Positive psychologists are interested in understanding the motivations behind prosocial behavior in order to learn how to encourage individuals to help and care for each other. Thus, the field attempts to discern what causes individuals to act altruistically. While there is a great deal of research about individual acts of altruism, the amount of research done about a person's reaction to the altruism of others is surprisingly low. It is an oversight that Jonathan Haidt and others like him have striven to correct.[3]

Major theories

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Haidt's third dimension of social cognition

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Haidt asserts that elevation elicits warm, pleasurable sensations in the chest, and it also motivates individuals to act more virtuously themselves. In his explanation of elevation, Haidt describes the three dimensions of social cognition:[3]

The horizontal dimension of solidarity
People vary in distance to the self in regards to affection and mutual obligation. For example, across cultures individuals act differently toward their friends than toward strangers.
The vertical dimension of hierarchy, status, or power
People moderate their social exchanges by the relative status of the people whom they are interacting with.
The vertical dimension of "elevation versus degradation" or "purity versus pollution"
People vary in their state and trait levels of spiritual purity. When people feel disgust toward certain behaviors, this emotion informs them that someone else is moving down on this third dimension. Haidt defines elevation as the opposite of disgust, because witnessing others rise on the third dimension causes the viewer to also feel higher on this dimension.

Fredrickson's broaden and build theory

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Elevation exemplifies Barbara Fredrickson's broaden and build theory of positive emotions,[5] which asserts that positive emotions expand an individual's scope of attention and cognition in the moment while also building resources for the future. Elevation makes an individual feel admiration for the altruist and also more motivated to help others. Elevation has the potential to spread by creating an upward helping spiral in which individuals view others doing good deeds and then feel an increased urge to help others.[6]

Elevation as an other-praising emotion

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Sara Algoe and Jonathan Haidt claim that elevation is in the "other-praising" family of emotions along with gratitude and admiration.[7] These three emotions are positive reactions to witnessing the actions of exemplary others. The outcome of all three "other-praising" emotions is a focus on other people.

Algoe and Haidt provided empirical evidence to support this theory. They conducted a study in which participants were prompted to remember a time when they had experienced an event that would elicit elevation, gratitude, admiration, or joy. The participants then completed a questionnaire. Their results suggest that the "other-praising" emotions are different from happiness and distinct from each other due to differing motivational impulses. Elevation motivates individuals to be open and compassionate towards other people. Compared to joy or amusement, people experiencing elevation were more likely to express a desire to perform kind or helpful actions for others, become better people, and imitate the virtuous exemplar.

Elevation as a self-transcendent positive emotion

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Michelle Shiota and others assert that elevation is a self-transcendent positive emotion that serves to direct attention away from the self towards appreciating an exceptional human action or remarkable aspect of the natural world.[8] In doing so, elevation encourages individuals to transcend daily routines, limits, and perceived boundaries.

Shiota et al. describe how elevation functions as a moral emotion. It directs a person's judgments regarding others' morality and influences the person's own ensuing moral decisions in ways that may circumvent or precede logical moral reasoning.[8] Elevation may have the adaptive function of motivating people to help others while also assisting those who experience the emotion. For example, elevation may help individuals select with partiality their caring relationship partners by eliciting affection for people who exhibit altruism or compassion. Elevation may also help foster norms of helping in groups or communities. When one member of a community witnesses another helping, they are likely to feel elevated and immediately or briefly in time react by helping someone else in the group.[8] This is due to the mutual benefits of biological[clarification needed] altruism.

Major empirical findings

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Difference from happiness

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Researchers have shown that the patterns of physical sensations and motivations generated by elevation are different to those caused by happiness.[3] They induced elevation in a laboratory setting by showing undergraduates a ten-minute video clip documenting the life of Mother Teresa. In the control conditions, students were either shown a documentary that was emotionally neutral or a clip from America's Funniest Home Videos. Those in the elevation condition were more likely to report physical feelings of warmth or tingling in their chests. They were also more likely to express a desire to help or associate with others and to cultivate themselves to become better people. They found that happiness caused people to engage in more self-focused or internal pursuits, while elevation appeared to turn participants' attention outward toward other people.[3]

Increased oxytocin in nursing mothers

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Jennifer Silvers and Jonathan Haidt found that elevation may increase the amount of oxytocin circulating in the body by promoting the release of the hormone. In their study, nursing mothers and their infants watched video clips that either evoked elevation or amusement. Mothers who watched the elevation-inducing clip were more likely to nurse, leak milk, or cuddle their babies. These actions are associated with oxytocin and thus suggest a possible physiological mechanism underlying feelings of elevation.[9]

Increased prosocial behavior

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Results from two studies conducted by Simone Schnall and others suggest that viewing an altruistic act increases a person's motivation to act prosocially.[10]

In the first study, participants either viewed a clip of professional musicians expressing gratitude to their mentors, which was designed to elicit elevation, or a neutral video. People who watched the elevation-evoking video were more likely to agree to help with a later, uncompensated study than those in a neutral state.

