Plutchik's Emotion Wheel: Awe as a Combination of Surprise and Fear
According to Plutchik's Emotion Wheel, awe is the combination of surprise and fear (option c).
Understanding Awe in Plutchik's Model
Plutchik's Emotion Wheel represents emotions in a flower-like diagram where:
- Eight primary emotions are arranged in opposing pairs
- Emotions in proximity can combine to form complex emotions (primary dyads)
- Awe specifically emerges as a primary dyad when surprise and fear are experienced together 1
Evidence Supporting Fear as the Component of Awe
Recent research confirms this theoretical foundation by demonstrating the fear component in awe experiences:
A 2024 study published in Affective Science found that awe contains fearful elements, particularly evident in cross-cultural comparisons 2. This study revealed that:
- Chinese participants reported greater fear during awe experiences compared to Americans
- Physiological changes during awe experiences included alterations in heart rate
- The findings suggest awe is experienced as a "mixed emotion" containing elements of both fear and positive emotions
Another study examining emotional expressions during white-water rafting found coherent patterns between fear vocalizations, facial expressions, and physiological responses (cortisol levels) during awe-inducing experiences in nature 3
The Psychological Mechanism of Awe
Awe arises specifically through exceeded (rather than disconfirmed) expectancies 4:
- Awe emerges when something surpasses our expectations in magnitude or significance
- Central appraisals in awe experiences include vastness and uniqueness
- The combination of surprise (unexpected encounter) with fear (response to vastness/power beyond comprehension) creates the distinct emotional experience of awe
Evolutionary Perspective
From an evolutionary standpoint, the fear component in awe serves an adaptive function:
- Fear represents a specialized state shaped by natural selection to increase fitness in specific threatening situations 5
- When combined with surprise, this creates awe - an emotion that helps humans process and respond to phenomena that exceed normal understanding or expectations
Clinical Relevance
Understanding the components of complex emotions like awe has implications for addressing emotional responses in clinical settings:
- Fear responses can manifest as increased arousal, hypervigilance, and physiological changes including fear-induced bradycardia 6
- The parasympathetic nervous system plays a key role in fear responses, with vagal activity determining the emergence of fear-induced physiological responses 6
- Recognizing awe as containing elements of fear helps clinicians better understand patient experiences of profound or overwhelming events
In summary, Plutchik's model accurately identifies awe as the combination of surprise and fear, which is supported by contemporary research on emotional experiences and physiological responses.