Boosting State Humility via Gratitude, Self Affirmation, and Awe
Humility has typically been studied as a stable personality trait, but it can also be examined as a transient and malleable psychological state. Treating humility as a state facilitates research on both the immediate causes and moment to moment correlates of humility. A state approach also allows for the development of interventions that provide short term and, potentially, longterm boosts in humility. We discuss the methodological challenges and implications of a state approach to humility, including the measurement of state humility. We then review the theoretical basis and empirical evidence for three humility interventions self affirmation, gratitude, and awe each of which operates through distinct mechanisms. Self affirmation secures self esteem and reduces self focused defensiveness. Gratitude deflects focus from the self to the importance and value of other people. Awe increases self concept accuracy and promotes feelings of connectedness to others. Future directions for state humility research, including the development of a long term humility boosting intervention, are examined. (150 words)