Improving Mental Health and Well-Being Via Awe Walks

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Awe is a powerful positive emotion that offsets negative emotion and fosters prosocial behavior. This study examined the effects of awe on health and well-being in healthy older adults. Half of the participants took a weekly awe walk while the other half took a weekly walk with no further instructions.

Detailed Description
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Awe fosters well-being and positive emotions that promote social relationships. Awe shifts attention from ourselves to the outside world and is associated with diminished self-focused attention. We aimed to increase awe in healthy older adults to test whether greater awe experience would lead to gains in other types of positive emotional experience and reductions in negative emotional experience.

Official Title
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Effects of Awe on Mental Health and Well-Being

Conditions
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Awe, Compassion, Anxiety

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Awe Walk
* Behavioral: Control Walk


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Stable medical condition for 3 months prior to screening Reliant informant with frequent contact with participant who is available to provide observations of participant Fluent in English or Spanish Age: 40 and above Able to complete baseline assessments Education or work history sufficient to exclude mental retardation Physically acceptable for this study as confirmed by medical history, physical exam, neurological exam and clinical tests Exclusion Criteria: Major memory concerns/diagnosed memory condition Korsakoff encephalopathy Active substance abuse Brain tumor Active neoplastic disease (skin tumors other than melanoma are not exclusionary) Parkinson's disease Multiple sclerosis (untreated) Sleep apnea History of clinically significant stroke Current evidence or history in the past 2 years of epilepsy, focal brain lesion, cancer, steroid use, or DSM-IV criteria for any major psychiatric disorder including psychosis, major depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol or substance abuse Blindness, deafness, language difficulties or any other disability which may prevent the participant from participating or cooperating in the protocol

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 40 Years
Maximum Age: 90 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Awe Walk Condition<br>Participants were instructed to take at least one ( 15 minute) walk per week for 8 consecutive weeks. Participants were told to seek the experience of feeling awe. Participants were told to keep a fairly light to moderate pace and were encouraged to walk alone and without interruption from a mobile device. | Behavioral: Awe Walk<br>* To examine the effect of weekly awe walks in cognitively healthy older adults.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Control Walk Condition<br>Participants were instructed to take at least one ( 15 minute) walk per week for 8 consecutive weeks. Participants were told to keep a fairly light to moderate pace and were encouraged to walk alone and without interruption from a mobile device. | Behavioral: Control Walk<br>* To examine the effect of weekly walks in cognitively healthy older adults.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daily awe experience questionnaire | Increase in awe experience | 8 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daily compassion experience questionnaire | Increase in daily compassion experience | 8 weeks | 
| Daily negative emotional experience questionnaire | Decrease in daily negative emotional experience | 8 weeks | 
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 Item Scale | Decrease in anxiety | 8 weeks | 
| Satisfaction With Life Scale | Increase in well-being | 8 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Awe, Compassion, Anxiety, Positive emotions, Aging