What do the physics-defying spells of Harry Potter, the unprecedented scientific advances of Star Trek, and the superpowers embodied by the superheroes of The Avengers have in common? They are awe-inspiring. Experiences of awe are arguably among the most sought-after and transformative experiences in human life, and they play a pivotal role in the stories we cherish and share with others (Berger & Milkman, Reference Berger and Milkman2012). Awe arises when people experience something so vast, powerful, or complex that it defies their current knowledge schema and ways of seeing the world, motivating them to update their default modes of thinking to assimilate what is being experienced (Keltner & Haidt, Reference Keltner and Haidt2003). In recent years, a scientific inquiry of awe has emerged documenting that awe causes people to seek connections with others and acquire new knowledge (Stellar et al., Reference Stellar, Gordon, Piff, Cordaro, Anderson, Bai and Keltner2017; Valdesolo, Reference Valdesolo2021; Valdesolo, Shtulman, & Baron, Reference Valdesolo, Shtulman and Baron2017). From this perspective, awe is a potent impetus for exploration, sparking individuals' curiosity and shifting attention toward entities more powerful than the self.

Dubourg and Baumard (D&B) propose that imaginary worlds co-opt human preferences for exploration, explaining the prevalence, content, form, and spread of fictions that incorporate such worlds. They propose humans are drawn to the expansive, uncharted imaginary worlds of fiction for the same reasons they are captivated by new environments in real life: exploration offers rewarding opportunities to find new resources (e.g., food, mates), serving an adaptive purpose. This framework provides a foundation for a robust scientific inquiry into the psychology of imaginary worlds for years to come.

What remains a mystery in their analysis, though, is the role of emotion in imaginary worlds. Emotions are central to the experience of literary narrative fiction (Oatley, Reference Oatley1999). As such, an understanding of the emotions imaginary worlds evoke can attune us to the social functions these worlds serve. In our commentary, we extend the framework of D&B to examine how awe – an emotion of which imaginary worlds are powerful triggers – can enhance the psychological understanding of imaginary worlds.

Awe involves two central appraisals: a sense of vastness and a need for cognitive accommodation (Keltner & Haidt, Reference Keltner and Haidt2003), both of which are common to the experience of imaginary worlds. Vastness refers to a stimulus that is large in physical, social, or conceptual size, whereas accommodation concerns a need to update one's current mental schema to understand the stimuli. These appraisals set the stage for the social-cognitive effects of awe documented in research. By evoking a diminished sense of self vis-à-vis something vast, awe can lead to increased humility (Stellar et al., Reference Stellar, Gordon, Anderson, Piff, McNeil and Keltner2018), enhanced prosocial behavior (Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato, & Keltner, Reference Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato and Keltner2015), greater collective engagement (Bai et al., Reference Bai, Maruskin, Chen, Gordon, Stellar, McNeil and Keltner2017), and reduced stress (Bai et al., Reference Bai, Ocampo, Jin, Chen, Benet-Martinez, Monroy and Keltner2021; Shiota, Keltner, & Mossman, Reference Shiota, Keltner and Mossman2007). By requiring accommodation, awe can increase awareness of gaps in one's knowledge (McPhetres, Reference McPhetres2019), and it is associated with openness to fresh perspectives, seeking out new experiences, and curiosity about novel information (Anderson, Dixson, Monroy, & Keltner, Reference Anderson, Dixson, Monroy and Keltner2020).

We propose that awe is important to understanding the prevalence, proliferation, and psychological functions of imaginary worlds. First, imaginary worlds' qualities make them powerful sources of awe. Imaginary worlds feature novel information about a fictional environment, which often includes larger-than-life characters, striking locales, insurmountable odds, and mind-blowing concepts. Such extraordinary features allow individuals to perceive something larger than the self that defies expectations. Following this reasoning, imaginary worlds that evoke a sense of vastness and a need for cognitive accommodation should be potent catalysts of experiences of awe.

Second, awe's connection to knowledge seeking suggests that awe-inspiring imaginary worlds may powerfully pique people's curiosity. By highlighting gaps in individuals' understanding, imaginary worlds may compel individuals to seek out novel experiences and learn new information, both in the imaginary world and, possibly by extension, in the real world. Thus, given D&B's reasoning that imaginary worlds should generate more and more texts with world-building information, these texts should be particularly prevalent among awe-inspiring imaginary worlds, as people strive to absorb more about the fictions that elicited awe for them. Similarly, research also indicates that awe can spark greater interest in science (McPhetres, Reference McPhetres2019), suggesting that awe-inspiring science fiction might lead to enhanced engagement with scientific modes of knowledge acquisition and pursuit.

Third, given that awe and awe-related experiences shift focus away from day-to-day concerns and stressors (Bai et al., Reference Bai, Ocampo, Jin, Chen, Benet-Martinez, Monroy and Keltner2021; Joye, Bolderdijk, Köster, & Piff, Reference Joye, Bolderdijk, Köster and Piff2020; Shiota et al., Reference Shiota, Keltner and Mossman2007; Zhang, Piff, Iyer, Koleva, & Keltner, Reference Zhang, Piff, Iyer, Koleva and Keltner2014), imaginary worlds may be potent sources of stress-reduction, enhancing happiness and well-being. As conduits of awe, imaginary worlds offer individuals the chance to immerse themselves in a fictional environment detached from their everyday stresses and concerns, reorienting attention away from the self and its worries to the immersive, novel features of the fictional milieu. Accordingly, immersing oneself in an awe-inspiring imaginary world may be a helpful strategy for coping with stress, and individuals who engage with these worlds may lead less stressful and happier lives.

Finally, given that awe promotes virality (Berger & Milkman, Reference Berger and Milkman2012) and enhances social connection (Bai et al., Reference Bai, Maruskin, Chen, Gordon, Stellar, McNeil and Keltner2017; Goldy & Piff, Reference Goldy and Piff2020; Piff et al., Reference Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato and Keltner2015), imaginary worlds may be powerful motivators of collective life – as evidenced by the expansive close-knit communities observed among fans of imaginary worlds across the globe. As an emotion that sparks sharing and helps individuals fold into cohesive collectives (Stellar et al., Reference Stellar, Gordon, Piff, Cordaro, Anderson, Bai and Keltner2017), awe aroused by imaginary worlds may help explain why these gatherings exist and prosper, binding individuals together in their collective awe of their favorite stories, characters, and contexts.

Our conceptual analysis and empirical review underscore that awe may be central to our understanding of imaginary worlds' popularity and shape, and they point to exciting lines of inquiry into the possible individual and social benefits of imaginary worlds. By sparking curiosity, diminishing self-focus, and heightening awareness of entities larger than oneself, imaginary worlds may compel individuals to learn, seek out novelty, and reduce everyday stress, all while connecting with others along the way.