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Positive emotions and spirituality
1. Awe as leading to and shaping spirituality;
Saroglou, V., Buxant, C., & Tilquin, J. (2008). Positive emotions as leading to religion and spirituality A great deal of research has shown that a variety of negative events and emotions can increase religion and spirituality. We argue that positive events and emotions (that imply some self-transcendence) can increase religion and spirituality. In two experiments, participants (N¼91 and N¼87) were exposed to a neutral video or one of three videos eliciting positive emotions: humor, appreciation of nature, and wonder at childbirth. Religiousness was to some extent affected by the positive emotions elicited (Study 1), and spirituality was higher among participants who were exposed to the videos eliciting self-transcendent emotions (appreciation of nature and wonder at childbirth) but not among those exposed to humor (Study 2). Both religiousness and spirituality may fit with the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, but the correspondence seems to be clearer for spirituality, a reality marked by universalism and openness to experience. Van Cappellen, P., & Saroglou, V. (in press). Awe activates religious and spiritual feelings and behavioral intentions In two experiments, we investigated the role of awe in activating the association between religiosity/spirituality and related feelings and behavioral intentions. In Experiment 1, the induction of awe (through the recall of a relevant event), but not the induction of pride or a neutral condition, led religious and spiritual participants to endorse a spiritual (Tibet) but not a hedonistic (Haiti) travel destination. In Experiment 2, the induction (through relevant video clips) of (a) awe of nature and (b) awe at childbirth, but not the induction of humor led religious/spiritual people to express, respectively, feelings of oneness with (a) others in general and (b) friends. Implications of these findings, for instance in understanding the role of self-transcendent positive emotions in religious rituals, are discussed. Van Cappellen, P. (2011). Un rituel collectif : Analyse de 1 Ch 15-16 selon le modèle de E. Durkheim Après avoir rappelé la théorie des rituels collectifs de E. Durkheim, nous tâcherons, par une lecture attentive de 1 Ch 15-16, de relever les nombreux indices qui corroborent et spécifient une telle théorie. Cette approche sociale du rituel permet de mettre en exergue l’importance de la collectivité inscrite dans le rituel au point de vue de la définition de l’identité et de la mémoire collectives. Une collectivité qui tend à s’élargir et à inclure toute la création. Le rituel permet également la restauration et le maintien de l’harmonie entre les hommes, mais aussi dans leur relation avec Dieu. Il garantit la cohésion sociale d’un grand « nous » uni en une communion d’émotions et de gestes ressentis ou effectués ensemble. Van Cappellen, P., Iweins, C., & Saroglou, V. (2010, June). Induction of positive emotions lead to spirituality through changes in basic beliefs: An experimental study. Paper presented at the 5th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Copenhagen, Denmark. According to Fredrickson’s (1998) broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions broaden people’s attention and thinking and set people to trajectories of growth that will build consequential personal resources. Religiousness or spirituality (R/S) could be that kind of resource. Consequently, positive emotions could have an increasing effect on R/S. Indeed, initial research has shown that the induction of positive emotions, in particular self-transcendent ones such as awe/wonder lead to higher R/S (Saroglou, Buxant, and Tilquin, 2008). Van Cappellen, P., & Saroglou, V. (2011, January). Positive emotions can make you more religious and more spiritual. Paper to be presented at the 12th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, Texas, USA. According to Fredrickson’s (1998) broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions broaden people’s attention and thinking and set people to trajectories of growth that will build consequential personal resources. By bringing meaning in people's life, religiousness or spirituality (R/S) could be a kind of resource. We view this hypothesis as worthwhile in particular because it reverses the traditional causality, i.e. R/S makes people feel more positive emotions. It also allows us to go beyond approaches conceptualizing R/S as caused by negative experiences. Now, is R/S only a matter of previous negative experiences overcome by meaning in life and positivity? Previous research has shown that the induction of positive emotions, in particular self-transcendent ones (awe) lead to higher R/S (Saroglou, Buxant, and Tilquin, 2008). In the present study, we aimed to consolidate those findings and extend them by overcoming some of that study's limits. Indeed, we chose to use a pre/post-test design to measure R/S and besides awe, we induced pride. Participants (n = 117) completed first a questionaire assessing R/S. Minimum 3 days later, they were randomly assigned in three conditions each intending to elicit a specific emotion. They were asked to remember a situation when they felt (1) awe or (2) pride or (3) to remember the way to go to the movie theater (control). Then, they completed again the same measures of R/S. Results showed that both awe and pride make participants more religious and more spiritual compared to the control conditon. Therefore, R/S is also a matter of self-growth. Van Cappellen, P., Saroglou, V., & Toth, M. (2011, August). The place of positive emotions in the possible pathways from religion to well-being. Paper presented at the International Association for Psychology of Religion Conference, Bari, Italy. Few years ago, Fredrickson (2002) asked a question: "How does religion benefit health and well-being? Are positive emotions active ingredients?". This question is not only legitimate but also intriguing because positive emotions have been totally neglected from the possible pathways so far. In the present study, we investigate three mechanisms through which religion may benefit health: cognitive, social and emotional components of the Mass. Participants (532 practicing Catholics) completed the questionnaire after Sunday Mass. We administered measures of 1) religiosity, 2) well-being (life satisfaction, meaning in life, and optimism), 3) cognitive impact, social support, and positive emotions felt during the Mass. We performed separate bootstrap analysis (Preacher & Hayes, 2008) of religiosity on each well-being indicator, with the three components of the Mass as mediators, controlling for age and gender. Results indicated that the positive relation between religiosity and the three well-being indicators was mediated by positive emotions and to a lesser extent by the cognitive impact. A closer look at the specific positive emotions indicate that the true mediators were self-transcendent positive emotions (STPEs) such as awe and love and not self-transcendent positive emotions such as amusement and pride. Specific positive emotions (STPEs) are thus one of the mechanisms by which religion benefits well-being. This shakes up the traditional view that the religion-well-being relation passes through emotional regulation of negative emotions.
2. Humor and religious dimensions: a personality perspective
Appreciation of humor styles and religion Saroglou, V. (2004). Being religious implies being different in humour: Evidence from self- and peer-ratings Saroglou, V. & Anciaux, L. (2004). Liking sick humor: Coping styles and religion as predictors Saroglou, V. (2003). Humor appreciation as function of religious dimensions Humor creation and religion Saroglou, V. (2002). Religiousness, religious fundamentalism, and quest as predictors of humor creation Saroglou, V. & Jaspard, J.-M. (2001). Does religion affect humour creation? An experimental study Theoretical perspectives on humor and religion Saroglou, V. (2002). Sense of humor and religion : An a priori incompatibility? Theoretical considerations from a psychological perspective Saroglou, V. (2000). Sens de l'humour et religiosité : Leurs relations et les implications pour la santé mentale (en grec). In Psychiatrie et sciences de l'homme (ouvr. coll.) (pp. 57-80), Athènes: Spinari. Measurement of humor and outcomes in close relationships Saroglou, V., Lacour, C., & Demeure, M.-E. (2010). Bad humor, bad marriage: Humor styles in divorced and married couples Saroglou, V. & Scariot, C. (2002). Humor Styles Questionnaire: Personality and educational correlates in Belgian high school and college students
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