Did you know that the feeling of awe can not only change the way you see the world but also improve your health?
Dacher Keltner came to this conclusion after studying emotion for more than 20 years.
A professor of psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and director of the Greater Good Science Center recently chatted with us; HuffPost’s “Am I Doing Wrong?” The hosts of the program are Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson. podcast – explains how he became one of the world’s leading researchers of fascination and what he learned as he studied its effects on our minds, bodies, and perspectives.
Listen to our full conversation with Keltner here:
“Awe is especially difficult to put into words,” Keltner told us. “Actually, a lot of people say, ‘this is indescribable.’ Beyond words. ‘You can’t bring rational, symbolic thought into this.’ And I don’t agree with that.
The psychologist who served as a scientific consultant on Pixar’s “Inside Out” movie defines emotion as “the feeling we feel when we encounter great mysteries.”
“The basic meaning of awe when you feel it coming over you is being connected to something bigger than yourself,” Keltner said. “You go to a concert, you’re with a big, pulsating, huge human being, and you’re dancing and sweating, and then the music suddenly terrifies you and you say, ‘God, I’m a part of this.’ ‘Whatever is greater than me in this moment of musical tribute.’ “How important it is for human beings to connect with things bigger than ourselves.”
Music is one of the “eight wonders of life” that Keltner identified while researching worldwide fascination.
“We got these fascinating stories, in people’s own words, from 26 different countries – Mexico, India, Brazil, Poland, really different countries,” he said. “And it took us a long time to figure out: Where can I find admiration? What we find – and this resonates with a lot of philosophical literature – is what I call the “eight wonders,” which are moral beauty – the kindness and courage of other people; collective movement – you are at a yoga class, dancing, music or sporting event together; nature; then music; visual design; spirit. The interesting ones are the less intuitive ones; one of these is ‘big ideas’. People admire big ideas. God, when I first read Karl Marx’s Theory of Economic Consciousness I said, ‘I can’t believe this.’ This man can explain thought patterns and class struggles.’ So I was amazed by this. And then life and death; “The cycle of life amazes us… pushes us to understand this great mystery of life.”
According to Keltner’s research, moral beauty and natural wonders are two of the most powerful.
“By taking kindness, courage and strength and [the] Overcoming what people can do knocks people out, and it’s everywhere, right?” he told us. “And then nature…what nature does to your mind and body is so profound.”
In fact, Keltner’s studies show that marveling through any of the eight wonders can improve our health.
“An area of the brain is disabled [when we experience awe] — default mode network. This is where all self-representation happens: I think about myself, my time, my goals, my efforts, my checklist. This calms down during awe,” he explained.
Then our vagus nerve—”the large bundle of nerves that starts at the top of your spinal cord that helps you look at people and make sounds”—is activated, which “slows our heart rate, aids digestion, and opens our bodies to things bigger than us.”
Keltner also found that experiencing fear reduces inflammation, helps relieve anxiety and pain, and triggers “the release of oxytocin, the ‘love’ hormone that promotes trust and attachment.”
“A lot of scientists have actually… taken the science of awe and said, ‘Oh my God, this is good for you.’ [It causes] higher vagal tone, less inflammation, less depression, less anxiety; These are all the same repeated findings. [peer reviewed studies].”
So what should we do if we want more awe in our lives and all the benefits it can bring?
“Give yourself a few minutes a day or every other day, slow down your schedule, put away your devices, start breathing deeply, and open your mind to something bigger than yourself,” Keltner advised.
“Asking questions about how you relate to what is bigger than you and how you serve it will amaze you really quickly,” he added. “All of a sudden you’ll say: ‘I should listen to that piece of music that blew my mind when I was 12.’ When you listen to it, you think, ‘I think about my friend, my childhood, and what my parents tried to teach me.’ you say. Then you look at it and for a moment you are in awe. So I think the self is a mindset about the vast.
We also chatted with Keltner about the tragic experience that made him want to explore fandom in the first place, what taking a “fan walk” can do for us, and much more.
After listening to the entire episode above, or wherever you get your podcasts, check out “Am I Doing Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations into the ins and outs of tipping, how to get the best deals on airline tickets, how to apologize for or pay off credit card debt, how to find love online or how to overcome anxiety. online shopping tips, dental care and pooping like a pro, secrets to booking and staying at a hotel, how to deal with an angry person, cooking tips from celebrity chef Jet Tila, shocking laundry secrets and more.
For more information about Dacher Keltner, visit his website and read his latest book, “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonders and How It Can Transform Your Life.” Check out his book.
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