Admiration is a feeling of great liking and respect for an excellent person or an emotional response to witness excellent deeds or character, whose prototypical components are appreciation and inspiration. This emotion is evoked by many factors including extraordinary skill, virtue, positive attitude, self-improvement motive, and similar values and so on. Secretion of oxytocin can be facilitated by admiration for virtue. Admiration for skill and virtue activate separate but also overlapping brain area. Admiration can function to inspire oneself, increase self-efficacy and outcome expectation, influence vocational intention, and motivate prosocial and affiliative behavior. Future research should broaden the concept and component of admiration, distinguish between admiration and worship, conduct the study of application and cross-cultural or localized research.

人际感恩是指个体由于接受了他人善意提供的具有一定价值的恩惠而诱发的一种愉悦的、心怀感激而意欲报答的认知性情绪。情境评估过程是人际感恩得以产生的关键环节。此外,人际感恩的产生还会受到受惠者自身特点、双方关系特点等因素的影响。情节剧本、真人互动等任务是研究人际感恩的常见范式。另外,人际感恩还具有个体、二元、团体三个层面的功能。加强人际感恩神经生理机制的研究,考察由人际感恩到特质感恩的培养路径,拓展人际感恩的功能研究,探索中国文化背景下的人际感恩是未来人际感恩的研究方向。

从社会及人格心理学的角度来看,伦理美德是一种道德特质。它是一种面对道德情境时,人们的直觉而自动化且相对稳定的行为意向,包含着认知、情感和动力的过程。这一新观点可以解决美德伦理学与规范伦理学之间表面上的冲突,阐明了伦理美德与伦理规范对应的不同心理机制,认为它们都是人类伦理道德系统的重要组成部分。美德对应的是无意识、自动化、包含情绪、无需努力和认知资源且基于联结的直觉加工系统;而规范对应的是有意识、受控的、不含情绪且需要努力和认知资源且基于规则的推理加工系统。基于这些差异,现代的伦理道德教育应当将两者分开,对伦理规范可以采取讲授的方式且着重于理解,而对伦理美德应该采取更多的训练方式且着重于实践。

目的：探究不同效价的诱发道德情绪对人际信任感的即时影响。方法：以140名大学生为被试, 以视频短片为材料,实验性诱发其正性、负性道德情绪,检测诱发结果对于被试倾向性与情境性人际信任的影响。结果：①正性和负性道德情绪存在诱发后效的显著 差异;②诱发正性道德情绪能显著提高被试的情境性人际信任,而诱发负性道德情绪则显著降低了被试的倾向性人际信任;③高移情被试在诱发道德情绪条件下表现 出显著更高的情境性人际信任。结论：诱发道德情绪能一定程度改善个体的人际信任。

People are often profoundly moved by the virtue or skill of others, yet psychology has little to say about the ‘other-praising’ family of emotions. Here we demonstrate that emotions such as elevation, gratitude, and admiration differ from more commonly studied forms of positive affect (joy and amusement) in many ways, and from each other in a few ways. The results of studies using recall, video induction, event-contingent diary, and letter-writing methods to induce other-praising emotions suggest that: elevation (a response to moral excellence) motivates prosocial and affiliative behavior, gratitude motivates improved relationships with benefactors, and admiration motivates self-improvement. Mediation analyses highlight the role of conscious emotion between appraisals and motivations. Discussion focuses on implications for emotion research, interpersonal relationships, and morality.

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of moral elevation on the relationship between character strengths(humanity), self-control and altruistic behavior in the times of convergence. 647 college students in Cheongju were sampled. Four measurement instruments were employed; a Character Strengths(Humanity) Scale, Self-Control Scale, Moral Elevation Scale, and Altruistic Behavior Scale. The Collected data were analyzed with SPSS program and Structural Equation Modeling(SEM). Fitness of the final model were CFI

