8 sources of awe
Awe is the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world, like looking up at millions of stars in the night sky or marveling at the birth of a child. ―Greater Good Science Center
👥 Serves: 1 person
🎚 Difficulty: Easy
⏳ Total time: Ongoing
🥣 Ingredients: Curiosity, Novelty
🤓 Wholebeing Domains: Bioempathy, Community, Meaning, Positive Emotion
💪 Wholebeing Skills: Awe, Belonging, Nature kinship, Nature sensitivity, Reframing, Relating to Others, Transcendence
8 sources of awe
📝 Description
Practices to cultivate awe in everyday life.
When was the last time you experienced a sense of physical, mental, or temporal vastness that shook you to your core, leaving you gasping for air, or unable to find words to describe your experience? What you probably experienced was a sense of awe (you might use other words to describe the experience, e.g. wonder, amazement, surprise, or transcendence). The power of awe is in the ‘small self’ experience – the feeling you are so small in the grand scheme of things yet also part of something larger than yourself.
The science of awe is in its infancy, but researchers report it has a positive effect on your health, wellbeing, relationships, and life satisfaction.
- Awe boosts your physical health, decreasing the default mode network and inflammation, whilst increasing the release of oxytocin and the vagal tone.
- Awe feels good and makes you happier, more curious, more creative, and more resilient.
- Awe makes you feel small, which helps you gain a sense of perspective and find meaning in life.
- Awe fosters a positive distortion of time, expanding your sense of time and deepening your quality of presence.
- Awe increases relational wellbeing, making you more generous and more willing to help others.
- Awe sharpens your brain and your ability to engage in critical thinking and deal with complexity.
Let’s debunk three myths about awe:
- Awe is only experienced in big life moments. No, you don’t need to be climbing Mount Everest to experience awe. Awe can be found in your everyday life, even at home.
- Not everyone can experience awe. No, it is an emotion that anyone can experience. Think about how children innately have a curious and amazed attitude towards life.
- It just happens to you, you can’t seek it. No, it can be cultivated. In fact, it is like a muscle that can be trained. The more awe you notice, the more you experience it. Beware that novelty is essential to experience awe so it’s important to change things up.
The following recipe guides you through 8 wonders of life, with practices on how to cultivate awe in your life. It is inspired by the work on awe by Dacher Keltner at the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University. Take the awe quiz by the Greater Good Science Center to find out if you could be experiencing more awe in your life.
🌟 Sources
Source 1 – Moral beauty
Moral beauty refers to other people’s kindness and courage, e.g. an act of altruism or overcoming a personal challenge. Positive News is filled with stories of altruism and services, vulnerability and bravery.
Source 2 – Spirituality / Mystical experiences
The wisdom and mysticism from faith and spiritual traditions can provoke a deep connection with something larger than yourself, eternal, divine, infinite. You might find inspiration in one of the following recipes: “The Five Remembrances meditation”, “Tea meditation”, and “Year compass”.
Source 3 – Big ideas / Epiphanies
Big ideas or epiphanies, meaning unexpected realisations or revelations, change your perspective and alter your understanding of yourself and of the world, inducing awe. Check out your town’s events and consider joining one, e.g. a TEDx event or a Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour event or an Ocean Film Festival World Tour event.
Source 4 – Visual design
Sight is one of the most dominant senses, so visual design can stimulate experiences of awe, from celebrated paintings to the drawings of a child. Plan a visit to a museum you’ve never been to before (or haven’t been in a while) or an art gallery. You can also tap into your inner artists with our recipes “Collaborative painting” and “Mandala drawing”.
Source 5 – Nature
Nature is one of the first sources of awe people think about, e.g. standing on the edges of breathtaking panoramas, marveling at the sunrise, or stargazing at night. Go outside and find a piece of Nature, even a tree or a patch of grass near your home/office will do. Focus on your senses. What can you smell? What can you see? What can you hear? What can you feel? For more inspiration, check out our recipes “Mountain meditation”, “Tree talk”, and “Whale meditation”.
Source 6 – Cycles of life and death
Life transitions – from the marvelous mystery of birth to the profound nature of death – are remarkable sources of awe. If you are a parent, take a moment to deeply observe your child. Notice all that you find beautiful, heartwarming, and unique about them. If you are not a parent, close your eyes and imagine your parents standing behind you, smiling and supportive. Behind them, imagine your grandparents. And behind them, imagine your great grandparents, and their parents, and their parents. Connect with your lineage. Our recipe “The deathbed test” is a powerful self-inquiry to find meaning in life.
Source 7 – Collective effervescence
Collective effervescence refers to collective and communal experiences, e.g. synchronised movement like ballet, religious ceremonies, or marches and protests. Check out your town’s dance performances or consider joining a local march/protest on something you care about.
Source 8 – Music
Music can make you feel alive and vibrant, or move you to tears and shake you to your core. It has been a source of awe since the beginning of civilisation. Listen to a song you liked during your childhood, possibly one that you haven’t listened to for a while. Our recipes “Connecting through music”, “Ecstatic dance”, and “Music stroll down the memory lane” offer additional inspiration.