In the second experiment, participants were assigned to watch either an elevation film clip, control film clip, or a clip from a British comedy program. They were then asked if they would help the researcher complete a tedious questionnaire filled with math problems for as long as they agreed to keep going. Participants who reported feeling elevated helped the experimenter with the tedious task for almost twice as much time than the participants who were amused or were in the control condition. Also, the length of time that the participants assisted was predicted by self-reported characteristics of subjective elevation such as desiring to help others and feeling hopeful about humanity; however, helping time was individually variable and not predicted by positive affect in general.[10]

Keith Cox studied undergraduates on a spring break service trip and discovered that those who reported more extreme and repeated experiences of elevation during the trip did more trip-specific volunteer activities related to their outing when they arrived home. These findings imply that the experience of elevation moved students to volunteer in the area in which they felt elevation.[11]

Improving functioning in clinically depressed and anxious individuals

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Research shows that elevation can contribute to emotional and social functioning in clinically depressed and anxious individuals. For ten days, participants completed brief daily surveys to assess elevation, feelings of competence, interpersonal functioning, symptoms, and compassionate goals. Their findings indicated that on days that clinically distressed individuals experienced high elevation in relation to their normal levels, they reported a greater desire to help others and to be close to others. They also reported less interpersonal conflict and fewer symptoms of distress.[12] This emotion thus motivates people for making them feel better.[dubious – discuss]

Applications

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In the workplace

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In a 2010 study, Michelangelo Vianello, Elisa Maria Galliani, and Jonathan Haidt found that an employer's ability to inspire elevation in employees strengthened positive attitudes and enhanced virtuous organizational behavior. It appears that employees pay a great deal of attention to the moral behavior of their superiors and respond positively to the display of fairness and moral integrity. Such displays inspire moral elevation and result in intense positive emotions. According to this study, employers could benefit from the positive effects associated with elevation and should actively strive to inspire it in their subordinates.[13]

Promoting altruistic behavior

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A study done at the University of Cambridge shows that elevation leads to an increase in altruism. In the study, individuals experiencing elevation were more likely to volunteer to participate in an unpaid study. Those experiencing elevation also spent twice as long helping an experimenter to perform tedious tasks as those who were experiencing mirth or a neutral emotional state. The researchers concluded that witnessing another person's altruistic behavior elicits elevation, which leads to tangible increases in altruism. According to these results, the best method of encouraging altruistic behavior may be simply to lead by example.[10]

Increasing spirituality

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Researchers found that elevation and other self-transcendent positive emotions cause people to view others and the world as more benevolent.[14] This perception leads to increased spirituality, because[non sequitur] seeing a person or action that is greater than oneself results in greater faith in the goodness of people and the world. It may also cause those who experience the emotion to view life as more meaningful. The researchers observed the greatest effect of elevation on spirituality in people who were less or non-religious.[14] Because spirituality has been connected to prosocial behavior, this link could indicate other benefits of elevation. Holding a more positive view of the world could lead to increased helping behavior, which could encourage many positive interactions. This increase in positive experiences could lead to improved well-being and better health outcomes in individuals; instead of getting caught up in daily stress and negativity, they will be better able to identify and cultivate the positive aspects of their lives through their actions towards others thus motivated.

Elevation emotion in other species

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There has been some debate in the scientific community over whether elevation is a uniquely human trait. Primatologist Jane Goodall argues that other animals are capable of experiencing awe, elevation, and wonder.[15] Goodall is famous for her execution of the longest uninterrupted study of a group of animals. She lived among wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, observing them for 45 years. Several times, she witnessed signs of heightened arousal in chimpanzees in the presence of spectacular waterfalls or rainstorms. Each time, the chimp would perform a magnificent display, swaying rhythmically from one foot to the other, stamping in the water, and throwing rocks. Goodall postulates that such displays are the precursors of religious ritual, and are inspired by feelings akin to elevation or awe.[15]

Further research directions

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Most research concerning elevation has emphasized its impact on social interactions and behaviors.[8] However, researchers are investigating the precise physiological mechanisms responsible for the warm, open sensation in the chest elicited by elevation. Video clips designed to evoke elevation have been observed to lead to a decrease in vagal parasympathetic impact[vague] on the heart.[9] However, further investigation is necessary in order to determine whether elevation has a unique physiological profile.

Researchers are exploring the idea that profound experiences of elevation can be peak experiences that can alter people's identities and spiritual lives. While moral development is often conceptualized as a lifelong process, Haidt offers an "inspire and rewire" hypothesis which proposes that certain momentary experiences have the potential to induce temporary or even lasting moral changes by exposing individuals to these transformative experiences. Haidt suggests that instances of profound elevation can function as a "mental reset button," replacing cynical or pessimistic emotions with feelings of hope, love, and moral inspiration.[3]

See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Elevation (emotion)

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Elevation is a positive emotion characterized by a warm, uplifting feeling in the chest, often accompanied by a lump in the throat or tears of inspiration, that arises when witnessing acts of moral beauty, human goodness, or , such as selfless or toward others. Coined by in 2000, elevation is distinct from other positive emotions like or , as it specifically responds to moral excellence rather than personal gain or humor, and it motivates prosocial behaviors such as helping strangers or becoming a better person oneself. This emotion is part of the "other-praising" family, alongside and , which collectively foster affiliation and moral improvement by focusing attention on the virtues of others. Triggers for elevation typically involve unexpected displays of compassion, courage, or ethical actions that transcend self-interest, such as a stranger aiding the vulnerable or a leader sacrificing for the greater good, as originally described by in his 1771 letter noting the "moral " aroused by noble deeds. Physiologically, it manifests as an expansion of the chest and a of energy or emotional elevation. Unlike , which may elicit chills and a focus on skill or talent, elevation emphasizes moral warmth and often leads to immediate urges to affiliate with the virtuous actor or extend broadly. Empirical research supports elevation's role in enhancing prosociality, with studies showing that exposure to elevating stimuli, like videos of charitable acts, increases self-reported desires to volunteer compared to neutral or humorous content. In , elevation is valued for countering cynicism and promoting moral elevation on a scale, as seen in recent work exploring its emergence in group settings through social exchange and shared virtuous experiences. Recent studies from 2020 onward have begun examining elevation in developmental contexts, including qualitative analyses of adolescents' emotional experiences.