ABSTRACT Growing cross cultural evidence suggests that East Asians are less likely to show the correspondence bias, or a preference for explanations of behavior in terms of traits, dispositions, or other internal attributes of the target. The scope of this evidence spans several research paradigms and diverse methodologies. The cultural difference, however, appears not to be caused by an absence of dispositional thinking in East Asian cultures. Indeed, extensive ethnographic and psychological data indicate that "dispositionism" is a cross-culturally widespread mode of thinking, although East Asians believe dispositions to be more malleable and have a more holistic conception of the person as being situated in a broad social context. The East est split in attribution thus originates primarily from a stronger "situationism" or belief in the importance of the context of behavior in East Asia. Consequently, East Asians are more likely than Westerners to avoid the correspondence bias as long as situational constraints are salient. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Elevation, the feeling of moral uplift when viewing the virtuous action of another, has been shown to be a distinct moral emotion [Algoe, S.B., & Haidt, J. (2009). Witnessing excellence in action: The ‘other-praising’ emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 105–127]. Prosocial behaviors have been theorized to be one of the behavioral effects of elevation, but this behavioral connection has not been strongly established. This study followed college students in a naturalistic setting known to induce elevation, a spring break service trip. Self-reports of elevation during service trip were collected from participants at the conclusion of the trip. At 1 week and 3 months later, participants reported on trip-related and general volunteerism. Self-reports of elevation during the trip predicted trip-specific volunteerism at 1 week and 3 months, but did not relate to general volunteerism at either time. This predictive connection was maintained even when pre-trip volunteerism, trait empathy, and the dispositions of Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness were controlled for. These results suggest that the experience of elevation motivated participants to volunteer in the domain in which they felt elevation. This finding supports the hypothesis that prosocial responses are a behavioral effect of elevation, but further refines this hypothesis by suggesting that the prosocial response occurs in a domain linked to the context in which elevation was experienced.

Aristotle considered moral beauty to be the telos of the human virtues. Displays of moral beauty have been shown to elicit the moral emotion of elevation and cause a desire to become a better person and to engage in prosocial behavior. Study 1 (N = 5380) shows engagement with moral beauty is related to several psychological constructs relevant to moral education, and structural models reveal that the story of engagement with moral beauty may be considered a story of love and connectedness; it is uniquely predictive of caring for, being empathic of, loving, and valuing benevolence toward others. Study 2 (N = 542) demonstrates that the personality trait of engaging with moral beauty moderates susceptibility to elevation. These studies suggest that encouraging students to engage with moral beauty might increase their desire to become better persons and to do good. Convergent with other research showing that moral emotions motivate moral behavior, we suggest that moral education programs increase their focus on developing engagement with moral beauty.

Pedagogical intervention regarding engagement with natural, artistic and moral beauty can lead to an increase in trait hope. In a quasi‐experimental design with college students the intervention group showed significantly higher gain scores on trait hope than did the comparison group; the effect size was moderate. The experimental group also experienced significantly larger increases with engagement with moral beauty; the effect size was large. The discussion section focuses on integrating understanding beauty with moral education pedagogy, using a key element in philosophical definitions of beauty: unity‐in‐diversity. It is hypothesized that such pedagogy will increase engagement with natural, artistic and moral beauty and thus raise trait hope.

本研究致力于澄清道德提升感在中国背景下的心理结构，并编制问卷。根据相关论著分析和文献梳理构建了道德提升感的结构，并通过访谈整理和专家评估，编制了针对大学生的道德提升感量表。通过对样本一(n = 283)和样本二(n = 220)进行探索性分析和验证性分析来检验量表的信效度。结果表明：1) 道德提升感具有稳定的心理结构，具体分为情感及其流露、对自己的认知、对他人的认知和行为倾向四个因子；2) 自编的中国大学生道德提升感量表具有良好的信度、效度和适用性。The present study aims to e...

Abstract Elevation is a feeling of meaningfulness and poignancy, which makes people feel more connected to humanity. The experience of elevation often arises as a result of media narratives, usually those that depict moral virtue or connectedness. Elevating media has a number of positive effects on media consumers, both emotionally and behaviorally. The present study expands on previous research by exploring the mechanisms underlying the behaviors associated with elevating media and identifying the variables that moderate these outcomes. In a randomized experiment, participants were assigned to watch either an elevating or a nonelevating but positive film clip. Perceived choice in the media experience was also manipulated, and perceived choice moderated the effects of film clip type, such that participants who believed they had chosen the elevating media were more altruistic in a noise-blast task than those who were not given a choice. However, this reversed in a subsequent task, where those who chose elevating media pledged fewer raffle winnings to charity. The differences between spontaneous and deliberative behaviors are discussed, as are possible mechanisms for the link between exposure to elevating media and behavior, including goal activation and elevating emotions.

