Awe and Boredom: Unravelling Dual Pathways Through Meaning in Life

ABSTRACT Possessing high meaning in life can prevent boredom. Recent evidence suggests that awe may increase meaning in life via vastness vis‐à‐vis the self (feeling connected to something bigger than the self) or decrease it through self‐diminishment (feeling insignificant). Accordingly, we proposed and tested in four studies ( N = 1173) that awe relates to boredom via these two competing pathways. We consistently found a negative indirect effect of awe on boredom via vastness vis‐à‐vis the self and meaning in life (Studies 1–3). This effect remained for threat‐based awe (Study 3) and even after controlling for co‐occurring emotions (Studies 2b and 3). The evidence for a positive indirect effect of awe on boredom via self‐diminishment and meaning in life was present, albeit to a lesser extent. This research highlights the intricate relationship between awe and boredom, suggesting that awe can impact boredom through opposing effects on meaning in life.