By Chandler sefcik
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”
To-do list:
9:00 Work meeting
11:00: Presentation
12:00: Lunch break
3-5: Meetings
5:15: Buy milk at the store
6:00: Katie’s soccer game
7:00: Jame’s piano rehearsal
Does this schedule look familiar to you? Okay, maybe it’s not Katie’s soccer game at 6:00, but a friend’s birthday party or deadline for an assignment. Regardless, I’m guessing your schedule is so full that some days there isn’t even time to eat breakfast in the morning. Find comfort or maybe sadness in the fact that you’re not alone. 60% of Americans feel they are too busy, at least some of the time, to enjoy life (Headley, 2019).
Perhaps, because of the busyness of life, you’ve forgotten what it’s like to pause and truly see the world. You’ve forgotten what it feels like to be in awe of life. Have compassion with yourself, and know you can experience more awe in your life starting today.
What is Awe?
Awe can be explained in a plethora of ways, but the definition I connect to most describes awe as “the emotion behind the feeling of being in the presence of something vast which transcends one’s own understanding of the world and is associated with wonder and curiosity” (Butcher, 2023). Typically, one who is experiencing awe becomes aware of how small they feel compared to this awe-inducing experience, as well as a sense of connectedness to the world around them and others (Nelson-Coffey, 2019).
One of my own awe experiences that may help jog your memory of awe-filled moments in your life is as follows: I was quite young, perhaps 13 or 14 years of age at a family reunion at Bear Lake in Utah. The whole day was filled with activities and squeals from children running around. It wasn't by any means bad, just busy. As dusk fell, I stepped outside of the boisterous, busy atmosphere, and looked up. It was a sight I distinctly remember and haven’t seen since. The night sky was contrasted beautifully against the thousands of stars and planets that made up the Milky Way. Standing on the grass in a small, simple town, I saw the beauty of the expansive galaxy. The lake beneath reflected the starlight and I was rendered speechless or in other words, I was in complete awe.
Connection Between Mindfulness and Awe
In the book The Art of Pilgrimage, Phil Cousineau says, “What is sacred is what is worthy of our reverence, what evokes awe and wonder in the human heart, and what when contemplated transforms us utterly” (Cousineau, 2012). So the question stands for you, what evokes awe and wonder in your heart?
If you don’t know where to start to feel awe, I urge you to start with mindfulness. Mindfulness involves maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and surrounding stimuli (Kabat-Zinn, 2019). Various mindfulness exercises can help us pay attention to our surroundings, and become more present in a given moment. As we work to open our awareness and become more mindful of our surroundings we invite awe (Amster & Fargo, 2024). We can do a simple mindfulness check-in right now. Can you recall what you just read, or were you just skimming through words on paper while thinking of what you need to make for dinner? If you find yourself doing the latter, I urge you to refocus and internalize what is written. Learning how to discover awe can bring incredible value to your life.
Nature
Dacher Keltner, lead researcher of awe, explains that one of the eight wonders of life is nature (Keltner, 2023). In a study done on college students, having daily experiences in nature improved well-being through the emotion of awe (Anderson et al., 2018). In fact, about three-quarters of experiences that inspire awe occur in nature (Abrahamson, 2024). Think of a time when you saw a landscape that was so beautiful it was impossible to look away. Were you holding your breath? Relishing in the stillness? Afraid that movement would disturb the sense of wonder and awe you were experiencing? Good! By experiencing moments like these your life satisfaction increases, as well as your sense of belongingness (Rivera et al., 2019).
Next time you find yourself outside, notice the way the wind feels against your body, the way a flower blooms around a rock in its way, and the songs of the birds high in the trees. Practicing being mindful will help mindfulness become a habit, opening you up to more constant moments of stillness and awe.
Moral Beauty
I was standing on an empty beach in Normandy, France in the springtime. It wasn’t that the view was incredibly stunning. In fact, it was rainy and cold, and a low fog had begun to set in. Most would have thought the view mediocre at best. I, however, stood rapt in awe. I reflected on the integrity and bravery of thousands of soldiers from various countries who had sacrificed themselves on this beach years ago for the freedom of these people. Keltner explains that another wonder of life one can discover awe through is moral beauty.