Most research investigating the neural basis of social emotions has examined emotions that give rise to negative evaluations of others (e.g. anger, disgust). Emotions triggered by the virtues and excellences of others have been largely ignored. Using fMRI, we investigated the neural basis of two ther-praising" emotions Moral Elevation (a response to witnessing acts of moral beauty), and Admiration (which we restricted to admiration for physical skill). Ten participants viewed the same nine video clips. Three clips elicited moral elevation, three elicited admiration, and three were emotionally neutral. We then performed pair-wise voxel-by-voxel correlations of the BOLD signal between individuals for each video clip and a separate resting-state run. We observed a high degree of inter-subject synchronization, regardless of stimulus type, across several brain regions during free-viewing of videos. Videos in the elevation condition evoked significant inter-subject synchronization in brain regions previously implicated in self-referential and interoceptive processes, including the medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and insula. The degree of synchronization was highly variable over the course of the videos, with the strongest synchrony occurring during portions of the videos that were independently rated as most emotionally arousing. Synchrony in these same brain regions was not consistently observed during the admiration videos, and was absent for the neutral videos. Results suggest that the neural systems supporting moral elevation are remarkably consistent across subjects viewing the same emotional content. We demonstrate that model-free techniques such as inter-subject synchronization may be a useful tool for studying complex, context dependent emotions such as self-transcendent emotion.

ABSTRACT Observing acts of virtue (e.g., generosity, courage) triggers moral elevation, an emotion characterized by a sense of feeling morally uplifted and inspired. Elevation triggers prosocial motivation and positive emotion, and may therefore bear relevance for disorders characterized by self-focus, interpersonal dysfunction, and distress (e.g., depression and anxiety disorders). The present study tested the interpersonal and emotional effects of elevation for ten days in clinically depressed and anxious individuals (N = 47). Multilevel models showed that on days that individuals experienced high elevation relative to their own average levels, they endorsed higher compassionate goals (striving to help others) and closeness to others, as well as lower interpersonal conflict and distress symptoms. In timelagged analyses, elevation predicted residual increases in compassionate goals toward others on subsequent days and a six-week posttest. Moreover, most effects were not attributable to gender, dysphoric mood, or feeling competent. Thus, moral elevation may uniquely contribute to social and emotional functioning, even in clinically distressed individuals.

Abstract This article opens by noting that positive emotions do not fit existing models of emotions. Consequently, a new model is advanced to describe the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment, and love. This new model posits that these positive emotions serve to broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire, which in turn has the effect of building that individual's physical, intellectual, and social resources. Empirical evidence to support this broaden-and-build model of positive emotions is reviewed, and implications for emotion regulation and health promotion are discussed.

Three studies examined the relationship between social dominance orientation (SDO), the experience of moral elevation, and Whites' donations to charitable organizations. Study 1 used video clips depicting acts of moral excellence to elicit a state of moral elevation (a distinctive feeling of warmth and expansion, which is accompanied by admiration, affection, and even love for people whose exemplary moral is being observed). Results show that moral elevation increased participants' willingness to donate to a Black-oriented charity and attenuated the negative effect of the group-based dominance (GBD) component of SDO on donation . Studies 2 and 3 replicate and extend these findings by using a written story to elicit a state of moral elevation and examining actual donations to a Black-oriented charity. Results show that moral elevation increased donations to the Black-oriented charity and neutralized the negative influence of GBD.

Abstract Positive psychology is the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions. In this brief introduction, the authors give examples of current work in positive psychology and try to explain why the positive psychology movement has grown so quickly in just 5 years. They suggest that it filled a need: It guided researchers to understudied phenomena. The authors close by addressing some criticisms and shortcomings of positive psychology, such as the relative lack of progress in studying positive institutions.

