Awestruck: How Wonder Transforms Us

Picture yourself standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon as the sun sets, painting the rock formations in brilliant oranges and purples. Or imagine gazing up at a star-filled sky on a clear night, suddenly grasping the vast scale of the universe. That feeling washing over you—that sense of being small yet connected to something magnificent—is awe.

Awe might seem like a luxury emotion, something we experience during special moments or vacations. But research reveals it’s far more important than we might think, offering profound benefits for our mental health, relationships, and overall wellbeing.

What Exactly Is Awe?

Psychologists define awe as the emotion we feel when encountering something vast that challenges our understanding of the world. It has two key components: perceived vastness (something that seems large or expansive) and a need for accommodation (our minds struggling to process what we’re experiencing).

This vastness doesn’t have to be physical. You might feel awe watching a masterful musical performance, witnessing an act of extraordinary kindness, or contemplating a profound idea. The thread connecting these experiences is that they all expand our sense of what’s possible.

The Remarkable Benefits of Awe

Scientists have discovered that awe acts like a reset button for our minds and bodies, delivering benefits that extend far beyond the moment itself.

Enhanced Mental Health: Regular experiences of awe correlate with lower levels of anxietyGlossaryAnxietyA group of mental health conditions characterized by excessive fear, worry, and related behavioral disturbances. Includes generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias., depressionGlossaryDepressionA mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities, along with physical and cognitive symptoms that significantly impair daily functioning., and stress. When we feel awe, our brains shift away from the default mode network—the mental chatter often associated with ruminationGlossaryRuminationThe tendency to repetitively think about the causes, consequences, and symptoms of negative emotions, often prolonging and intensifying distress. and worry—toward present-moment awareness.

Increased Life Satisfaction: People who frequently experience awe report greater life satisfaction and meaning. Awe seems to connect us to something larger than ourselves, providing perspective that makes daily troubles feel more manageable.

Boosted Prosocial Behavior: Perhaps most remarkably, awe makes us more generous, helpful, and ethical. Studies show that people who’ve just experienced awe are more likely to help strangers, donate to charity, and act with greater moral conviction. Awe literally makes us less self-centered.

Improved Physical Health: The benefits extend to our bodies too. Awe experiences are linked to lower inflammation markers, reduced stress hormones, and even strengthened immune function. One study found that people who regularly experience awe have lower levels of interleukin-6, a protein associated with chronic inflammation.

Enhanced Creativity and Learning: Awe opens our minds to new possibilities. It increases our tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity, making us more creative problem-solvers and more receptive to learning.

How We Experience Awe

Awe isn’t just triggered by nature’s grandest spectacles. Research identifies several common pathways to awe:

Natural Beauty: From towering mountains to intricate flower petals, nature remains our most reliable source of awe. Even brief exposure to natural beauty can trigger the response.

Human Achievement: Witnessing exceptional skill, courage, or kindness can inspire awe. This might be watching an Olympic performance, seeing someone overcome tremendous obstacles, or observing unexpected generosity.

Spiritual or Transcendent Experiences: Many people find awe through meditation, prayer, or contemplating life’s deeper questions. These experiences often involve a sense of connection to something greater than ourselves.

Art and Culture: Music, visual art, literature, and dance can all evoke awe by revealing beauty, truth, or new perspectives we hadn’t considered before.

Ideas and Understanding: Sometimes awe comes from intellectual breakthroughs—suddenly grasping a complex concept or seeing connections between seemingly unrelated things.

What Happens When We Feel Awe

The moment awe strikes, remarkable changes occur throughout our minds and bodies. Our pupils dilate, our breathing deepens, and we often experience physical sensations like goosebumps or a feeling of expansion in our chest.

Neurologically, awe activates regions associated with attention and sensory processing while quieting the default mode network linked to self-referential thinking. This is why awe experiences often feel like stepping outside of time and our usual preoccupations.

Psychologically, awe creates what researchers call “small self”—a diminished sense of our individual importance coupled with an increased feeling of connection to others and the world around us. This isn’t a loss of self-esteem but rather a healthy perspective shift that reminds us we’re part of something larger.

The effects linger long after the initial experience. People report feeling more patient, less materialistic, and more willing to volunteer their time following awe experiences. It’s as if awe recalibrates our priorities, helping us focus on what truly matters.

Cultivating Awe in Daily Life

The good news is that awe doesn’t require exotic travel or extraordinary circumstances. Small daily practices can help us become more awe-prone:

Take “awe walks” where you deliberately notice beauty and wonder in your surroundings. Look up at trees, observe cloud formations, or pay attention to architectural details you usually miss.

Practice “awe pausing”—brief moments throughout your day when you stop to appreciate something remarkable, whether it’s the complexity of your morning coffee or the fact that your smartphone connects you instantly to people worldwide.

Seek out new experiences and perspectives. Read about scientific discoveries, explore different musical genres, or have conversations with people whose experiences differ from yours.

The Ripple Effects

Perhaps most beautifully, awe’s benefits extend beyond the individual. When we regularly experience awe, we become more compassionate, more connected to our communities, and more motivated to protect the natural world that inspires us. We’re more likely to see beyond our immediate concerns and consider our impact on future generations.

In our often divided world, awe serves as a reminder of our shared humanity. When we witness something truly magnificent together—a sunset, a musical performance, an act of heroism—our differences seem less important than our common capacity for wonder.

Awe isn’t just a fleeting emotion; it’s a pathway to becoming our best selves. By staying open to wonder, we don’t just enrich our own lives—we contribute to a more compassionate, connected world. In a time when we desperately need perspective and hope, perhaps the answer lies not in looking inward, but in opening ourselves to the magnificent vastness all around us.