Definition and Overview

Core Definition and Characteristics

Elevation is a distinct positive emotion characterized by a warm, uplifting feeling elicited by witnessing acts of moral beauty, human goodness, or , such as or . This emotion arises from observing unexpected displays of , , or moral excellence, prompting a of inspiration and connection to higher human potential. Core characteristics of elevation include specific physical sensations, such as a warm or glowing feeling in the chest, often accompanied by or a tingling sensation. Cognitively, it involves appraisals of for moral excellence, fostering an optimistic view of humanity and a focus on prosocial goals. Motivationally, elevation instills an urge to emulate the observed virtuous , improve one's own character, or engage in helpful actions toward others. Common triggers for elevation encompass heroic rescues, acts of kindness like aiding the needy, or displays of humility and gratitude. Unlike , which is provoked by perceptions of vastness or grandeur such as natural phenomena or artistic mastery, elevation specifically centers on moral virtue and human ethical conduct. This emotion emerged as a key focus within the movement, highlighting its role in fostering moral inspiration.

Historical Development

The concept of elevation as an emotional response traces its earliest documented recognition to a 1771 letter by to his brother-in-law Robert Skipwith, in which Jefferson described the uplifting effect of "moral spectacles"—witnessing or reading about virtuous actions—that produce an "elevation of sentiment" and instill "a noble enthusiasm" in the observer, fostering moral improvement through emotional exercise rather than abstract rules. Jefferson's account highlighted elevation's role in moral education, portraying it as a fresh, invigorating sentiment akin to a newborn idea that strengthens virtuous dispositions, much like physical exercise builds bodily strength. Throughout much of the , elevation received limited systematic attention in psychological literature, overshadowed by negative emotions until the rise of in the 1990s, spearheaded by Martin Seligman's 1998 American Psychological Association presidency call for studying human strengths and flourishing. first framed elevation as a distinct "moral emotion" in psychological terms during this period, positioning it as the counterpart to social and triggered by acts of moral beauty, thereby integrating it into the emerging paradigm. Key publications solidified elevation's place in the field, including Haidt's 2003 chapter in the volume Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived, which expanded on its prosocial implications, and its popularization in the 2005 Greater Good Magazine , where Haidt detailed elevation's inspirational effects on ethical behavior. Concurrently, C. R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez's 2002 Handbook of Positive Psychology referenced elevation in discussions of , underscoring its alignment with the field's focus on virtue and . Post-2000, research on evolved from primarily anecdotal and theoretical descriptions to an empirical emphasis, with Haidt's work facilitating its incorporation into broader taxonomies as a positive, other-oriented like and , promoting a more comprehensive view of self-transcendent affects.

Theoretical Frameworks

Haidt's Model

Jonathan Haidt introduced as a key positive within his framework of emotions, positioning it as the uplifting counterpart to the negative emotions of and . In this triadic model, social evaluations occur along three dimensions: (in-group versus out-group), (high status versus low status), and a third dimension of purity versus pollution, or versus degradation. typically responds to violations of purity, prompting withdrawal and contamination avoidance, while arises from perceived low status or moral inferiority, fostering disdain and . , by contrast, is triggered by witnessing acts of exceptional or beauty, elevating the observer's sense of humanity and countering these degradative responses by inspiring and connection. The cognitive mechanism of elevation involves a rapid activated by virtuous behavior, which bypasses deliberate reasoning in line with Haidt's social intuitionist model. This process begins with an automatic appraisal of moral excellence, often evoking physical sensations such as warmth or tingling in the chest, followed by a heightened focus on one's own moral shortcomings and aspirations. Such intuitions foster self-elevation, transforming passive into active impulses for prosocial action and affiliation, while contributing to moral identity formation by encouraging emulation of the observed virtues and reinforcing a sense of shared humanity. Haidt proposed that elevation serves to counteract self-interested tendencies by promoting social affiliation and the emulation of moral exemplars, thereby strengthening communal bonds and moral motivation. For instance, in vignettes designed to elicit , such as a heroically rescuing a family from a burning building, observers report feeling inspired to perform kind acts themselves, shifting from individual focus to collective virtue. These propositions highlight 's role in as a driver of ethical beyond rational . While Haidt's initial conceptualization relied heavily on anecdotal reports and historical accounts, such as Thomas Jefferson's descriptions of moral inspiration, subsequent empirical work provided validation prior to 2010. Early lab studies using videos of virtuous acts, like those involving charitable deeds, confirmed distinct physiological and motivational responses associated with . Refinements addressed the model's anecdotal foundations by integrating controlled experiments that differentiated from related positive emotions, affirming its unique cognitive and prosocial profile.

Broaden-and-Build Theory Integration

The , proposed by in 1998 and elaborated in 2001, posits that positive emotions serve an adaptive function by broadening individuals' momentary thought-action repertoires, shifting from narrow, self-focused responses typical of negative emotions to more inclusive, flexible, and prosocial orientations. Unlike negative emotions that narrow cognition for immediate threat response, positive emotions such as or encourage play, , and , thereby accumulating enduring personal resources over time. This broadening facilitates the "build" phase, where repeated experiences of positive emotions create psychological reserves like enhanced coping skills and social connections, contributing to long-term and resilience. Elevation, as a variant of moral elevation triggered by witnessing acts of human goodness, has been subsequently integrated into this framework by later reviews, exemplifying broadening by expanding awareness beyond the toward others and inspiring inclusive prosocial actions that foster social bonds. It counters negative by undoing their physiological effects and initiates upward spirals of positivity, where initial broadening leads to resource-building behaviors that generate further positive experiences. In this framework, elevation builds resilience through strengthened social ties and moral , aligning with Haidt's foundational triggers of moral while emphasizing long-term motivational expansion. Evidence from such integrations indicates strong support for elevation's broadening effects but weaker evidence for long-term resource building. Central to this integration are upward , where elevation's broadening effects accumulate to cultivate lasting psychological resources such as and , as expanded in Fredrickson's 2004 model. Empirical links from early 2000s studies demonstrate elevation's broadening on and ; for instance, exposure to moral exemplars like charitable acts increased participants' prosocial intentions and affiliation desires, widening thought-action repertoires toward altruistic behaviors compared to neutral conditions. These findings, supported by subsequent reviews, confirm elevation's role in shifting focus to others and enhancing flexible , though evidence for long-term resource building remains emerging.

