AweNCT03550144
Improving Mental Health and Well-Being Via Awe Walks
A study testing Awe Walk in people with Awe and Compassion, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 90 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Awe, Compassion, Anxiety
- What is being tested?
- Awe Walk
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 5 Dec 2016to 26 May 2018
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 40 to 90 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 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
Who cannot join
- 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
Show all 11Show fewer
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
UCSF Memory and Aging Center
San Francisco, California, 94158
About this study
Official title: Effects of Awe on Mental Health and Well-Being
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.
Read the detailed description
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.
- Conditions
- Awe, Compassion, Anxiety
- Being tested
- Awe Walk, Control Walk
- Keywords
- Awe, Compassion, Anxiety, Positive emotions, Aging
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Awe WalkBehavioural
To examine the effect of weekly awe walks in cognitively healthy older adults.
Control WalkBehavioural
To examine the effect of weekly walks in cognitively healthy older adults.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Awe Walk Condition | Experimental | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Awe Walk |
| Control Walk Condition | Active comparator | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Control Walk |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Daily awe experience questionnaire
Increase in awe experience
Measured: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes (4)
Daily compassion experience questionnaire
Increase in daily compassion experience
Measured: 8 weeks
Daily negative emotional experience questionnaire
Decrease in daily negative emotional experience
Measured: 8 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 Item Scale
Decrease in anxiety
Measured: 8 weeks
Satisfaction With Life Scale
Increase in well-being
Measured: 8 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Jun 2018
- Study start5 Dec 2016
- Primary completion10 Dec 2017
- Study completion26 May 2018
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (8)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AweStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of California, San FranciscoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Francisco
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of California, Berkeley
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Virginia E Sturm, PhD, Principal investigator, University of California, San Francisco
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03550144
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 16-20001
- Status last verified
- Mar 2022
- First submitted
- 16 May 2018
- Last updated
- 22 Mar 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Keltner D, Haidt J. Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cogn Emot. 2003 Mar;17(2):297-314. doi: 10.1080/02699930302297.
PubMed 29715721Kaup AR, Byers AL, Falvey C, Simonsick EM, Satterfield S, Ayonayon HN, Smagula SF, Rubin SM, Yaffe K. Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults and Risk of Dementia. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 May 1;73(5):525-31. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0004.
PubMed 26982217Williams JE, Paton CC, Siegler IC, Eigenbrodt ML, Nieto FJ, Tyroler HA. Anger proneness predicts coronary heart disease risk: prospective analysis from the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study. Circulation. 2000 May 2;101(17):2034-9. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.101.17.2034.
PubMed 10790343Fredrickson BL, Cohn MA, Coffey KA, Pek J, Finkel SM. Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Nov;95(5):1045-1062. doi: 10.1037/a0013262.
PubMed 18954193Stellar JE, John-Henderson N, Anderson CL, Gordon AM, McNeil GD, Keltner D. Positive affect and markers of inflammation: discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion. 2015 Apr;15(2):129-33. doi: 10.1037/emo0000033. Epub 2015 Jan 19.
PubMed 25603133Diener E, Chan MY. Happy people live longer: Subjective well-being contributes to health and longevity. .Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 2011;3:1-43
Levenson RW, Ascher E, Goodkind M, McCarthy M, Sturm V, Werner K. Chapter 25 Laboratory testing of emotion and frontal cortex. Handb Clin Neurol. 2008;88:489-98. doi: 10.1016/S0072-9752(07)88025-0. No abstract available.
PubMed 18631708Emmons RA, McCullough ME. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003 Feb;84(2):377-89. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.377.
PubMed 12585811
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 Mar 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Awe on Mental Health and Well-Being
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03550144
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 16-20001
- Conditions
- Awe, Compassion, Anxiety
- Keywords
- Awe, Compassion, Anxiety, Positive emotions, Aging
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San FranciscoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of California, Berkeley
- Study start
- 5 Dec 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 10 Dec 2017 (actual)
- Study completion
- 26 May 2018 (actual)
- First posted
- 8 Jun 2018 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Awe Walk Condition | Experimental | Behavioral: Awe WalkParticipants 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. |
| Control Walk Condition | Active comparator | Behavioral: Control WalkParticipants 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- 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
Key exclusion criteria (11 listed)
- Major memory concerns/diagnosed memory condition
- Korsakoff encephalopathy
- Active substance abuse
- Brain tumor
- Active neoplastic disease (skin tumors other than melanoma are not exclusionary)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Awe WalkTo examine the effect of weekly awe walks in cognitively healthy older adults. | Behavioural | Awe Walk Condition |
| Control WalkTo examine the effect of weekly walks in cognitively healthy older adults. | Behavioural | Control Walk Condition |
Primary outcome
Daily awe experience questionnaire
Time frame: 8 weeks
Increase in awe experience
4 secondary outcomes
Daily compassion experience questionnaire
Time frame: 8 weeks
Daily negative emotional experience questionnaire
Time frame: 8 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 Item Scale
Time frame: 8 weeks
Satisfaction With Life Scale
Time frame: 8 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 22 Mar 2022.
- Background: PubMed 29715721Keltner D, Haidt J. Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cogn Emot. 2003 Mar;17(2):297-314. doi: 10.1080/02699930302297.
- Background: PubMed 26982217Kaup AR, Byers AL, Falvey C, Simonsick EM, Satterfield S, Ayonayon HN, Smagula SF, Rubin SM, Yaffe K. Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults and Risk of Dementia. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 May 1;73(5):525-31. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0004.
- Background: PubMed 10790343Williams JE, Paton CC, Siegler IC, Eigenbrodt ML, Nieto FJ, Tyroler HA. Anger proneness predicts coronary heart disease risk: prospective analysis from the atherosclerosis risk in communities (ARIC) study. Circulation. 2000 May 2;101(17):2034-9. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.101.17.2034.
- Background: PubMed 18954193Fredrickson BL, Cohn MA, Coffey KA, Pek J, Finkel SM. Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2008 Nov;95(5):1045-1062. doi: 10.1037/a0013262.
- Background: PubMed 25603133Stellar JE, John-Henderson N, Anderson CL, Gordon AM, McNeil GD, Keltner D. Positive affect and markers of inflammation: discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Emotion. 2015 Apr;15(2):129-33. doi: 10.1037/emo0000033. Epub 2015 Jan 19.
- BackgroundDiener E, Chan MY. Happy people live longer: Subjective well-being contributes to health and longevity. .Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 2011;3:1-43
- Background: PubMed 18631708Levenson RW, Ascher E, Goodkind M, McCarthy M, Sturm V, Werner K. Chapter 25 Laboratory testing of emotion and frontal cortex. Handb Clin Neurol. 2008;88:489-98. doi: 10.1016/S0072-9752(07)88025-0. No abstract available.
- Background: PubMed 12585811Emmons RA, McCullough ME. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003 Feb;84(2):377-89. doi: 10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.377.
- Greater Good Science CenterLink provided by the sponsor.
- Global Brain Health InstituteLink provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
Related trials for Awe
Not yet recruiting
A Novel Auditory Application for Distraction in Pediatric Patients
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Recruiting
Fostering Prosocial Preventive Behaviours Through Awe
Infectious Diseases
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Virginia E Sturm, PhD principal investigator
University of California, San Francisco
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Awe Walk in people with Awe and Compassion, run by University of California, San Francisco at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Mar 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Daily awe experience questionnaire (time frame: 8 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03550144, which also lists 8 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Mar 2022.