This paper develops a unique theoretical framework for explaining consumer reactions to corporate offshoring by testing the impact of the decision to offshore or to maintain domestic activities on two dependent variables: consumer attitudes toward the company and word-of-mouth communication. We conduct two controlled experiments administered in the field with adult consumers. Study 1 analyzes the processes underlying consumer reactions to corporate offshoring from the perspective of the perceived moral harm and good that offshoring produces. Results verify the mediating role of positive and negative moral emotions (i.e., gratitude and righteous anger) felt by consumers. Study 2 demonstrates the moderating role of consumer perceived risk of offshoring on the linkage between company offshoring and the same moral emotions and through these moral emotions on consumer attitudes toward the company and word-of-mouth communication. An unexpected finding is the mediation of the positive moral emotion of elevation on consumer attitudes.

Abstract Posted 3/2000. The previously unstudied emotion of elevation is described. Elevation appears to be the opposite of social disgust. It is triggered by witnessing acts of human moral beauty or virtue. Elevation involves a warm or glowing feeling in the chest, and it makes people want to become morally better themselves. Because elevation increases one's desire to affiliate with and help others, it provides a clear illustration of B. L. Fredrickson's (see record 2000-03082-001) broaden-and-build model of the positive emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)

ABSTRACT An abamectin (ABM)-degrading bacterium, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ZJB-14120, was isolated and identified. This strain is capable of degrading 84.82% of ABM at an initial concentration of 200 mg/L over a 48 h incubation period. This strain showed efficient biodegradation ability (7.81 mg/L/h) to ABM and high tolerance (1,000 mg/L) to all macrolides tested. In addition to ABM, emamectin, erythromycin and spiramycin can also be degraded by this strain. Modifications involving either reduction of the double bond between C22-C23 or replacement of the C25-group of ABM with a cyclohexyl group can completely inhibit biodegradation of ABM. The ABM-degrading capability of strain ZJB-14120 is likely to be intrinsic to its metabolism and could be inhibited by incubating with erythromycin, azithromycin, spiramycin or rifampicin. A new and successive degradation pathway was proposed based on metabolite analysis. Although there is evidence for metabolite inhibition, this strain has high ABM degradation activity and reusability. Further investigation showed that activated macrolide efflux pump(s) and an undetermined mechanism for regulating the intracellular ABM concentration are responsible for normal uptake of essential metabolites while pumping out excess harmful compounds. Strain ZJB-14120 may provide efficient treatment of water and soil contaminated by toxic levels of abamectin and emamectin. Copyright 2015. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

In source leaves of resistant tobacco, oxidative burst and subsequent formation of hypersensitive lesions after infection with Phytophthora nicotianae was prevented by inhibition of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) or NADPH oxidases. This observation indicated that plant defense could benefit from improved NADPH availability due to increased G6PDH activity in the cytosol. A plastidic isoform of the G6PDH-encoding gene, G6PD, displaying high NADPH tolerance was engineered for cytosolic expression (cP2), and introduced into a susceptible cultivar. After infection, transgenic (previously susceptible) lines overexpressing cP2 showed early oxidative bursts, callose deposition, and changes in metabolic parameters. These responses resulted in timely formation of hypersensitive lesions similar to resistant plants, although their extent varied considerably between different transgenic lines. Additional RNAi suppression of endogenous cytosolic G6PD isoforms resulted in highly uniform defense responses and also enhanced drought tolerance and flowering. Cytosolic G6PDH seems to be a crucial factor for the outcome of plant defense responses; thus, representing an important target for modulation of stress resistance. Because isoenzyme replacement of G6PDH in the cytosol was beneficial under various kinds of cues, we propose this strategy as a tool to enhance stress tolerance in general.

The present study aimed to develop effective moral educational interventions based on social psychology by using stories of moral exemplars. We tested whether motivation to engage in voluntary service as a form of moral behavior was better promoted by attainable and relevant exemplars or by unattainable and irrelevant exemplars. First, experiment 1, conducted in a lab, showed that stories of attainable exemplars more effectively promoted voluntary service activity engagement among undergraduate students compared with stories of unattainable exemplars and non-moral stories. Second, experiment 2, a middle school classroom-level experiment with a quasi-experimental design, demonstrated that peer exemplars, who are perceived to be attainable and relevant to students, better promoted service engagement compared with historic figures in moral education classes.

