Shared awe boosts relationship satisfaction
A study finds couples who experience awe together report higher relationship satisfaction and depth than those who have individual awe experiences.
Couples who share awe-inspiring moments report greater relationship satisfaction and depth, according to new research published in The Journal of Positive Psychology. The study found that shared awe was a stronger predictor of positive relationship outcomes than an individual's general tendency to experience wonder alone.
Awe is an emotion triggered by encountering something vast that challenges a person's understanding of the world. It can arise from nature, music, or profound insight. Lead author Matteo Perini, a PhD candidate at Radboud University, said his work explores how awe may be a route to psychological depth. "This study extends that question into romantic relationships: can awe, when experienced together, help two people connect more deeply?" he added.
The research involved two online studies. The first included 198 adults in romantic relationships who reported high levels of passionate love. Participants completed questionnaires on their general awe tendency, awe experienced with their partner, and relationship satisfaction. They also indicated their sense of self-other overlap using a digital image of two circles representing themselves and their partner.
Results showed shared awe positively predicted relationship satisfaction, passionate love, and self-other overlap. When both general and shared awe were analyzed together, only shared awe remained a positive predictor. Individual awe did not account for unique positive variance.
Pathways to Deeper Connection
A second study with 306 romantically involved adults measured additional variables like relationship flourishing, willingness to sacrifice, and relational quiet ego. To isolate awe's effect, researchers also tracked shared amusement and the frequency of awe-related activities.
Shared awe strongly predicted relationship satisfaction even when accounting for shared amusement and activity frequency. It also positively predicted self-other overlap, willingness to sacrifice, relational quiet ego, and relationship flourishing. Analysis showed the link between shared awe and satisfaction was explained by indirect pathways involving relationship flourishing, self-other overlap, and willingness to sacrifice. Relationship flourishing was the strongest pathway.
"I was surprised by how strongly shared awe was related to relationship flourishing," Perini told PsyPost. "In our second study, shared awe alone accounted for about half of the variance in flourishing." He noted the measures were substantially different, one about shared awe experiences and the other about meaning and growth in the relationship.
Interestingly, when shared awe was accounted for, an individual's tendency to experience awe became negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. "I would treat that particular finding cautiously until it is replicated," Perini said. "But it raises an interesting possibility. Awe may be especially beneficial for a relationship when it becomes something partners share."
Study Limitations and Future Research
The study relied on self-reported questionnaires from one partner per relationship. The authors recommend future studies collect data from both partners. The research is also cross-sectional, so it cannot establish that shared awe causes better relationships. "The reverse is also plausible: people who are already in satisfying and deeper relationships may simply be more likely to experience their lives together as awe-inspiring," Perini explained.
However, Perini noted separate experimental work, still being prepared for publication, found dyads exposed to awe were able to connect at a deeper level. This provides experimental support for the idea that awe can affect interpersonal depth.
Perini cautioned against translating the findings into a mandate for constant spectacular experiences. "But it does suggest that there may be value in making room for wonder together, whether through nature, art, music, travel, learning something new, spiritual experiences, or simply encountering something familiar in a different way."
The researchers are now preparing a paper on "partner-induced awe" - feeling awe toward one's own romantic partner. "In long-term relationships, that capacity may be particularly valuable because familiarity can so easily turn into taking the other person for granted," Perini said.
