Awe is that transcendent feeling of stepping out of the quotidian and encountering something vast, mysterious and beyond your comprehension. The experience is a human universal, deeply rooted in our evolutionary history to make us feel connected to the world beyond us. And, as Dacher Keltner, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, explores in this video, you don’t need to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, or head to the Arctic to see the Northern Lights, to enjoy its myriad rewards.
Rather, awe is all around us, if you know where to look. Borrowing from ideas in his book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023), Keltner details how awe works, why it benefits us and how we can feel more of it in our everyday lives. For more on how to find awe in your daily life, read this Psyche Guide.
Video by the University of California and the Greater Good Science Center Awe might seem an unobtainable luxury to many but, with the right approach, you can enjoy it daily – no mountain required Alongside love, sleep and play, awe is precious for children. There are small, everyday ways to make it a part of their lives Experiencing awe in nature can transform our sense of connectedness to other people and help maintain a spiritual vitality Why the life-long disposition towards wonder – not the momentary experience of awe – is the way to knowledge and discovery Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul That childhood urge to ask ‘how’ and ‘why’ usually fades. But we can all learn to rediscover the joys of wide-eyed discovery Reflecting on the potential for extraterrestrial life can inspire awe and have a profound effect on your worldview Trying to fix your self-image can trap you in the problem.
The awe of nature truly heals by taking you outside of yourself
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