Boost Your Well-Being: 8 Ways to Tap into the Power of Awe

Want a simple way to boost wellbeing? Consider engaging in activities that increase your sense of awe.

This was a topic in an article I was reading recently in this Real Simple December, 2023 issue. Obviously I’m a little behind on my reading! They talked about awe in general, and it’s something that I talked about on the blog several years ago when I took an awe walk. So check that out if this topic interests you.

Last year in 2023, Dacher Keltner, who is a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, came out with a book all about the current research on awe. There’s a lot of evidence that if we can find ways to tap into this sense that we can boost our well-being.

So what is awe? It’s this feeling of wonder and amazement at the big mysterious world around us. That might sound a little big, but there are simple ways that we can practice.

You might be wondering, what’s the benefit? Why do I even want to make this part of my well-being practice? Well, there are multiple things that research has shown awe does for us. It can help us feel inspired; it can help us to concentrate and focus; it can help us to feel calm and grounded. Actually, it can decrease depression and anxiety, one of my favorite benefits of practicing awe. It’s even been shown to decrease inflammation markers in the body, and to create a sense of having more time, something all of my coaching clients tell me that they really need.

So how can we pay attention to awe? Well, according to Keltner’s research, there are eight different ways in which we experience awe. And I have a suggestion for each of them, simple practices for how you can tap into this sense yourself.

The first way that we experience awe is simply through what he calls moral beauty. This is recognizing kindness and bravery that others show. If you want to tap into this sense, something you can do is simply acknowledge someone that has been kind to you or someone that’s been particularly brave. If you were to write them a letter recognizing this, it can tap into that gratitude practice we’ve talked about in the past.

The second way is collective effervescence, which sounds great, but it’s essentially just this idea that when we’re in a big group, and we’re experiencing something together at a social gathering, that it can build this sense of awe. I’ve felt this when we go to concerts, and you look around and everyone’s singing the same song, and feeling a sense of connection. The technique I like to suggest for this is to go to a concert or a similar social gathering where you feel the energy of everyone around you, all there in support of the same thing.

The third thing is nature. It’s really just about marveling at the natural world around us. The technique that you can use here is to simply get outside, but it’s not like go outside and sit on the park bench and look at your phone. It’s go outside and pay attention to what’s around you. Notice the trees, the flowers, the birds, really feel that sense of connection with nature.

The fourth thing is visual design, which is a manmade source of awe. Think about art or architecture. A way to tap into this is to spend the afternoon at a local art museum or take a walk looking at local architecture and admiring that.

The fifth thing is music, so piggybacking on what I mentioned before with concerts. With music, it’s really just connecting with a sound or a song that moves you or brings back positive memories. A way to practice this is to listen to your favorite song or one that you particularly enjoy. I don’t mean just listen to it while you’re driving to work, but consider putting on your headphones and closing your eyes so that you’re just focusing on the sensation of hearing that song, feeling that song, so you can tap into the sense of awe associated with that music.

The sixth thing is life and death. This really comes back to marveling at the miracle of the lifecycle, whether it’s human or not. The suggestion or the technique that I have to tap into this source of awe is to plant a garden. It’s a little more lighthearted than thinking about life and death of a human, but there’s a lot to be amazed by when it comes to planting a seed and then watching it grow and bear fruit, or vegetables, or a flower, or just grow and survive. That can help you tap into that source of awe.

Seventh is spirituality, and it doesn’t have to be religious, although that helps. But when we’re talking about experiencing awe in this realm, what we’re talking about is feeling that sense of purpose, or connection, or something sublime, or beyond you. It can be religious or it could be something more like meditation. A technique you can do here is to consider committing to a prayer or meditation practice daily. This doesn’t have to be very long. It could be two or three minutes, but commit to experiencing that to see if you can tap into that sense of awe.

The final, the eighth category or way in which we experience awe is through epiphanies. Those are those sudden insights that we have, or when something just a suddenly becomes clear. This isn’t something that we can necessarily create, but it’s something that we can revisit and tap into possibly by journaling about an experience. Think back to a time when you had a light bulb moment where ideas became clear, or all of a sudden you had a greater understanding of something that was going on around you. Consider journaling about that and what that experience was like for you. That helps to solidify, that helps you to process. When we write, especially handwriting, it helps us to process something, an experience at a deeper level and to really tap into those emotions.

So those are the eight ways in which we can experience awe. Those are all simple techniques or practices that you can incorporate into your life today or tomorrow to help you really start to pay attention and feel a sense of awe. It’s essentially that feeling of there’s something bigger and greater than us. It helps us to feel calm, to relieve anxiety, to boost overall well-being.  

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming to develop these simple habits that prioritize health and well-being. If you like this type of material, consider signing up for Take Five. It’s my monthly newsletter where I share tips and techniques for a calmer, healthier life. Until then, see if you can practice just one of these awe practices for the next week. Let me know how it goes!