Other-Praising Emotion Perspective

In emotion taxonomies, elevation is classified as an other-praising emotion, alongside and , within the broader family of that respond to the virtues and exemplary actions of others. This grouping, proposed by , emphasizes how such emotions function to acknowledge and reinforce the moral excellence observed in social interactions, thereby fostering interpersonal bonds rather than self-centered satisfaction. Unlike self-directed positive emotions like , which celebrate personal achievements, other-praising emotions such as elevation direct attention outward to praise others' character strengths, promoting a relational orientation that strengthens group ties. The mechanisms underlying elevation as an other-praising involve a cognitive shift from to appreciation of others, which mitigates competitive feelings like and encourages prosocial reciprocity. By highlighting virtues in witnesses or actors, elevation cultivates group cohesion through indirect reinforcement of cooperative behaviors, without requiring immediate personal gain. This process aligns with evolutionary perspectives on , where praising others' actions signals and trust, enhancing collective . Key research by Sara B. Algoe and demonstrates the distinct role of other-praising emotions in relationship maintenance, showing that elevation, unlike or , motivates behaviors aimed at building or repairing social connections when encountering moral beauty. For instance, participants exposed to stories of reported elevated feelings that differed physiologically and motivationally from self-focused positives like , underscoring elevation's unique emphasis on admiring and emulating others' virtues to sustain relational harmony. Theoretically, this perspective implies that contributes to moral ecosystems by upholding prosocial norms through non-reciprocal praise, allowing societies to propagate ethical standards via and imitation without transactional exchanges. Such dynamics expand positive emotional resources, potentially integrating with broaden-and-build processes to amplify creative and connective outcomes in social contexts.

Self-Transcendent Emotion Classification

Elevation is categorized as a self-transcendent within the framework proposed by Yaden et al. (2017), which organizes such experiences along a spectrum of intensity marked by decreased self-salience and heightened feelings of connection to larger entities beyond the individual, such as humanity or the . This taxonomy groups with awe, gratitude, and compassion, positioning all as positive that facilitate ego-dissolving states and promote prosocial orientations by shifting focus from personal needs to collective or universal concerns. Key characteristics of elevation in this classification include its capacity to engender through reduced self-focus, foster interconnectedness with others, and inspire aspirations toward virtuous conduct. For example, encountering acts of human kindness or ethical excellence often triggers , evoking a warm uplift that motivates individuals to pursue higher standards. Neural underpinnings of show overlaps with , particularly in medial frontal cortex activity and oxytocin/vasopressin systems that support and bonding. This classification advances theoretical understandings in existential psychology by reconceptualizing self-diminishment as a beneficial process that enhances and , rather than a deficit. Developments since 2010 have highlighted 's role as a bridge between —triggered by human exemplars—and spiritual emotions, which emphasize existential vastness, thereby integrating ethical inspiration with broader transcendent pursuits. Recent work (2020-2025) has further explored self-transcendent emotions like in social and developmental contexts, enhancing understandings of their prosocial impacts. Unlike , which stems from perceptions of vastness requiring cognitive accommodation, uniquely revolves around human beauty, channeling transcendence into tangible ethical motivations. It also aligns with other-praising emotions through its relational emphasis on admiring others' virtues.

Empirical Evidence

Distinctions from Similar Emotions

Elevation is empirically distinguished from primarily through its association with uplift and an urge to emulate virtuous actions, rather than simple or personal satisfaction. Whereas typically manifests as , energization, and self-focused positive affect, elevation elicits reports of a warm, glowing sensation in the chest and a desire to improve one's own . For instance, in experimental studies using recall tasks and video inductions, participants experiencing elevation described feelings of inspiration and connectedness to humanity, contrasting with the lighter, bouncy sensations of in conditions. Aquino et al. (2011) further demonstrated this divergence, finding that individuals with higher moral identity centrality reported more intense elevation, characterized by warmth and positive views of others, in response to uncommon acts of goodness, unlike the generalized of . In comparison to , elevation centers on moral virtues such as or , while responds to non-moral excellence like or talent. Self-report measures in factorial analyses from the 2000s identified distinct factors for these emotions: elevation loaded onto dimensions of warmth, , and prosocial motivation, whereas aligned with , , and personal goal pursuit. Algoe and Haidt (2009) employed principal components analysis on emotion ratings from video and diary studies, revealing that elevation uniquely predicted desires to help strangers or emulate , in contrast to 's focus on self-improvement through acquisition, such as aspiring to an athlete's prowess. Elevation also differs from awe, as it arises from observations of human moral goodness rather than perceptual or conceptual vastness that overwhelms one's mental schemas. Awe involves a need for cognitive accommodation to vast stimuli, like natural grandeur, leading to a diminished sense of self, whereas elevation promotes an expanded, uplifting orientation toward humanity without such vastness. Subjective profiles reinforce this: elevation often includes tears of感动 and a calm openness, while awe features chills, goosebumps, or physiological arousal from the sublime. Keltner and Haidt (2003) articulated these boundaries in their prototype analysis of awe, noting elevation's elicitation by virtue alone, distinct from awe's core appraisals of scale and novelty. These distinctions are commonly investigated through methodological approaches like vignette inductions, where participants read or view scenarios depicting moral beauty to evoke , followed by targeted scales assessing subjective intensity and action tendencies. Haidt (2000) pioneered such techniques, using prompts and rating scales to capture 's warm physical sensations and prosocial impulses, positioning it as the conceptual opposite of social in parallel disgust-elevation paradigms. These tools, including multi-item scales for alongside controls for confounding , enable reliable differentiation in settings.

