Awe weakens the AIDS-related stigma: The mediation effects of connectedness and empathy

Li Luo; Dong Yang; Yu Tian; Wei Gao; Jiemin Yang; Jiajin Yuan

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1043101

Awe weakens the AIDS-related stigma: The mediation effects of connectedness and empathy

Front Psychiatry. 2022 Dec 2:13:1043101. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1043101. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Li Luo^{1

2}, Dong Yang¹, Yu Tian¹, Wei Gao¹, Jiemin Yang¹, Jiajin Yuan¹

Affiliations

¹ The Affect Cognition and Regulation Laboratory (ACRLab), Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China.
² School of Educational Science, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang, China.

Abstract

Stigma toward people with HIV or AIDS produces significant harms to their life and also hinders the prevention of AIDS. In the present study, we tested whether awe can weaken AIDS-related stigma and the mediating role of connectedness and empathy between them through a cross-sectional study (Study 1, N = 372) and two experimental studies (Study 2a and 2b, N = 110 and N = 180, respectively). Results showed that awe reduced AIDS-related stigma (Study 2a and 2b), via the serial mediation of connectedness and empathy (Study 1 and 2b). These findings suggest that the experience of awe increases one's connectedness to the world, which then enhances empathy and decreases AIDS-related stigma. This study expands our understanding of the relationship between awe and stigma, providing empirical basis for decreasing social prejudice to others.

Keywords: AIDS-related stigma; awe; connectedness; empathy; mediation.