This paper reinterprets the findings of previous empirical research on moral reasoning and moral judgment conducted in Taiwan using Kohlberg’s research paradigm. It consists of three major parts. The first part explores Kohlberg's theory of moral development and its limitations. Gibb’s (1979) two-phase model is used to emphasize the necessity of studying cultural heritage in understanding the prevalent moral reasoning of existential phase adults in a given society. The second part presents an analysis of Confucian ethics (Hwang, 1995), and proposes a conceptual scheme for discerning the significant features of Confucian ethics by referring to distinctions between positive/negative and imperfect/perfect duties. The discretionary features of Confucian ethics are further analyzed in terms of Shweder .’s (1990) scheme for discerning a rationally defensible moral code. In addition, the Confucian moral dilemma and its modern fate in the New-Culture Movement of the May Fourth period on mainland China, and the 1960s Gong De Movement in Taiwan are discussed. The third part of this paper reinterprets the findings of several empirical studies on moral reasoning in Taiwanese society. Special attention is paid to Cheng’s (1991) data from interviews with a group of college students using Kohlberg’s moral dilemma. The implication of her findings is discussed on the basis of the new conceptual scheme.

Abstract In this paper we present a prototype approach to awe. We suggest that two appraisals are central and are present in all clear cases of awe: perceived vastness, and a need for accommodation, defined as an inability to assimilate an experience into current mental structures. Five additional appraisals account for variation in the hedonic tone of awe experiences: threat, beauty, exceptional ability, virtue, and the supernatural. We derive this perspective from a review of what has been written about awe in religion, philosophy, sociology, and psychology, and then we apply this perspective to an analysis of awe and related states such as admiration, elevation, and the epiphanic experience.

Abstract Trust pervades human societies. Trust is indispensable in friendship, love, families and organizations, and plays a key role in economic exchange and politics. In the absence of trust among trading partners, market transactions break down. In the absence of trust in a country's institutions and leaders, political legitimacy breaks down. Much recent evidence indicates that trust contributes to economic, political and social success. Little is known, however, about the biological basis of trust among humans. Here we show that intranasal administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide that plays a key role in social attachment and affiliation in non-human mammals, causes a substantial increase in trust among humans, thereby greatly increasing the benefits from social interactions. We also show that the effect of oxytocin on trust is not due to a general increase in the readiness to bear risks. On the contrary, oxytocin specifically affects an individual's willingness to accept social risks arising through interpersonal interactions. These results concur with animal research suggesting an essential role for oxytocin as a biological basis of prosocial approach behaviour.

Abstract Research on non-hedonic entertainment suggests the experience of elevation as an important construct leading to beneficial outcomes such as prosocial motivation. This study builds on first findings in this realm by distinguishing between different meaningful media contents. In a 3 × 4 between-subjects online experiment, we varied type of video (beauty of the earth, unity of humankind, portrayals of human kindness, and funny control videos) and context of proliferation (presentation on an unknown video platform or on YouTube with low vs high number of views). Meaningful videos indeed led to greater elevation, more universal orientation, and prosocial motivation—with videos showing human kindness standing out against other forms of meaningful videos. Human kindness videos additionally fostered more positive attitudes toward stereotyped groups—mediated by the feeling of elevation and the subsequent feeling of universal orientation.

Abstract Disgust is linked to social evaluation. People with higher disgust sensitivity exhibit more sexual prejudice, and inducing disgust increases sexual prejudice. We tested whether inducing moral elevation, the theoretical opposite of disgust, would reduce sexual prejudice. In four studies (N = 3622), we induced elevation with inspiring videos and then measured sexual prejudice with implicit and explicit measures. Compared to control videos that elicited no particular affective state, we found that elevation reduced implicit and explicit sexual prejudice, albeit very slightly. No effect was observed when the target of social evaluation was changed to race (Black-White). Inducing amusement, another positive emotion, did not significantly affect sexual prejudice. We conclude that elevation weakly but reliably reduces prejudice towards gay men.

Appreciation of beauty and excellence (ABE) is one of the least studied character strengths. Therefore, this study aims at advancing the knowledge in this area by (1) developing a scale that measures

This short review analyzes the specificity of upward social comparison in the moral domain, suggesting that it blends Festinger’s (1954) distinction between opinions and abilities. We discuss positive outcomes (elevation) and negative ones (resentment), and moderators of this reaction. Then we identify the ways in which moral comparison constitutes a uniquely stinging threat (moral inferiority, moral confusion, and imagined moral reproach). Finally, we explore some of the strategies that people might use to defuse this moral threat (suspicion, trivialization and rejection).