Physiological and Hormonal Effects

Elevation, as a self-transcendent elicited by witnessing excellence, is associated with distinct hormonal responses that promote affiliation and bonding. A seminal study involving mothers exposed to morally elevating videos demonstrated indirect evidence of oxytocin release, as participants in the elevation condition were significantly more likely to initiate (45% versus 13% in an amusement control condition) and exhibited higher rates of milk leakage (23% versus 0%), behaviors known to be triggered by oxytocin surges. This suggests that elevation may elevate oxytocin levels by approximately threefold in terms of behavioral proxies, facilitating and nurturance, though direct hormonal assays were not conducted in this experiment. Neural imaging research further elucidates elevation's correlates, revealing activation in regions linked to emotional processing and self-referential thought. Functional MRI studies using video inductions of elevation have shown consistent inter-subject in the insula, a key area for interoceptive awareness and emotional embodiment, during peak emotional moments. This activation pattern, observed across participants viewing the same elevating content, underscores the emotion's shared neural signature, distinguishing it from less synchronized responses to neutral or admiring stimuli. While ventral striatum involvement has been implicated in broader self-transcendent experiences through reward-related processing, specific fMRI evidence for highlights the insula's role in integrating inspiration with bodily sensations. Physiologically, elevation elicits a unique pattern of autonomic coactivation, blending sympathetic with parasympathetic recovery. Laboratory inductions via elevating videos produce increases in and respiratory (a marker of ), indicating parasympathetic dominance that supports emotional regulation and affiliation. conductance levels also rise during elevation, reflecting sympathetic engagement, yet this coactivation differs from pure , which shows faster cardiovascular recovery without the sustained vagal enhancement seen post-elevation. A meta-analytic review of positive emotions confirms that such undoing effects on stress are modulated by triggers like elevation, promoting slower but more restorative recovery compared to amusement-induced . Recent studies from 2020 to 2025 have explored these effects in digital contexts, such as inductions, showing similar autonomic patterns in remote settings for applications.

Behavioral and Prosocial Outcomes

Experimental evidence indicates that fosters immediate prosocial behaviors, such as increased willingness to donate, volunteer, and help others. Seminal vignette studies have shown that exposure to narratives of excellence heightens participants' intentions to engage in altruistic actions. For instance, in by Algoe and Haidt (2009), individuals induced to feel through descriptions of virtuous deeds reported the strongest motivations to become better people and perform prosocial acts, such as doing something good for another, compared to those experiencing other positive emotions like or . The primary mechanism driving these outcomes is an emulation motive, whereby observers of moral beauty feel compelled to imitate the admired and improve themselves morally (Haidt, 2003). experiments in the 2010s utilizing video-based inductions have confirmed this by linking to tangible in real time. In a key study, female participants who viewed an uplifting video clip depicting compassionate acts spent over twice as much time (approximately 41 minutes versus 20 minutes) assisting with an unpleasant task than those in a neutral control condition, with self-reported feelings directly correlating with helping duration (r = .49, p < .005) (Schnall et al., 2010). Longer-term patterns reveal upward spirals in prosociality, where frequent elevation experiences predict sustained altruism. Self-report data demonstrate that trait-like tendencies toward elevation uniquely account for variance in everyday prosocial behaviors, such as volunteering and helping strangers, even after controlling for the Big Five personality traits (Thompson et al., 2009). Recent investigations further support this by showing that observing prosocial acts elicits elevation characterized by heightened warmth and care emotions, potentially reinforcing ongoing prosocial tendencies (Gibhardt et al., 2024).

Clinical and Mental Health Impacts

Elevation has demonstrated potential in reducing depressive symptoms by inducing mindset shifts that promote help-seeking behaviors among individuals with heightened depressive symptomatology. In three online experiments, positive emotion infusions (PEIs) using elevation—such as reading stories or recalling instances of moral excellence—significantly increased participants' intentions to seek professional help, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large (e.g., d = 0.45 for elevation induction). These effects were particularly pronounced in those scoring above clinical thresholds on the Beck Depression Inventory-II, suggesting elevation temporarily broadens self-perceptions away from hopelessness toward actionable support-seeking. A 2025 handbook chapter reviewing such interventions affirms that elevation-based PEIs can alter depressive mindsets to facilitate initial steps toward treatment engagement. In anxious populations, elevation exposure improves daily emotional and social functioning by mitigating distress. A 10-day ecological momentary assessment study involving 47 clinically anxious adults (meeting DSM-IV criteria for generalized anxiety disorder or social phobia) found that days with elevated elevation experiences correlated with lower anxiety symptoms, reduced interpersonal conflict, and greater feelings of closeness to others (β = -0.25 for distress reduction). Although direct trials on rumination are limited, this pattern indicates elevation disrupts perseverative negative thought patterns common in anxiety, fostering interpersonal reconnection. The underlying mechanisms involve elevation counteracting the cognitive narrowing typical of depressive and anxious states, redirecting attention toward prosocial and self-transcendent goals. In the aforementioned clinical sample, elevation on a given day predicted higher compassionate goals the following day (β = 0.18) and at a 6-week follow-up, independent of baseline mood or gender. This shift was specific to clinically depressed and anxious participants, where elevation videos or recall tasks in related inductions (e.g., moral act depictions) enhanced emotional regulation by emphasizing virtue over personal deficits, as evidenced in a randomized pilot with similar protocols. Despite these benefits, elevation's clinical impacts are primarily short-term, with effects dissipating after brief infusions or daily exposures without reinforcement. The 10-day study showed sustained compassionate goals at 6 weeks but no long-term symptom remission without ongoing practice. Pre-2020 reviews of positive emotion interventions, including elevation, emphasize the necessity of integrating such inductions into structured therapies like cognitive-behavioral approaches to achieve lasting mental health gains, as standalone use yields only transient mindset alterations. These clinical effects align with elevation's broader role in promoting prosocial behaviors, though targeted applications remain essential for symptom relief. Recent work (2020-2025) has begun exploring elevation in telehealth and app-based interventions for mental health, showing promise in enhancing adherence to therapy among depressed individuals.

