You donât need to book a flight to see the Northern Lights or or watch a total solar eclipse to experience awe. All you have to do is look up at a sunset, down at the veins of a leaf, or deep into your morning coffee. (Really.)
Jennifer Stellar learned that last one from a stranger. While running a study in which people logged their daily moments of awe, she noticed something odd: One participant reported far more moments of wonder than anyone else. Stellar, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, went looking for an explanation in the participantâs logsâand found the simple act of adding milk to a cup of coffee. Every day, they âstopped for a minute and watched how it swirled around and made this beautiful pattern,â she recalls. Meanwhile, Stellar was barely noticing her own morning cup. âIâm just pouring my milk in, chugging it, and doing other things,â she says. âAnd here they are taking a quiet small moment and having an awe experience.âÂ
That participant was onto something. Actively seeking out awe turns out to be one of the most powerful and overlooked things you can do for your health. And you donât have to spend a dime or go anywhere to experience it. You just have to pay attention.
What awe actually isÂ
Heâs identified a set of reliable sources that includes nature, music, visual design, birth, spirituality, and moral beauty: moments when we witness extraordinary kindness, courage, or generosity in other people. People often experience awe while listening to a symphony, he says, watching an athlete do something seemingly impossible, holding a newborn baby, or hearing thousands of voices join together at a concert. But awe also turns up in moments so ordinary theyâre easy to miss: the way sunlight filters through trees, the rustle of leaves in the wind, the intricate geometry of a snowflake.Â
Stellar thinks of awe as something âso extraordinary that it defies comprehension.â She often explains it on a more visceral level: âYou see something that gives you goosebumps,â she says, âand you find yourself going, âwhoaâ or âwow,â and your eyes widen and your mouth opens a bit.â If youâve ever made that face, youâve felt it.
She finds some of her own most powerful moments on her walk to work, when Torontoâs maple trees erupt into color each fall. âI think people make the mistake of sometimes thinking it has to be really big thingsâtheyâre like, âOh, I have to go see the pyramids,ââ she says. In reality, awe is often hiding in plain sight. The challenge isnât finding it; itâs slowing down long enough to notice.
The benefits of awe
Awe doesnât just feel good in the moment. Researchers increasingly believe it can shape our mental health, relationships, and physical well-being.
One reason may be what researchers call the âsmall self.â Awe shrinks you in a helpful way. The feeling is partly about thinking less about yourself and partly about feeling connected to something larger. Stellar describes it as a release from âthat noisy ego thatâs always in your head, talking about stuff and generally not saying the nicest things.âÂ
Unlike shame, which can also make people feel small, awe doesnât trap you inside your own thoughts. Instead, it directs attention outward, toward something larger than yourself.
Awe doesnât just change how people feel about themselves; it changes how they relate to others. Researchers have found that the emotion often gives rise to what they call âself-transcendentâ feelings, including compassion and gratitude. âWe really prioritize the needs and feelings of other people,â says Virginia Sturm, a professor in the departments of neurology and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California San Francisco, âbecause we feel kind of small and more connected to this larger universe.â
Keltner says heâs been struck by how many people seem to be searching for awe. âAwe is, in some sense, whatâs sublime about life,â Keltner says. He knows what its absence feels like, too. After his brother died, Keltner found himself âawe-deprived and struggling.â To pull himself out of that state, he began deliberately seeking moments of wonder throughout the day: a piece of music, a striking sky, a meaningful conversation. Now, itâs a habit. âI practice it every day,â he says.
How to experience more awe
The good news is that awe doesnât require special trainingâor even a spectacular setting. In one of Sturmâs studies, people were asked to take a weekly 15-minute âawe walkâ for eight weeks. The instructions were remarkably simple: Look at the world with fresh eyes, pay attention to the details around you, and engage your senses. People could walk in cities, suburbs, or the countryside. The point wasnât the route but the mindset.
Sturm practices the exercise herself. On her walk to work, she sometimes catches herself mentally running through her to-do list. Then she redirects her attention outward. âI remind myself to look at the leaves, to feel the breeze on my face,â she says.
Here are a few other ways to invite more awe into your life:
Figure out what makes you say âwhoaâ
For some people, itâs nature. For others, itâs music, art, sports, spirituality, or seeing the world through a childâs eyes. âIâve encountered people who are like, âMusic doesnât do it for me,ââ Stellar says. âSome people are like, âI donât like nature.â Thatâs fine.â The goal isnât to force yourself into someone elseâs version of awe, she says. Itâs to identify the experiences that reliably leave you feeling amazed.
Think small
One of the biggest misconceptions about awe is that it requires a bucket-list experience. Keltner practices awe in little ways by listening to music, taking in the sky, or pausing to really look into another personâs eyes. âYou donât need to go to Burning Man,â he says. âJust look for a few minutes a day.â
Screens count, too
Researchers regularly induce awe using short videos in the lab. Nature documentaries, footage of extraordinary human achievement, and other awe-inspiring scenes can all do the trick. âPeople love nature programs because of awe,â Keltner says. Whether itâs a BBC Earth episode, a rocket launch on YouTube, or an Olympic athlete accomplishing something remarkable, the feeling can still register.
Use awe as a reset button
You donât have to wait until youâre relaxed to seek out awe. Some research suggests it can be especially helpful when youâre stressed. During the pandemic, Keltnerâs team asked exhausted health-care workersâmany of them working long shifts in chaotic hospitalsâto pause for a moment and think about something that had made them go âwhoa.â Some, for example, described a patient showing extraordinary courage or love. Even that brief exercise helped reduce anxiety and loneliness. The lesson: Awe isnât just something to enjoy when life is going well. Sometimes itâs exactly what you need in the middle of a difficult day.
Pay attention to goodness
Nature is the most obvious source of awe, but Keltner says one of the most reliable is actually âmoral beauty,â when people exceed our expectations for kindness, courage, generosity, or grace. One of the prompts he often uses is: âWho inspired you today?â The answer might be a stranger helping someone in need, a friend showing up when it matters most, or a person facing hardship with remarkable resilience.
Stop treating awe like dessert
Many of us think of awe as a rewardâa special experience reserved for vacations, concerts, or other occasions. Stellar argues that mindset gets it backwards. Rather than treating awe like dessert, we should think of it more like a vegetable: something beneficial that belongs in everyday life. âIt should just be on your plate,â she says.
After all, the person who reported the most awe in Stellarâs study wasnât trekking through Patagonia or chasing eclipses. They were standing in their kitchen, watching milk swirl through a cup of coffee.
