The Awesome Benefits of Awe

In May 2016, 1999 voices combined to sing When Doves Cry in a tribute to musician Prince, who had died the previous month. This was a performance led by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman who founded Choir! Choir! Choir! Theirs isn’t a traditional choir—they host events where the audience becomes the performers after spending a few hours learning a song.

As the strains of Prince’s popular song fill the nineteenth century music hall, I get goosebumps and tears prick my eyes.

Awe is an emotion we have when we are confronted with something powerful—something that evokes wonder and can change the way we see our lives and our place in the world. It can cause people to feel smaller, diminished and even insignificant.

While feeling insignificant may seem negative, in this case there are positive effects. It can reduce stress as it helps put worries into perspective and can foster a sense of humility. Similarly, it can soften an inner critic and inspire us to behave altruistically.

What Inspires Awe

Awe is induced when something exceeds the boundaries of our understanding of the world. It is something that overwhelms and escapes words.

A sense of awe can be inspired by different things depending on a person’s experiences and worldview. For some, nature may evoke feelings of awe, while others may be inspired by music or art. Another source that may awaken awe is the actions of people—extraordinary kindness or success in the face of adversity.

Awe can also be inspired by negative or threatening events, such as the destruction caused by a violent storm or seeing a powerful and dangerous animal up close in a zoo. While one might not seek out awe that is menacing, such experiences do have the same effect in terms of overwhelming one’s way of making meaning and understanding one’s place in the world.

Who Experiences Awe

Researchers have discovered that some people experience awe more readily than others. People who see themselves as extroverted—although, notably, are not necessarily perceived as extroverts by friends and family—are more likely to experience awe. Also, people who are open to new experiences are more prone to feeling awe. In contrast, those who prefer definitive answers and are not comfortable with uncertainty are less likely to feel awe.

Effects of Awe

The experience of awe can make us feel less significant. This often leads people to be more generous, as well as less materialistic and individualistic. It can cause people to have a greater sense of connection to others and the world around them and even as though they have more time. It also tends to make people more skeptical and increase critical thinking.

The body also experiences physical changes with emotions and the experience of awe is physically different from joy and contentment. Awe can impact nervous system activity, cause goosebumps and chills, elicit tears and may even reduce inflammation. It has also been shown to slow the heart rate, relieve digestion and cause people to breathe more deeply.

Seeking Awe

While many experiences of awe are unexpected, it is possible to seek them out.

Take a Step Back

We often become so immersed in the details of the everyday that we miss the big picture, which can be overwhelming—and in that very characteristic, may also have the capacity to induce awe.

Be Mindful

A wandering mind can be one of the biggest impediments to focusing, which is key to fostering the interest and curiosity that are necessary to cultivate awe. Taking a mindful approach diminishes the power of distractions. It is also worth noting that people who meditate and pray also tend to experience more awe.

Take Note

Witnessing others being kind can inspire awe and a desire to be kind. Finding this source of awe-inspiration may be as simple as paying closer attention to the actions of others in your daily life.

Try Something New

Awe is often triggered by the unfamiliar. Breaking your routine to walk a different route to work or try a new restaurant will help cultivate a mindset that is more open to awe.

Taking time to find awe may lead to improvements in life and relationships. What inspires awe in you?

I am only watching a video online and yet something catches me. The music? The grand historic venue? Those may be contributing to my experience but the sense of awe seems to come from the crowd and their shared goal as hundreds of strangers work together to create something bigger than themselves, bigger than that moment.

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