Moral beauty can be defined as the exceptional virtue, character, and abilities of others. It often describes charity, courage, and self-sacrifice (Keltner, 2023). As we take time to witness moral beauty, feelings of awe transpire, which leads to increased prosocial behavior, connectedness, inspiration, and motivation to be morally better (de Leeuw, 2022). Take time to quiet your mind and be mindful of the individuals around you. You will see glimpses of moral beauty all around you. Perhaps a man helping an older woman carry her groceries to the car, or a stranger buying a meal for a homeless family could evoke a sense of awe. All around us, good, inspiring people are showing kindness, courage, and integrity, all of which can evoke feelings of awe and a desire to be morally better within us.
Benefits of Awe
As humans we often take the “what’s in it for us” approach—meaning in order to try something, it has to show that it will benefit us. Luckily, there are many benefits that come along with an awe experience. Incredibly enough, awe actually makes you physically healthier. Awe can lead to better cardiovascular health, longevity, and lower physical stress like headaches and stomach issues, and awe also aids in better sleep (Monroy & Keltner, 2022). Additionally, one’s well-being is increased when awe is regularly experienced. There is a connection between awe, and a decreased likelihood of anxiety, depression, and PTSD (Monroy & Keltner, 2022).
Discover Awe in Your Own Life:
Awe can be discovered in multiple realms of life, and can be person-dependent. As you take quiet moments to observe the world and those around you, you will deepen your sense of awe. Here are three different strategies that can help lead to you experiencing awe:
Take “awe” walks: Shift your attention outwards to your surroundings and away from concerns or future endeavors. Focus on the here and now. A study done involving “awe” walks revealed that participants reported greater joy and positive emotion (Sturm et al., 2020).
Connect with awe-inspiring stores: Take time to listen to or read stories that evoke awe in your life.
Practice mindfulness: There are various different videos and mindfulness activities. If you don’t know where to start check out this video made by “My Best Self 101” titled Leaves on a Stream.
There’s a world out there waiting for you. Go relish in the awe of it all.
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
References
Abrahamson, J. (2024). The science of awe. Sierraclub.org. https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2014-6-november-december/feature/science-awe
Amster, M., & Fargo, S. (2024, April 6). The power of awe, with Michael Amster and Sean Fargo. Mindfulness Exercises. https://mindfulnessexercises.com/podcast-episodes/the-power-of-awe-with-michael-amster-and-sean-fargo/
Anderson, C. L., Monroy, M., & Keltner, D. (2018). Awe in nature heals: Evidence from military veterans, at-risk youth, and college students. Emotion, 18(8), 1195–1202. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000442
Butcher, H. K. (2023). Cultivating awe: A means to inspire sciencing. Nursing Science Quarterly, 36(4), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/08943184231187852
Cousineau, P. (2012). Art of pilgrimage. Mango Media Inc.
de Leeuw, R. N. H., van Woudenberg, T. J., Green, K. H., Sweijen, S. W., van de Groep, S., Kleemans, M., Tamboer, S. L., Crone, E. A., & Buijzen, M. (2022). Moral beauty during the COVID-19 pandemic: Prosocial behavior among adolescents and the inspiring role of the media. Communication Research, 50(2), Article 009365022211128. https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502221112804
Headley, C. (2019, April 3). Survey: The average American has less than half an hour of free time per week. Ladders. https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/the-daily-task-americans-are-neglecting-the-most
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2019). Mindfulness definition. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition
Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life. Penguin.
Keltner, D. (2023, January). What’s the most common source of awe? Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/whats_the_most_common_source_of_awe
Monroy, M., & Keltner, D. (2022). Awe as a pathway to mental and physical health. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(2), Article 174569162210948. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221094856
Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Ruberton, P. M., Chancellor, J., Cornick, J. E., Blascovich, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). The proximal experience of awe. PLOS ONE, 14(5), e0216780. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216780
Rivera, G. N., Vess, M., Hicks, J. A., & Routledge, C. (2019). Awe and meaning: Elucidating complex effects of awe experiences on meaning in life. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(2), 392-405. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2604
Sturm, V. E., Datta, S., Roy, A. R. K., Sible, I. J., Kosik, E. L., Veziris, C. R., Chow, T. E., Morris, N. A., Neuhaus, J., Kramer, J. H., Miller, B. L., Holley, S. R., & Keltner, D. (2020). Big smile, small self: Awe walks promote prosocial positive emotions in older adults. Emotion, 22(5), 1044–1058. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000876
Warren, J. (2022, April 4). Leaves on a Stream [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j4AyHpXQ8E