Practical Applications

Workplace and Organizational Use

In organizational settings, interventions designed to induce elevation often involve sharing narratives of ethical leadership, such as accounts of leaders demonstrating interpersonal fairness and self-sacrifice, which reliably elicit this emotion among employees. For instance, experimental studies using vignettes of moral excellence in leadership roles have shown that such stories increase feelings of elevation, with fairness perceptions explaining up to 58% of the variance in emotional response (β=0.58, p<0.01) across samples of over 275 participants. These approaches have been incorporated into corporate training programs since the early 2010s to foster team cohesion, as evidenced by research linking leader-induced elevation to heightened affective organizational commitment, which mediates improved collaboration. Key outcomes of elevation in workplaces include enhanced employee engagement and reduced turnover intentions, primarily through its role in promoting organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), such as altruism and compliance beyond formal job requirements. A seminal 2010 study across three experiments (total n>400) found that elevation fully mediates the positive effects of leaders' moral actions on OCB, accounting for 6-19% of variance in these behaviors and 26% in commitment levels (p<0.01). A 2023 study, including a three-wave field survey (n=437) and a vignette experiment (n=149), found that CSR toward secondary stakeholders induces moral elevation, which mediates the relationship to OCB supporting such CSR (indirect effect b=0.49, SE=0.13, 95% CI [0.26, 0.79]), with collectivistic organizational identity moderating the CSR-to-elevation path (p<0.01). Such findings suggest elevation contributes to lower turnover by strengthening emotional ties to the organization, as committed employees are less likely to depart. Practical examples of elevation's application include its integration into recognition programs, where highlighting employees' or prosocial acts—similar to leader narratives—encourages reciprocal ethical behavior and . In diversity training, organizations have explored elevation-inducing stories to promote inclusivity, though efficacy depends on authentic portrayal of excellence to avoid superficial impacts. However, challenges arise in hierarchical structures, where power imbalances may suppress elevation if leaders fail to model fairness, potentially exacerbating disengagement in rigid environments. Supporting evidence from field-based underscores these applications; for example, a vignette experiment with 149 participants showed high-CSR scenarios inducing (d=1.20) led to greater prosocial intentions post-exposure, mirroring potential post-meeting effects in organizational contexts. Additionally, multilevel analyses indicate that , facilitated by shared of moral norms, enhances group-level prosociality and cohesion in teams.

Promoting Altruistic and Moral Behavior

Elevation, as a self-transcendent triggered by observing excellence, has been harnessed in various strategies to foster altruistic and moral behaviors, particularly through exposure to moral exemplars in media and educational contexts. Media campaigns utilizing stories of prosocial acts, such as virtual reality depictions of , effectively induce and subsequently increase participants' willingness to engage in altruistic actions like charitable giving. A 2025 meta-analysis confirmed moral 's positive impact on altruistic behavior in media convergence contexts. Similarly, educational programs in the 2010s incorporated narratives of moral to elevate students' , resulting in heightened rates; for instance, exposure to exemplars of uncommon goodness led to sustained interest in among adolescents. Empirical evidence underscores these strategies' efficacy in reducing and promoting . In controlled experiments, individuals induced to feel via videos of altruistic deeds anonymously donated significantly more to charity—up to twice as much as those in neutral or conditions—demonstrating a direct link to decreased self-focused tendencies. This effect extends to , where repeated experiences enhance individuals' commitment to prosocial norms, as seen in interventions that model ethical behavior to counteract selfish impulses. In practical applications, elevation has been integrated into anti- and initiatives to encourage moral action. Programs emphasizing elevation through discussions of heroic bystander interventions in bullying scenarios, measured via scales like the Moral Elevation during Bullying Situations Scale, have boosted students' prosocial responses, such as defending victims and participating in service projects. Recent research (2025) also highlights elevation's role in improving in conflict contexts by fostering approach-oriented attitudes. These efforts contribute to broader societal impacts by cultivating a cycle of , where elevated individuals not only act ethically but also inspire others, fostering community-wide moral growth. Despite these benefits, challenges persist in sustaining induced without . Brief exposures reliably trigger the and its prosocial outcomes, but repeated identical stimuli yield mixed results, with diminished effects over time due to emotional ; varied and contextually relevant inductions are thus recommended to maintain long-term altruistic .

