Hagioptasia

”that unnameable something, desire for which pierces us like a rapier at the smell of bonfire, the sound of wild ducks flying overhead, the title of the The Well at the World’s End, the opening lines of Kubla Khan, the morning cobwebs in late summer, or the noise of falling waves.” C.S. Lewis, The Pilgrim’s Regress

Although a new concept, hagioptasia has been shown to exist as a natural tendency to imagine a preternatural quality of ‘specialness’ in certain places, people, or things (Johnson & Laidler, 2020). Familiar to most people from childhood onwards, this spontaneous psychological mechanism exerts a profound influence on our emotions, our thoughts and beliefs, and in the shaping of human culture.

The illusory nature of hagioptasia has yet only one discernible evolutionary function; to arouse emotional states as a means of manipulating the behaviours of our ancestors. Despite its enigmatic,intangible qualities, hagioptasia exhibits a remarkable degree of universality in its ability to elicit shared emotional experiences across individuals.

Our research has shown that those who experience hagioptasia also suffer from ‘sehnsucht’; a (previously) mysterious emotion that is described as an “inconsolable, wistful yearning for something unknown — that one cannot explain.” Most people experience sehnsucht, even though they have never heard of the term, or the concept of hagioptasia.

Nostalgia is another universal human emotion that is also aroused by the influence of hagioptasia. Over time, particular fading memories of everyday events or places can acquire a romantic sheen, transforming them into something far more wonderful and seemingly more meaningful; stirring our thoughts, feelings, and shaping our attitudes. While our responses to hagioptasic experiences, such as sehnsucht, appear to be unrelated to any obvious evolutionary functions – and seem to be more the consequence of our conscious awareness of the effects of this instinctive drive – nostalgia has been shown to improve mood and strengthen social bonds.

Where we clearly see hagioptasia performing as an evolutionary function is in the human preoccupation with social status. Human beings share an evolutionary heritage with other social mammals, and we can observe some of our universal behaviours reflected in theirs, especially when it comes to systems of social status, hierarchy, and competition. Hagioptasia plays a key role in facilitating these systems in humans. It compels us to revere high-status individuals (celebrities, musicians, sports stars, aristocrats, warriors, etc.) and to value often arbitrary signifiers of status, such as fashionable clothing or hairstyles.

While sensing this ‘specialness’ in our superiors generates feelings of reverence, admiration and deference, the perception of hagioptasia in our contemporaries regularly elicits the bitterness, hostility, and insecurities of competitive envy. Essentially, the illusions of hagioptasia arouse our passions for social status ( in this context hagioptasia is commonly referred to as ‘glamour’).

Throughout human history, people have perceived the mysterious qualities of hagioptasia, but have misinterpreted them as deep and meaningful insights, a ‘glimpse of the divine’, spirituality, or sophisticated aesthetic sensibilities. We have also used our ingenuity to indulge and exploit hagioptasia in religion, music, art, systems of ‘fashion’, glamour, and to ensure compliance with concepts of social class.

It is invaluable to recognise how we are naturally predisposed to yearn for the illusory sense of ‘glory’ evoked by hagioptasia, as left unchecked this will inevitably result in frustration, disappointment, or worse. Our desires to satisfy these aspirations of ‘specialness’ continue to be a major cause of trouble in human society. An understanding of hagioptasia – being aware of how and when it is influencing our thoughts and behaviours – can help us to alleviate the problems created by this influence, and enable people to use their hagioptasic experiences more constructively.

Imperfect Cognitions, What is Hagioptasia?

‘How the misinterpretation of human nature has stifled the progress of civilisation’ (video):
youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi-w1FnYEd4

News articles on hagioptasia:

Så är det nya personlighetsdraget hagioptasia (Aftonbladet, November 2020)

Det nya personlighetsdraget “hagioptasia” – har du det? (Nyheter24, November 2020)

Forskere mener de har funnet et nytt personlighetstrekk (Sosialnytt, January 2021)

What Creates Experiences of Magical Specialness? (Psychology Today, March 2020)