(PS2-C51) Momentary Awe and the Stability of Negative Affect Among Depressed and Non-depressed Young Adults

Depression afflicts close to one sixth of the population and is among the most burdensome mental health conditions in the world (Kessler & Wang, 2008). The stability, or autoregressive effect, of negative affect (NA) across time is associated with onset and severity of depressive disorders (Koval et al., 2013; Kuppens et al., 2010, 2012). Despite this vulnerability, little is known about factors that may disrupt the stability of NA from moment-to-moment. Awe – an emotion elicited by a perceived sense of vastness that challenges a person’s usual frame of reference (Keltner & Haidt, 2003) – may offer a way to address this vulnerability in depression.

Given that awe diminishes self-focus (Bai et al., 2017; Piff et al., 2015), researchers have proposed that awe may reduce depression (e.g., Chirico & Gaggioli, 2021; Monroy & Keltner, 2022) by allowing the individual to expand beyond their current frame of reference or shrink the perceived scale of their problems. However, research has yet to examine if awe can disrupt the autoregressive effects of NA across time. Using momentary experience sampling data, the current study examined the effects of momentary awe on the stability of NA across the day among healthy (n = 82, observations = 1,120), currently-depressed (n = 84, observations = 1,120), and formally-depressed undergraduate students (n = 59, observations = 776).

Results indicated that NA exhibited an autoregressive pattern over time in all groups (currently-depressed: b = .24, p < .001; formally-depressed: b = .22, p < .001; healthy controls: b = .33, p < .001). The healthy control group exhibited a significant quadratic effect for NA at the previous moment (b = –.03, p = .004), indicating that the strength of the autoregressive NA effect depended on the intensity of NA at the previous moment.

The moderating effects of momentary awe on the stability of NA varied somewhat by group. For those currently depressed, awe was not associated with NA, nor did it moderate NA stability (ps > .350). For those formally depressed, there was a significant quadratic lagged NA x awe interaction (b = –.01, p = .003). That is, experiencing momentary awe was associated with a decreased autoregressive effect of NA and this effect was most pronounced when the previous moment was characterized by particularly higher, and to a lesser extent, lower-than-average NA in the formally-depressed group. Meanwhile, for healthy controls, momentary awe exhibited a linear moderation (b = –.02, p = .04), such that the autoregressive effect of NA was strongest during moments characterized by lower-than-average levels of momentary awe (–1 SD: b = –.37, p < .001) and this effect was attenuated as levels of momentary awe increased (+1 SD: b = .29, p < .001).

Taken together, these findings suggest that momentary awe may not reduce the stability of NA in individuals who are currently depressed, but may instead work as a preventative factor for those with a history of depression.