Enhancing Spirituality and Well-Being

Elevation, often characterized as a form of "moral ," arises from witnessing acts of moral excellence and has been associated with fostering spiritual transcendence and strengthening . Research demonstrates that self-transcendent emotions like , induced through exposure to virtuous narratives, enhance participants' sense of by altering basic world assumptions toward greater openness and interconnectedness. For instance, studies using religious stories to evoke have shown it promotes feelings of transcendence, particularly among non-religious individuals, by evoking a sense of something greater than the self. As a self-transcendent , elevation contributes to eudaimonic by elevating and a sense of purpose. Surveys and experimental inductions in the 2010s revealed that higher frequency of elevation experiences correlates with increased eudaimonic outcomes, such as greater meaning in life and personal growth, distinct from hedonic pleasure. A 2024 study further linked elevation to college students' sense of meaning in life, mediated by social resources and psychological . Participants reporting regular elevation from encounters exhibited enhanced purpose and connectedness, mediating links between positive media exposure and overall . A 2025 multi-method examination showed elevation promotes adolescent via and . Practical applications of include integrating moral stories into mindfulness practices and rituals to cultivate spiritual growth. For example, guided reflections on virtuous acts during meditation sessions can induce , leading to heightened spiritual uplift and emotional resilience. In the context of positive aging, supports by encouraging older adults to engage with inspiring narratives that reinforce purpose and transcendence, aligning with broader patterns of positivity in later life. Qualitative reports prior to 2020 describe as producing a profound spiritual uplift, often likened to a "glowing" or "expansive" sensation in the chest that inspires aspiration. These accounts, drawn from personal testimonies and historical analyses, highlight 's role in evoking reverence and connection to the divine, setting it apart from secular , which typically motivates self-focused pursuits rather than prosocial or transcendent ones. Unlike 's energizing but inward-directed effects, prompts outward-oriented and spiritual reflection.

Broader Contexts

Elevation in Non-Human Animals

Elevation, characterized in humans as a positive emotion arising from witnessing acts of moral virtue or , finds conceptual parallels in the prosocial and affiliative behaviors observed among social mammals, particularly those that promote group cohesion and empathy-like responses. In such as chimpanzees, behaviors—where uninvolved bystanders provide physical reassurance, such as embracing or grooming, to victims of —represent an analogous mechanism that fosters social bonds without direct self-interest. These behaviors, documented extensively in both captive and wild populations, occur more frequently toward distressed individuals than aggressors and are absent in less social monkeys, suggesting an evolutionary in great apes for emotional attunement to others' states. Evidence for similar elevation-like responses extends to rodents, where rats exhibit spontaneous helping behaviors upon observing a cagemate in distress, such as persistently freeing a trapped companion from a restrainer despite alternative rewards like chocolate. This prosocial action is selective, occurring more readily with familiar individuals and motivated by the observer's aversion to the witnessed distress rather than personal gain. In dogs, oxytocin administration enhances affiliative tendencies, including increased gazing and approach behaviors toward humans and conspecifics, paralleling human findings where oxytocin amplifies responses to moral cues; however, direct observation of "moral" acts in dogs shows mixed results for increased prosociality. Oxytocin also modulates rat helping, with peripheral administration accelerating rescue behaviors in solitary contexts but varying in social settings, indicating a hormonal basis for affiliation triggered by observed need. Hypotheses posit that these behaviors trace evolutionary roots to group-living species, where rapid emotional synchronization to prosocial or distress signals enhanced survival through mutual aid and conflict resolution. Such precursors likely underpin human elevation as a mammalian social emotion, facilitating contagion of cooperative tendencies within groups. Limitations arise from animals' inability to verbally report subjective experiences, relying instead on observable physiological and behavioral indicators like reduced stress post-consolation or elevated oxytocin during affiliation. Key comparative reviews highlight these patterns as foundational to understanding elevation's in social mammals, emphasizing empathy-driven prosociality in and as building blocks for more complex . For instance, analyses of and rescue paradigms suggest shared neural and hormonal pathways that predate human-specific .

Cross-Cultural and Developmental Variations

While elevation is elicited by universal moral triggers such as acts of and , its intensity and expression vary across cultures, with collectivist societies often emphasizing communal virtues more prominently than individualist ones. For instance, interviews with Japanese participants in the late revealed emotional responses to altruistic deeds—such as a gang member yielding a seat on a train or volunteers aiding disaster victims—that mirrored those reported by , including feelings of being moved and physical sensations like chest warmth, though expressed through culturally specific terms like kandou (moved heart). Comparative surveys from the , including analyses of emotional responses to moral scenarios, further indicate that while core triggers remain consistent globally, appraisal of moral beauty is modulated by cultural norms, with stronger communal orientations linked to heightened elevation in response to group-oriented virtues. A 2023 cross-cultural study examining inductions in the United States (individualist) and (collectivist) found positive associations between and prosocial support for individuals with depression in both samples, but stimuli significantly increased willingness to provide support only among U.S. participants, suggesting cultural differences in how translates to behavioral outcomes. Global datasets from the 2020s, including physiological and self-report measures across diverse populations, demonstrate this cultural modulation in moral appraisals, where 's link to about humanity is more pronounced in contexts valuing interdependence. Developmentally, elevation emerges in middle childhood, with children aged 9–12 exhibiting physiological responses indicative of the , such as sympathetic-parasympathetic coactivation (increased skin conductance and ), following exposure to moral beauty scenarios. A 2025 study in (n=99, mean age 10.48 years) showed that moral elevation enhanced implicit prosocial biases, as measured by the , though explicit self-reports of prosocial intent trended higher without reaching significance, highlighting early prosocial effects. A 2021 longitudinal study further confirmed that repeated reflection on moral beauty over weeks increased feelings of elevation and general prosocial motivation in 11–12-year-olds (n=150), but not consistently in slightly younger groups (9–11 years), suggesting maturation in emotional processing around this age. In adolescents, elevation experiences incorporate mixed emotions like , , and , alongside motivational urges toward prosocial action. A 2025 qualitative study of 144 Spanish adolescents (aged 10–15 years, mean age 12.10) used video inductions and of personal beauty encounters, revealing thematic classes such as " help," "charity," and "companionship," with participants describing being profoundly moved and viewing humanity more optimistically. These findings indicate that adolescents process similarly to adults, with cognitive components like and behavioral inclinations toward , supporting its role in fostering during this period. Gender differences in elevation reporting align with broader patterns of emotional expressivity, where females tend to describe more intense and multifaceted responses. In a 2024 study of children observing prosocial acts, significant gender differences emerged in baseline emotional measures, with girls reporting higher levels of care compared to boys. Age-related variations show declines in the frequency of elevation experiences from to later adulthood, potentially due to reduced exposure to novel stimuli, yet the emotion's prosocial effects remain stable across the lifespan.