Abstract Media psychologists have long puzzled over how individuals can experience enjoyment from entertainment such as tragedies that often elicit profound feelings of sadness. The present research examines the idea that a focus on “meaningful” entertainment and affective responses identified as “elevation” may provide a framework for understanding many examples of sad or dramatic entertainment. The results of this study suggest that many types of meaningful cinematic entertainment feature portrayals of moral virtues (e.g., altruism). These portrayals, in turn, elicit feelings of elevation (e.g., inspiration) that are signified in terms of mixed affect and unique physical responses (e.g., lump in throat). Ultimately, elevation also gives rise to motivations to embody moral virtues, such as being a better person or helping others.

ABSTRACT The majority of research on media counter-stereotyping of race/ethnicity has tended to employ positive portrayals or counter-stereotypical exemplars as a primary strategy in eliciting positive attitudes among White participants. In contrast, this article reports the results of an experiment on the unique role of affective responses to media messages as a mechanism in inducing greater feelings of connectedness with a diversity of racial/ethnic groups. Our focus is on the affective response of elevation specifically, which refers to feelings of being moved, touched, and inspired by images of people engaged in morally beautiful acts such as love, generosity, and kindness. Results show that the experience of elevation in response to inspiring videos was associated with heightened feelings of overlap between the self and humanity, with this overlap associated with greater feelings of connectedness with those from a diversity of racial/ethnic groups. This connection was also associated with more favorable attitudes.

Moral elevation, or elevation, is a specific emotional state triggered by witnessing displays of profound virtue and moral beauty. This study set out to characterize the physiology underlying elevation with measurements of heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity. During elevation, HR and RSA increased. These findings illustrate that elevation involves an uncommon combination of both sympathetic and parasympathetic activation, which is present in circumstances where arousal and social engagement are both required. In addition, we show evidence of content-dependent alterations of mPFC activity during elevation peaks. Altogether, this study shows that the induction of moral elevation recruits an uncommon autonomic and neural pattern that is consistent with previous understanding of socioemotional-induced allostasis.

Moral elevation is defined as the emotional response to witnessing acts of moral beauty. Studies have found that elevation entails pleasant feelings of warmth in the chest, feeling uplifted, moved, and optimistic about humanity. Elevation motivates affiliation with others as well as moral action tendencies. The main goal of this review was to gather and organize the empirical findings from the last 16 years of elevation research with regard to psychological and physiological characteristics, motivational tendencies, behavioral outcomes, neuronal mechanisms, moderators, and correlates of elevation. A secondary goal was to examine whether elevation is congruent with Fredrickson (2001) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. It was concluded that there is strong evidence that elevation broadens the thought-action repertoire and relatively weak evidence that it builds lasting resources. Potential evolutionary functions, the forms of measurement of elevation, the process of how elevation is triggered, practical applications and directions for future research were also addressed.

61Only few intervention studies on the appreciation of beauty and excellence exist.61A randomized placebo-controlled online study was conducted.61There were short term effects on happiness and depression.

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the effects of company CSR initiatives on two consumers pro-social behaviors closely related to the social cause promoted by the company, such as consumers donating money and volunteering time. In addition, the role of moral elevation as a mediating variable in such relationships is tested. Design/methodology/approach - After an exploratory study, we tested the role of moral elevation as a mediator that facilitates the effects of company CSR activities in social domains on two specific types of pro-social behavior displayed by consumers: donating money and volunteering time for the same cause sponsored by the company. We conducted two quantitative studies to test our hypotheses. In Study 1, we considered the two pro-social behaviors as intentions; in Study 2, we analyzed them as actual behaviors. In both studies, we conducted controlled experiments administered in the field. By using experimental and control conditions, we were able to manipulate corporate responsible actions in social contexts and a mediational analysis was conducted. Findings - Our results show that moral elevation mediates the positive relationship between the (1) CSR activity and consumer intention to donate (actual consumer donating behavior) to social causes and the (2) CSR activity and volunteering intention (actual volunteering behavior). Originality/value - This paper contributes to furthering CSR theory by showing the positive effects of company CSR initiatives on two pro-social "secondary" outcomes and the mediating role played by moral elevation. Important implications for the role of CSR are derived for companies and society in general.

