How Much Awe Do You Experience In Your Life?

But how much awe do you experience in your life? Could your life be more awesome?

Studies have linked awe to better health and increased generosity. Therefore, researchers are studying how to cultivate more of it in our everyday lives. The Greater Good Science Center’s director, Dacher Keltner, has been one the pioneers in this research.

Awe is the experience we have when we encounter things that are vast and large and that transcend our current understanding of the world.

We are all naturally endowed with a set of passions that enable us to find our purpose, increase our well-being, and navigate our place in the social world. These passions include gratitude, compassion, and our focus here, awe.

The Greek philosopher Protagoras believed that our capacity for awe is our defining strength, it is the engine of creativity, discovery, purpose and health.

And science has confirmed that brief experiences of awe, for instance standing in the middle of a forest with tall trees, makes you feel small in nature. Also, these brief experiences of awe lead people to be more generous, less entitled, more humble and aware of the strengths of others, and less stressed by the challenges of daily living. These brief experiences are good for the immune system.

We can find awe in many places, in listening to music, thinking about inspiring people, in contemplation and mindfulness. My favorite approach to cultivating awe is the awe walk.

Could you experience more awe in your life? Can your life be more awesome? Go out and find your awe moments and listen to them carefully, see where they guide you. What you’ll find, in how they stir humility and wonder, is that they will point you towards your purpose while you’re here on Earth.

Awe Quiz

Take the Awe Quiz and find out if your life can be more awesome!

Curated from Article published by The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley.