A new paper lead by Dr Alethea Koh (University of Canterbury, NZ), Associate Professor Masataka Nakayama (IFoHS), Kongmeng Liew (University of Canterbury, NZ) and Professor Yukiko Uchida (IFoHS) has been published in the Social Psychological Bulletin. Dr Koh and Dr Liew are both alumni of the Uchida Lab at Kyoto University.

The paper  investigates how the emotion known as “Kama Muta,” often referred to as “being moved,” relates to people’s attitudes when facing collective threats.

Kama Muta is a positive emotion that emerges in difficult situations, prompting individuals to reassess their priorities in life. It arises from a sudden strengthening of social bonds and connections within a community. The project explored how experiencing Kama Muta during collective threats, such as natural disasters, may shift personal concerns and encourage prosocial behavior. This research tested the hypothesis that collective threats heighten experiences of Kama Muta, which in turn reduces negative evaluations of personal issues and fosters broader prosocial responses.

The results indicated that stronger experiences of Kama Muta were associated with reduced negative evaluations of personal problems. However, experimental manipulation did not clearly demonstrate that collective threats directly heightened Kama Muta. Nevertheless, subjective perceptions of the societal impact of collective threats were linked to stronger experiences of Kama Muta. This study suggests that Kama Muta may help alleviate psychological burdens related to personal concerns. Additionally, the findings imply that recognizing the societal impact of collective threats may enhance feelings of Kama Muta.

The full article is open access and freely available here.

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