the importance of awe
Awe can make you happier, healthier, more humble and more connected to the people around you
Awe is all around us; it’s the feeling we get in the presence of something vast, challenging our understanding of the world. It might be hiking the mountains in Yosemite, viewing the artwork within the Sistine Chapel, feeling chills run through your body at a concert or simply wondering at a spider’s web. Imagine seeing the world through the eyes of a three month old…
Awe can transform the way we see the world and it’s this capacity to step outside of oneself which forms a valuable lifetime skill.
Whilst a relatively new science, research suggests that awe can make you happier, healthier, more humble and more connected to the people around you. Experiencing awe often puts people in a self-transcendent state where they focus less on themselves and feel more like a part of a larger whole.
If this wasn’t enough, here are eight more reasons why awe is important:
01
Improves mood and increases satisfaction
By allowing us to put our anxieties into perspective, awe can lift us out of the ordinary practical thoughts that dominate our daily lives. It can allow us to have inner peace.
02
Decreases materialism
Awe can promote self-transcendence, feeling more interrelated with a larger existence.
03
Increases humility
Awe can change our perception of ourselves relative to the larger world.
04
Improves health
People with a greater tendency to experience awe have been shown to have lower levels of inflammation.
05
Improves connection
Research suggests that awe helps us feel more connected to the people in our lives and to humanity as a broader whole.
06
Lengthens the feeling of time
By immersing ourselves in the moment, awe may allow us to savor the here and now.
07
Increases generosity and cooperation
Perhaps because of the way it encourages us to focus less on ourselves and expands our perception of time.
08
Sharpens the mind
Studies have shown that awe can help us identify weak arguments and facilitate scientific learning.