The current work proposes that awe can promote identification with a broader group, including both ingroups and outgroups, thereby reducing the blatant dehumanization of obese people. We supported this theoretical model in 4 studies (N = 606). In Study 1 (N = 137), people with obesity were blatantly dehumanized (i.e., considered less evolved). In Studies 2 and 3 (N = 377), by using various manipulations of awe (i.e., watching videos and imagining scenarios) and various measurements of common ingroup identity (CII) and by comparing awe with different emotions (i.e., neutral and general positive emotions), we repeatedly observed the unique effects of awe: awe weakened the blatant dehumanization of people with obesity, which was mediated by increased CII with them. In Study 4 (N = 92), priming higher CII with obese people led to less blatant dehumanization, supplying causal evidence for the complete mediation model between awe and blatant dehumanization. The findings of the current work indicate that awe may alter identification with a superordinate group, reduce the blatant dehumanization of outgroup members and improve intergroup relationships.