Erratum to: J Bus Ethics DOI 10.1007/s10551-014-2485-0 The authors of the above-mentioned article would like to add the following paragraph: Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Unicoop Firenze for the precious assistance during the research process.

Some conduct-disordered youths have high levels of callous unemotional traits and meet the DSM-5’s “with limited prosocial emotions” (LPE) specifier. These youths often do aggressive, self-benefitting acts that cost others. We previously developed a task, the AlAn’s game, which asks participants to repeatedly decide whether to accept or reject offers in which they will receive money but a planned charity donation will be reduced. In our prior work, more "costly helping" (i.e., rejecting the offered money and protecting the donation) was associated with lower callous unemotional traits. Here we extend that prior work in a larger sample of adolescent male patients with serious conduct problems and controls, and test whether this association is mediated specifically by a Moral Elevation response (i.e., a positive emotional response to another’s act of virtue). The adolescent male participants were: 45 patients (23 with LPE) and 26 controls, who underwent an extensive phenotypic assessment including a measure of Moral Elevation. About 1 week later participants played the AlAn’s game. All AlAn’s game outcomes demonstrated significant group effects: (1) money taken for self (p = 0.02); (2) money left in the charitable donation (p = 0.03); and, (3) costly helping (p = 0.047). Controls took the least money and did the most costly helping, while patients with LPE took the most money and did the least costly helping. Groups also significantly differed in post-stimulus Moral Elevation scores (p = 0.005). Exploratory analyses supported that the relationship between callous unemotional traits and costly helping on the AlAn’s game may be mediated in part by differences in Moral Elevation. The AlAn's game provides a standardized behavioral measure associated with callous unemotional traits. Adolescents with high levels of callous unemotional traits engage in fewer costly helping behaviors, and those differences may be related to blunting of positive emotional responses.

ABSTRACT Moral elevation has been shown to increase helping behavior. However, this might be due to a threatened moral self-image because people engage in a social comparison with a moral exemplar and conclude that their own moral integrity is inferior. Alternatively, feelings of elevation might provide a motivational impetus to act on one moral values. We provided participants with an opportunity to engage in self-affirmation, which was followed by an induction of moral elevation or a neutral control mood. Compared to the neutral mood, participants experiencing moral elevation showed higher levels of helping behavior following self-affirmation. This effect was especially pronounced in participants experiencing moral elevation who reminded themselves of previous prosocial behavior; they showed more helping than participants experiencing moral elevation who had not engaged in self-affirmation. Thus, rather than posing a threat to moral self-worth, feelings of elevation can provide the motivational trigger to act on affirmed moral values.

61Scholars have recruited MTurk workers with eligibility requirements overtly stated.61We experimentally assessed whether this approach can impair data integrity.61Overtly noting requirements was associated with higher donor registration intentions.61Recruitment approach did not interact with a mood induction to influence intentions.61The influence of recruitment on the MTurk data validity warrants further attention.

(2017). Positive emotion infusions of elevation and gratitude: Increasing help-seeking intentions among people with heightened levels of depressive symptomatology. The Journal of Positive Psychology: Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 509-524. doi: 10.1080/17439760.2016.1221125

There is little extant research on the psychological or physiological response to witnessing good deeds. The authors call the emotional reaction to virtue "moral elevation" and the authors examined its effects on mother-infant dyads. Breastfeeding women who watched a morally elevating video were more likely to nurse their infants and were marginally more likely to hug them, compared to women who watched an equally enjoyable comedy video. Both of these effects suggest that moral elevation may involve the release of oxytocin, a hormone associated with lactation and affiliation.

Positive emotions are often treated as relatively similar in their cognitive-behavioral effects, and as having unambiguously beneficial consequences. For example, Valdesolo and DeSteno (2006) reported that a humorous video made people more prone to choose a utilitarian solution to a moral dilemma. They attributed this finding to increased positive affect. To determine whether such results actually stem in general from positive affect or from other more specific properties of humor, we conducted an experiment with moral dilemmas presented during an interleaved emotion-induction procedure involving mirth and another positive emotion, elevation. Mirth increased permissiveness for deontological violations, whereas elevation had the opposite effect. Furthermore, affective valence had no apparent independent influence on these judgments. Our results suggest that mirth and elevation have distinct cognitive consequences whose properties reflect their respective social functions, not their shared positive valence.