Future Research Directions

Identified Gaps and Methodological Challenges

Research on moral elevation has revealed several key gaps, particularly in understanding its long-term effects on individuals and societies. While short-term prosocial responses, such as increased helping intentions, have been documented following elevation experiences, longitudinal studies examining sustained behavioral changes or enduring moral transformations remain scarce, though recent longitudinal work, such as a 2025 two-wave study in adolescents, shows moral elevation positively predicts and over time. This understudied area limits insights into whether elevation fosters lasting prosocial habits or merely transient uplift. Additionally, investigations into the frequency and duration of elevating experiences in are limited, hindering a comprehensive view of elevation's and impact. Methodological challenges further complicate the field. Elevation studies often rely on vignette-based inductions, where participants read descriptions of virtuous acts, which may not capture the nuances of real-life encounters and thus compromise . Self-report measures, while common for assessing subjective emotional states like the characteristic "warmth in the chest," introduce subjectivity and potential recall biases, as participants may mislabel or exaggerate their feelings without objective corroboration. Early research frequently employed small sample sizes, such as in foundational experiments with fewer than 30 participants, raising concerns about generalizability and statistical power. Moreover, there is a noted overreliance on samples from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations, with scarce data from diverse cultural contexts, potentially overlooking variations in how elevation manifests globally. To address these issues, researchers have called for multimodal assessments that integrate physiological indicators (e.g., ) with behavioral observations to validate self-reports. Theoretically, elevation's integration with other moral emotions remains underdeveloped. While elevation is positioned as a counterpart to negative moral emotions like toward vice, empirical links exploring how these interact—such as elevation mitigating 's effects—are underexplored. Debates persist regarding 's uniqueness, with some arguing it blends with (triggered by vastness) or (for non-moral excellence), potentially diluting its distinct moral focus on goodness; however, phenomenological differences, such as 's affiliative warmth versus awe's perceptual accommodation, support its separation. These unresolved questions underscore the need for refined theoretical models to clarify 's role within the broader emotional landscape.

Emerging Areas from Recent Studies (2020-2025)

Recent studies from 2020 to 2025 have expanded the understanding of moral elevation by exploring its developmental manifestations and applications in novel contexts. In particular, research has demonstrated how moral elevation influences prosocial behaviors through both implicit and explicit mechanisms. A 2025 study by et al. involved two experiments with children aged 9-12 years, showing that moral elevation induced sympathetic-parasympathetic coactivation with a trend toward higher explicit prosocial scores and a stronger implicit prosocial via the , compared to control conditions. These findings suggest that moral elevation can serve as an early intervention tool to foster in youth by activating neural pathways associated with and reward. Building on this, investigations into adolescents have revealed nuanced emotional experiences tied to moral elevation during developmental transitions. A 2025 qualitative analysis of 144 Spanish adolescents aged 10 to 15 examined their self-reported encounters with moral elevation, identifying core themes such as feelings of being "moved" by acts of , heightened social connectedness, and optimistic thoughts about personal moral growth. Participants described elevation as distinct from other positive emotions like , often triggered by witnessing peer in school settings, which prompted reflections on their own ethical behaviors and reinforced a sense of communal belonging. This work highlights developmental variations, where adolescents experience elevation with greater intensity and self-referential depth than younger children, potentially aiding in multicultural environments. At the organizational level, emerging frameworks have conceptualized collective moral elevation as a group phenomenon emerging from social dynamics. A 2024 theoretical model proposes that multilevel social exchanges—encompassing individual moral norms, shared organizational symbols, and iterative emulation processes—facilitate the transition from personal elevation to collective uplift, enhancing group cohesion and in workplaces. In simulated team scenarios, this framework predicted higher levels of prosocial when leaders modeled moral behaviors, leading to synchronized emotional responses across members and reduced conflict. Such collective elevation is posited to amplify organizational resilience by fostering a shared moral identity, distinct from individual instances. In clinical contexts, a study found that infusions of increased help-seeking intentions among individuals with heightened depressive symptomatology, while did not show comparable effects, suggesting potential for positive interventions to reduce stigma and promote engagement with support. Participants exposed to elevation-evoking narratives reported heightened for behavioral change, outperforming neutral conditions and countering depressive rumination. Additional findings from 2024 underscore the role of observing prosociality and talent in inducing , particularly in children. An experimental study with 6.5- to 8.5-year-olds found that witnessing prosocial acts (e.g., resources) elicited characterized by warmth, care, and prosocial intentions, whereas observing non-moral talent (e.g., skill demonstrations) primarily induced ; however, there was no significant difference in in subsequent tasks between conditions. This differentiation highlights 's emotional specificity to moral domains, with implications for educational programs designed to cultivate through targeted observations. Furthermore, a 2025 UC Berkeley study on positive dynamics revealed gaps in understanding 's duration, showing that such self-transcendent dissipate more rapidly than negative ones—often within minutes—potentially limiting their long-term impact unless reinforced through repeated exposures. These insights point to future needs for strategies extending 's persistence in real-world applications.

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