Complexity as a Potential Neurophysiological Correlate of Awe
Joseph C. C. Chen, Gabriella Mace, Avery Ostrand, Christian Valtierra, Sydney Griffith, Richard Campusano, Andrew Li, Erin Vinson, Jonas Tt Schlomberg, Maya Eshel, John Matthew Suntay, Syed Rahim, Roger Anguera, Bijurika Nandi, Nicole C. Swann, Luca Mazzucato, Xin Hu, Dan Zhang, Christopher Timmermann, Robin Carhart‐Harris, Theodore P. Zanto, David A. Ziegler, Adam Gazzaley, Lorenzo Pasquini
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) November 21, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.11.20.689403 via OpenAlex
Summary
Awe, a positive emotion linked to well-being and social behavior, was studied using EEG and autonomic physiology in 23 healthy older adults watching a nature film. Awe was the dominant emotion reported, though joy was also common. During awe events, skin conductance decreased, and EEG alpha and theta power decreased—changes associated with low arousal and positive emotion. Awe also increased Lempel Ziv Complexity (LZC), a measure of neural signal entropy linked to richer conscious experience. LZC correlated positively with awe intensity and negatively with skin conductance. Three additional datasets using different induction methods (video clips and DMT) showed similar occipital LZC increases, suggesting LZC may be a generalizable neurophysiological marker of awe.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 23 |
| Population | Healthy older participants |
| Intervention | nature-based audiovisual film |
| Keywords | Electroencephalography Neurophysiology Neural activity Spectral analysis Approximate entropy |
| Key finding | Awe events were associated with decreased skin conductance and EEG alpha/theta power, and increased Lempel Ziv Complexity, which correlated with awe intensity. |
Abstract
Abstract Awe is a positive emotion often accompanied by sensations of vastness and unity, with known benefits for well-being and social behavior. However, its neural underpinnings remain poorly understood. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic physiology in 23 healthy older participants while they watched a nature-based audiovisual film and subjectively rated awe events. Awe was the predominant emotion reported – though other positive emotions (e.g., joy) were also highly rated. Awe events were associated with decreased skin conductance level (SCL), and decreased EEG alpha and theta spectral power – physiological changes associated with low arousal and positively valenced emotional states. Interestingly, awe events exhibited increased Lempel Ziv Complexity (LZC) – indicating heightened neural signal entropy and increased richness of the conscious experience. LZC was also positively associated with the intensity of the awe ratings and negatively associated with SCL. Three additional datasets with separate independent induction methods (video clips and pharmacological induction via N,N-dimethyltryptamine) also showed positive occipital LZC associations with awe – suggesting some generalizability of LZC as a neurophysiological marker of awe. These results suggest that awe evokes neurophysiological states linked to the subjective affective experience. Impact Statement Awe, an emotion of increasing interest, has been studied with fMRI and peripheral physiology – but few studies have used electroencephalography (EEG). In this EEG study, we utilize a movie-watching paradigm to explore potential physiological correlates of awe. The results present EEG-based complexity increases as a potential correlate of awe, though showing limited generalization to independent datasets and limited uniqueness compared to joy, another positive emotion.