Social connectedness mediates the effect of awe in reducing dishonest behavior

Dishonest behavior is immoral and can cause harm to relationships and social development. To investigate whether awe can mitigate dishonest behavior from the perspective of self-transcendent emotion, we conducted three studies. In Study 1, 347 college students completed the dispositional awe scale and questions related to dishonest tendencies. The results showed that dispositional awe was negatively related to dishonest tendencies. In Study 2, an experimental approach was taken with 157 participants randomly assigned to awe, amusement, and neutral conditions. The analysis revealed that participants in the awe group exhibited lower levels of dishonest behavior compared to those in the amusement and neutral groups. In Study 3, we further examined the mechanisms underlying this relationship with 210 participants. The results demonstrated that social connectedness, but not the universe connectedness, small self, or authenticity, mediated the effect of awe on reducing dishonest behavior. The findings of the present study suggest that both trait-like and state-like experiences of awe can decrease dishonest behavior, primarily through enhancing social connectedness. Therefore, cultivating the experience of awe is an effective way to improve individuals' ethical decision-making.