Awe: a natural boost for body and mind

What is ‘awe’?

Can you remember a time when you have been ‘in awe’? It might have been prompted by a person, an experience or event, a vista, a piece of art.

Awe ‘arises in encounters with stimuli that are vast or beyond one’s current perceptual frame of reference’ (Monroy and Keltner, 2022). We mostly experience awe as a positive emotion and it may be related to beauty and joy, for example, but some psychologists suggest it is distinct. I’ve been out for a walk this morning. The leaves under my feet crunched with the early frost, the low winter sun rose brightly across the snow-covered fields. This for me generated a real sense of awe and wonder! There were physiological effects – goose bumps, a change in heart rate, perhaps my eyes widened and I smiled. My sympathetic nervous system was activated, oxytocin was released; I felt awe-some!

How’s awe transformative?

There are psychological benefits of experiencing awe. It takes us beyond our current frame of reference and as such, opens up our ‘doors of perception’.

In coaching, this is key to generating new perspectives and possibilities, enabling change and shifting our thinking. In a relational sense, awe increases our sense of connectedness and collective thinking and diminishes our sense of self-interest. We feel social integration rather than isolation and a sense that time has slowed down; we feel less overwhelmed and that we have more time to focus on what’s important. Furthermore, awe helps us adjust our mental structures and enables us to deepen our critical thinking and explorations, digging deep and igniting clarity. We become more open to gratitude and generosity.

Where can I find awe?

In his book, ‘Awe: The new science of every day wonder and how it can transform your life’, Keltner talks of the ‘8 wonders’, 8 ways to cultivate awe.

• Nature?of course offers us ample opportunity to discover awe, whether in the small details of leaves and insects to awe-inspiring views and the sounds and smells associated with the seasons. Taking a walk is a pretty effective way to invite awe into your life!
• Moral beauty?can be found when we see someone overcome adversity or using their strengths and talents well. It can also arise when we witness courage or kindness in others.
• Music?moves us and it perhaps is no surprise that listening to music can spark a sense of awe. What musical experiences bring awe into your day?
• Visual design?is another opportunity to experience awe, whether through art, film, patterns and even the elegance of machines.
• Spirituality?and religion can bring about transcendence and awe and will be different for each of us.
• Life and death?are times when awe can arise, whether we are connected with them ourselves or observing them in others.
• Collective effervescence?is about shared experience, for example at a concert a football match or a party. This can generate awe in us.
• Epiphanies?are those transformational moments when we understand something new and move from confusion or uncertainty to clarity; Archimedes in the bath moments perhaps or the time when our understanding really clicks into place.

Your cues for reflection

I’d like to invite you to do two things. Firstly, reflect on your experiences today so far, then this week and this month. Where have you felt alive, moved, inspired, clear? Have you noticed any physiological changes in those moments? What has happened to your thinking? What was the catalyst for this?

Now, set an intention to really notice those moments of awe which arise moving forward. What came just before? What kind of feeling did you experience? What difference has the feeling of awe made to you and perhaps those around you? Is there anything else you notice about awe which feels important for you?

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