New long-term evidence suggests that moments of awe may help alleviate feelings of loneliness by strengthening feelings of connection beyond the self, even during the isolation of the pandemic.

study: Feeling awe in daily life can reduce feelings of loneliness. Image credit: Bricolage / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in the journal scientific reportresearchers investigated whether daily experiences of awe were associated with lower feelings of loneliness during the day, and whether feelings of connection with nature could partially explain this association.

Loneliness and mental distress during the coronavirus pandemic

During the 2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, 75% to 93% of healthcare workers reported distress conditions such as stress, anxiety, frustration, and fatigue, and 55% reported loneliness. Loneliness is defined as a distressing subjective experience resulting from inadequate social connections and has been associated with depression in observational studies. inflammationcardiovascular disease, drug abuse, etc.

Healthcare workers are particularly vulnerable to loneliness due to long working hours, mental exhaustion, and reduced opportunities for social contact. Researchers have proposed that feelings of self-transcendence, or feelings that shift attention away from the self and toward broader experiences, may reduce feelings of loneliness. The awe that occurs when encountering vast, meaningful, or beautiful stimuli can reduce self-focus and increase a sense of connectedness. Empirical evidence directly linking fear and loneliness is limited.

Research design and participant recruitment

Researchers recruited healthcare workers and community adults in May 2020 during the US pandemic lockdown. Health care workers were recruited from medical centers in Northern California and other institutions across the country, and community participants were recruited through the North Bay Healthcare System and extensive public support.

All procedures were approved by the NorthBay Healthcare Institutional Review Board (Institutional Review Board), and informed consent was obtained in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Participants completed a baseline survey assessing loneliness using a shortened version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale, baseline awe, demographic characteristics, and health status. Two days later, they attended a 60-minute online orientation session and completed a daily diary survey for 22 consecutive days in June 2020.

Measure your awe, solitude, and connection to nature daily

Each day, participants reported their levels of awe, solitude, and connection to nature using established single-item measures. The connectedness items assessed feelings of connectedness to plants, natural images, sounds, or the surrounding environment rather than broader social connections.

Participants also reported other positive emotions they experienced that day, such as satisfaction, pride, gratitude, enjoyment, compassion, and love, but these were statistically controlled in the analyzes to isolate the unique effects of awe.

Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling to account for repeated daily observations within individuals. To test whether daily connection with nature mediated the relationship between awe and loneliness, a multilevel mediation analysis using Bayesian estimation was conducted.

Daily awe leads to lower feelings of loneliness on the same day

The final sample included 171 health workers who contributed 3,412 daily observations and 306 community participants who contributed 6,212 daily observations. Participants were primarily female and middle-aged, reflecting the demographic distribution of healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Within-person analyzes showed that on days when healthcare workers experienced higher than normal levels of awe, they reported significantly lower feelings of loneliness on that day. This association remained significant even after controlling for baseline awe, baseline loneliness, age, gender, time, and other positive emotions.

A similar pattern emerged in community samples, indicating that this association is not limited to front-line health professionals. After controlling for general positive emotions, awe uniquely predicted lower same-day loneliness. These findings reflect day-to-day associations rather than evidence of long-term change or causality.

Awe of nature and everyday connections

The second hypothesis tested whether daily awe predicted stronger feelings of connectedness. On days when participants reported feeling greater awe, they also reported feeling more connected to nature and the environment. This relationship remained significant even after controlling for baseline characteristics and other positive emotions.

Daily awe significantly predicted higher levels of connection to nature in both medical and community samples. Connectedness was assessed using a single item and broader social belonging or interpersonal relationships were not measured.

Partially mediated by connection with nature

The third hypothesis tested whether connection to nature mediates the relationship between awe and loneliness. Multilevel mediation analyzes showed statistically significant indirect effects in both samples. Daily awe predicted strength of connectedness, which in turn predicted decreased feelings of loneliness on the same day.

This mediation was partial, meaning that the connection to nature explained part, but not all, of the association between awe and solitude. Although this suggests a plausible psychological pathway, the observational design precludes drawing conclusions about the direction of causality. Lower levels of loneliness may lead to more tolerance for awe. Alternatively, other unmeasured variables may influence both experiences.

Effect size and situational considerations

Although effect sizes were small, they were consistent across health care workers and community participants. These findings were observed during one of the most socially isolated periods in recent history.

Even during long hospital shifts and pandemic lockdowns, awe-inspiring moments like experiencing nature, music, and meaningful human action were associated with lower feelings of loneliness that day. Generalizability beyond the pandemic context remains uncertain.

The study did not test whether inducing feelings of awe reduced feelings of loneliness over time, nor did it measure broader social connections beyond nature-related emotions.

Psychological impact and future direction

This study provides longitudinal diary evidence that daily experiences of awe are associated with lower feelings of loneliness during the day in both health care workers and community adults. The results of this study suggest that awe may function as a psychological resource, especially during collective crises characterized by social isolation.

However, the observational design, reliance on single-item measures of association, and the unique circumstances of the pandemic limit causal inference and broader generalization. Experimental research is needed to determine whether cultivating awe can lead to lasting reductions in loneliness and improvements in mental health.

Overall, the findings support the hypothesis that self-transcending emotional experiences may reduce feelings of loneliness, at least in part, by increasing the sense of connectedness to the broader environment. Awe may be a potentially valuable psychological resource for individuals at high risk of loneliness and distress, but further research is needed to confirm causal relationships and long-term benefits.