The Psychology of Awe: Why You Should Seek More Mind-Bending Experiences

When it comes to positive emotions, we have a lot to choose from.

“Joy” feels good and energizes us, “gratitude” allows us to step back and appreciate life, “confidence” gives us the drive to step forward and take action.

These are all common feelings people aim for in their lives, but there are also plenty of other positive emotions that often go unappreciated and forgotten.

One emotion that has recently been studied more by psychologists is “awe,” which is best described as “an overwhelming feeling of amazement for something that is grand, special, or unique.”

We can experience awe when observing something that is natural (like an animal in the wild or a beautiful nighttime sky) or man-made (like a famous painting or listening to a live orchestra).

Awe is a very powerful emotion that can have a transformative effect on our lives.

One of the key characteristics of awe is that it often gives us the feeling that we are connected to something bigger than ourselves. It has a transcendent feeling that can sometimes be considered religious or spiritual depending on the person experiencing it.

In one study published in the scientific journal Cognition and Emotion, researchers recreated the feeling of awe by having participants write about a time they recently experienced natural beauty. They discovered that participants who did this also reported less concern with daily stressors, felt the presence of something greater, didn’t want the experience to end, and felt more connected with the world. In another study published in Psychological Science, they discovered that awe can slow down our perception of time, which can make people more patient, less materialistic, more willing to volunteer to help others, and improve their overall well-being.

The experience of awe doesn’t just change how we feel, it can also change how we behave.

In a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers gave 10 raffle tickets and then asked them how many, if any, they would like to give away to another participant who had no tickets. They discovered a strong link between the experience of awe and how many tickets they were willing to give away. They theorized that awe helped to diminish people’s egos and self-importance and that can lead people to be more kind, generous, and social.

Awe can also lead to insights and new perspectives. A fascinating study published in Psychology of Consciousness looked at the intense feelings of awe often experienced by astronauts when they are looking at Earth from space. For many, this experience can be life-changing, and astronauts often come back with a strong sense of unity with humanity as a whole.

One of the most famous examples of this is Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” reflections when he saw a photograph of a Earth taken by the Voyager 1 space probe. In the photograph, Earth is barely one pixel surrounded by the vastness of space. Here’s his reaction to it:

“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all this vastness – there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It’s been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”

There’s no doubt that awe is a powerful emotion that can greatly enrich our lives and give ourselves a sense of meaning, purpose, and perspective. So how can we begin to create more awe experiences in our lives?

How to Create More “Awe” Experiences In Your Life

Here are healthy recommendations for how to create more “awe” in your life. Which of these activities would you like to explore the most?

• Go to art galleries and museums. Art is a great way to expand your perspective. I’m lucky enough to live in a vibrant art community where I have a lot of galleries, museums, and art walks to attend. I just recently went to the famous Salvador Dali museum in Florida, which was incredible.
• Attend music shows and concerts. Music is one of the biggest sources of awe for me. I love checking out new bands and genres, and usually if I go out somewhere for fun it’s to a music show with friends. Some of my most memorable experiences are when I see a fantastic band perform live.
• Travel more and experience new places. Traveling can expose you to new cultures and new people that you’ve never experienced before, especially traveling to somewhere outside your home country. Planning a vacation can also build a healthy sense of anticipation, so you have something nice to look forward to.
• Get out in nature more. Nature is one of the most common sources of awe in people’s lives. Even just a simple walk through your local park can be a nice breath of fresh air that connects you more with natural surroundings. Studies even show that watching a nature documentary (like Planet Earth or Blue Planet) has been shown to increase feelings of awe.
• Go to the zoo. Zoos are another great way to experience nature, especially being able to see wild animals or endangered animals, in person, that you’d never get to see any other way.
  

• Learn more about a scientific subject. Education can be another fantastic source of awe. If you dive deep into any subject (biology, physics, psychology, sociology, etc.), you’re bound to learn things that amaze you and teach you to think about the world in a new way. Go to your local library and take out some books, read news articles, or watch lectures on YouTube.
• Make time for sky-gazing. Looking at the sky can always be an awe-inspiring experience; whether it’s a sunrise, sunset, star-gazing, or just watching the clouds pass by, there is something about observing the sky that can put us into a very relaxed and transcendent state. It can also be a great opportunity to practice mindful photography.
• Theme parks and roller coasters. Fearful and dangerous experiences can create feelings of “awe” too, including riding a crazy roller coaster, or going to a haunted house, or skydiving. These forms of positive thrill-seeking are safe ways to activate your “fight or flight” response, while also having an exciting and uplifting effect. For example, while riding a rollercoaster you may be filled with terror and fear, but by the end of it your body is rushing with endorphins and thinking “Wow, that was awesome.”
• Completing puzzles, escape rooms, or video games. Have you ever worked on a really difficult puzzle, and then when you finally solve it, you feel that big “a-ha” moment and a rush of euphoria? Whether it’s completing a Crossword or Sudoku puzzle, a difficult video game, or one of those “escape rooms” with a group of friends, these can all be great ways to elicit feelings of awe and surprise.
• Amazing success stories and watching talented people. We also get inspired and awed by other people’s achievements, especially really successful and talented individuals such as professional athletes, musicians, or businessmen. Often when we learn to be happy for people’s success (instead of feeling envy) we permit ourselves to fully appreciate other people’s accomplishments, especially if they went through a lot of pain, adversity, and failure to get there.
  

• Cultivate an open mind wherever you go. I believe any experience can be awe-inspiring if we cultivate an open mind and are able to look at things from multiple perspectives. The idea of consciousness itself is awe-inspiring. The fact that we experience the world and universe every single moment is in itself an everyday miracle.

These are just a few healthy recommendations and tips for how to create more awe in your life. Sources of awe are often more common than we realize, so it’s up to us to take advantage of them and allow them to enrich our lives.

How will you fulfill your daily dose of awe today?

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