Mentoring is a prosocial behavior in which an experienced person guides someone with less experience. Elevation refers to the responses elicited when a person witnesses others upholding the highest standards of moral virtue. Three experimental studies bring these two domains together. For all three studies, participants were randomly assigned to either read a story of someone exhibiting moral excellence or to a control condition. Participants in the elevation condition reported feeling more elevated, more positive attitudes toward mentoring, less negative attitudes toward mentoring, greater intentions to become a mentor (Study 1); an increased proclivity to gather information about becoming a mentor (Study 2a); and, an increased tendency to engage in mentoring directly via submitting advice to students (Study 2b). In their totality, the current studies link another prosocial outcome with elevation and demonstrate a condition under which individuals are more likely to be motivated to become a mentor.

Elevation refers to the feeling experienced when a moral act is witnessed. The current study sought to illuminate elevation by examining conditions under which elevation is amplified. Study 1 demonstrated that the character of the recipient of the moral deed moderates the relationship between witnessing a moral deed and experiencing elevation. Study 2 replicated the first and included a behavioral outcome measure: donation behavior. Study 3 considered an additional factor: the immoral act. Finally, to ensure the character of the recipient is not the sole moderator, Study 4 experimentally tested a second moderating variable (i.e. the effort required for completing the moral act). As a whole, these four studies consistently support Haidt conceptualization of elevation, open the door for a new path of theoretical exploration, and introduce a new line of applied research seeking to maximize prosocial behavior by exposing people to acts of morality.

Abstract The term elevation (also referred to as moral elevation), described by Thomas Jefferson and later coined by Jonathan Haidt, refers to the suite of feelings people may experience when witnessing an instance of moral beauty. The construct of elevation signifies the emotion felt when a person is a witness to, but not a recipient of, the moral behavior of others. Scholarship examining elevation has burgeoned since Haidt first introduced the construct. Researchers have explored the antecedents of, and outcomes associated with, witnessing instances of moral beauty. The current review will outline the existing scholarship on elevation, highlight conflicting findings, point out critical gaps in the current state of elevation research, and delineate fertile future directions for basic and applied research. Continued investigation of the affective, motivational, and behavioral responses associated with witnessing virtuous actions of others is warranted.

Spirituality has mostly been studied in psychology as implied in the process of overcoming adversity, being triggered by negative experiences, and providing positive outcomes. By reversing this pathway, we investigated whether spirituality may also be triggered by self-transcendent positive emotions, which are elicited by stimuli appraised as demonstrating higher good and beauty. In two studies, elevation and/or admiration were induced using different methods. These emotions were compared to two control groups, a neutral state and a positive emotion (mirth). Self-transcendent positive emotions increased participants' spirituality (Studies 1 and 2), especially for the non-religious participants (Study 1). Two basic world assumptions, i.e., belief in life as meaningful (Study 1) and in the benevolence of others and the world (Study 2) mediated the effect of these emotions on spirituality. Spirituality should be understood not only as a coping strategy, but also as an upward spiralling pathway to and from self-transcendent positive emotions.

61This research draws on the appraisal tendency framework (ATF).61In line with ATF, elevation and outrage show distinctive effects on prosociality.61Elevation, but not outrage, increases belevolence-relevant behavior.61Outrage, but not elevation, increases justice-relevant behaviour.

Leaders influence followers in many ways; one way is by eliciting positive emotions. In three studies we demonstrate that the nearly unstudied moral emotion of ‘elevation’ (a reaction to moral excellence) mediates the relations between leaders’ and their followers’ ethical behavior. Study 1 used scenarios manipulated experimentally; study 2 examined employees’ emotional responses to their leaders in a natural work setting; study 3 compared the effects of elevation to those of happiness, serenity, and positive affect. We found that leaders’ interpersonal fairness and self-sacrifice are powerful elicitors of elevation, and that this emotion fully mediates leaders’ influence on followers’ organizational citizenship behavior and affective organizational commitment. In the first study, we also observed a moderation effect of interpersonal fairness on self-sacrifice. Results underline the importance of positive moral emotions in organizations and shed light on the emotional process by which ethical leaders can foster positive organizational outcomes.