{"id":1047,"date":"2021-03-25T14:46:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T14:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ever-journey.com\/?p=1047"},"modified":"2023-05-26T07:28:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T07:28:03","slug":"finding-awe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ever-journey.com\/stage\/2021\/03\/25\/finding-awe\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Awe in your life\u2026 ?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When last did you feel the sense of Awe in your life?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u2018\u2019Seek out experiences that give you goosebumps.\u2019\u2019- Dacher Keltner<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Such is the advice of Dacher Keltner, one of the foremost theorists and scholars of awe<\/u><\/strong>,<\/a> a long-overlooked emotion1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Awe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Starting 15 years ago, scientists have been studying the complex and mysterious emotion called Awe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 marvelling at the birth of a child. When people feel awe, they may use other words to describe the experience, such as wonder, amazement, surprise, or transcendence. \u2013 according to Dacher Keltner of the Greater Good Science Center \u2013 University of California, Berkeley 2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awe is a complex emotion and has been said that it can be difficult to define, and means different things to different people. Feelings of awe can be positive or negative\u2014unlike most other emotions\u2014and can arise from a wide range of stimuli. In a landmark 2003 paper, psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt presented a \u201cconceptual approach to awe.\u201d In this paper, Keltner and Haidt suggested that awe experiences can be characterized by two phenomena: \u201cperceived vastness\u201d and a \u201cneed for accommodation.\u201d 3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a quote from the paper:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018\u2019If you\u2019ve hiked among giant sequoias, stood in front
of the Taj Mahal, or observed a particularly virtuosic
musical performance, you may have experienced the
mysterious and complex emotion known as \u201cawe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the benefits of feeling awe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Awe may improve your mood and make you more satisfied with your life<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A study found that people who read a short, awe-evoking story 4 <\/sup>about seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower reported greater life satisfaction in that moment than people who read a story about seeing a plain landscape from up high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awe may be good for your health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People with a greater general tendency to experience awe had lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker of inflammation (too much inflammation can lead to a host of chronic diseases)5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awe may help you think more critically<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some studies suggest that awe may be able to sharpen our brains6<\/sup>. By alerting us to the gaps in our knowledge, sparking more curiosity and better learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It relaxes you<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Awe reduces sympathetic influence on the heart and keeping us still, being more aware of our senses and calming us down.7<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Awe Increaseproductivity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to a great deal of recent research, these are some of the benefits of experiencing awe. You can learn how leaders are using Awe in their workspaces according to Wharton University of Pennsylvania here 8<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awe makes you more humble<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Data from a 2018 study9<\/sup> found that individuals who reported experiencing awe more often in their daily lives were rated more humble by their friends. And after participants experienced awe as part of the study (by watching awe-inspiring videos), they acknowledged strengths and weaknesses in a more balanced way and they were more likely to recognize the role of outside forces (such as luck, a greater being, or others) in their personal accomplishments (such as getting accepted into a university), compared with individuals who had not watched awe-inspiring videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how can you experience Awe?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being able to experience Panoramic views, brilliant colours in the skies, remarkable human accomplishments, great works of architecture, art, and music \u2014which all have the power to evoke feelings of awe. Despite their differences, each of these things defies the scope of our day-to-day experience, challenging our comprehension and even our sense of reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contemplating them we may feel small, insignificant, and yet connected with the world around us, in touch with something greater10<\/sup> than ourselves. Time seems to expand as we are immersed in the present moment, detached from our normal, mundane concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how to experience awe every day? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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