What happens in your brain when you watch a stunning sunset or listen to soul-stirring music? How can experiencing moments of wonder transform your daily life and relationships?
In his groundbreaking book Awe, psychology researcher Dacher Keltner reveals the science behind those breathtaking moments that make us feel connected to something larger than ourselves. His findings show that cultivating wonder can boost happiness, strengthen communities, and enhance overall health.
Continue reading for an overview of this enlightening book.
Awe Book Overview
Have you ever been amazed by a sunset, a rainbow, or a sweeping mountain vista? Have you been dumbstruck by a musical performance, a painting, or an architectural wonder? How often do you feel your spirit lifted by other people, either by seeing someone overcome a challenge or by being part of an energized crowd? The sensation you feel in these moments is awe, a unique feeling that draws us out of ourselves and puts us in touch with something greater.
Dacher Keltner’s book Awe, published in 2023, explains that finding and experiencing awe is the key to living better, happier lives. Keltner argues that, if you can tap your sense of wonder for even a few minutes every day, you can significantly improve your well-being. Awe quiets the ego, brings joy and meaning to our lives, and encourages a sense of community. Better yet—awe is everywhere, and it doesn’t require time or money to feel it.
Keltner researches psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also directs the Greater Good Science Center. His focus is the study of positive feelings like awe, compassion, and happiness. Keltner’s other books include Born to Be Good (2009), about the evolutionary advantages of positive emotions, and The Power Paradox (2016), about why empathy and compassion are vital tools for people who wield influence. Keltner’s contributions to the field of positive psychology have explored the roles human emotions play in personal and societal well-being.
In this overview, we’ll define “awe,” examine how it works in the brain, and discuss the purpose it serves us as a species. We’ll then show how Keltner says awe can be nurtured—in art and music, the natural world, spiritual and mystical experiences, and most of all, in the actions of other people.
A Way to Think About Awe
Keltner’s research on awe began with the challenge of defining and studying an emotion that seemed elusive and difficult to measure. As Keltner sees it, awe is a feeling of connection with something grander than your personal experience of life and the world around you. That larger “something” can be physical, intellectual, or emotional, but invariably, it challenges your existing knowledge and expands your understanding of reality. We’ll explore the reasons we feel awe—how this specific emotion manifests in the brain and what purpose it serves for individuals and human society as a whole.
Though Keltner writes about awe in a largely positive light, he acknowledges that the word “awe” has roots in ancient terms for “fear.” While virtually all definitions of “awe” refer to a connection with something larger than yourself, awe can also feel psychologically threatening.
Keltner believes that awe is part of a broader category of self-transcendent emotional states that include joy and gratitude—all of which help us connect to something larger than ourselves. To better understand awe, Keltner collected stories of wonder from people all over the world. He also explored how awe is unlike other emotions. While awe can be felt in conjunction with fear—like when you feel amazed by a giant great white shark—awe inhabits its own emotional space closer to feelings of interest and admiration. Awe is also related to appreciation of beauty, but it’s distinct in that it’s a reaction to things that take our breath away, from ancient cathedrals to another person’s acts of self-sacrifice.
Awe in the Brain
According to Keltner, the key effect of awe is the diminishing of the self. He cites numerous examples involving spiritual teachers, natural wonders, and psychedelic experiences in which people describe their egos dissolving as they connected with something greater. This phenomenon of the “vanishing self” isn’t an illusion—Keltner’s research demonstrates that people experiencing awe really do think in less individualistic terms. Keltner discusses how awe suppresses self-centered thinking while triggering physiological reactions that promote group-centered behavior.
Keltner’s research indicates that experiencing awe reduces activity in the region of the brain called the “default mode network” or DMN, which is associated with self-referential thinking—the rumination, planning, and daydreaming we do when our attention isn’t focused on external stimuli. Neurologically, the DMN creates your sense of being a separate individual as well as your desire to stand out from others. While a strong self-concept is key to personal achievement, not to mention your innate drive to survive, being stuck in your brain’s default mode for too long can lead to anxiety and depression. Keltner says that awe silences this aspect of the self, potentially offering relief from these negative states.
If awe suppresses the brain’s default mode, then what does it trigger in its place? According to Keltner, studies on people taking in awe-inspiring art or music show that awe stimulates several key areas of the brain, beginning with the neural regions that process sounds, shapes, and colors. From there, neurochemical signals activate the brain’s higher functions, engaging pattern recognition and conceptual understanding. This allows us to not only see and hear wonder-inspiring moments but also to assign meaning to them. Thus, what began as nerve signals from our eyes and ears gets filtered through—and reshapes—the cultural contexts and personal experiences stored in our minds.
For example, touring St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is awe-inspiring even for the nonreligious, thanks to the scale of its architecture and the intricate artistry on display. If you were to later visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, you might experience a similar state of awe through a completely different cultural lens. The personal context you bring to each visit shapes your perception of the experience, but the awe you feel in each encounter adds to the context you take with you going forward. Through awe, perception and context shape each other.
Awe Brings Us Together
Perhaps even more significant is that, when people experience awe as a group, their brains mirror each other in how they process language and emotion. Keltner traces this to the way awe expresses itself in the body. We get goosebumps, which Keltner proposes have evolutionary roots in the way mammals huddle to keep away the cold. We also produce vocalizations like “wow,” which research shows are recognized across cultures. Keltner suggests that these expressions predate language and served as a way for early humans to communicate and unite against the dangers of an unknowable world. Therefore, on a biological level, awe triggers mechanisms for humans to bond and create communities for survival.
The Purpose of Awe
The biological effects of awe serve as strong clues about the reasons it developed as an emotional response. Keltner suggests that awe helps us transcend our egos and connect with larger, unifying forces in life. Such connections help people consider new ideas, find common ground with others, and identify as members of a larger community.
Keltner points out that awe and wonder make us more curious and receptive to new experiences and ideas. People who have awe-inspiring experiences often report feeling more humble, collaborative, and willing to be kind. Keltner’s research also shows that after feeling awe, people are more likely to share resources, volunteer time, and show concern for others—through, for example, hosting social events, taking part in charity campaigns, and reaching out to others at worship services.
Awe as a Unifier
Keltner says that a key aspect to gatherings, from large-scale events to walking with your friends to lunch, is that they involve synchronized motion. Research shows that coordinated motion leads to increased cooperation, empathy, and a sense of belonging. When linked to events that trigger awe, like running a marathon or dancing at a wedding, people’s mirroring of each other’s movements aligns their biological rhythms and plants the seeds of a sort of “collective consciousness.” Keltner argues that this synchronization formed part of humanity’s social evolution and continues to shape our social behavior, fulfilling our underlying need for connection and producing profound experiences of unity.
Keltner suggests that collective awe is a fundamental aspect of our social nature, and not just a pleasant side effect of human gatherings. His studies show that people experiencing awe are more likely to see each other in terms of their shared qualities rather than what sets them apart. In these moments, be they weddings, graduations, sporting events, or political rallies, individuals feel a sense of unity and shared emotion with those around them. Keltner posits that understanding and cultivating these experiences of synchronized positive emotion can lead to greater well-being, stronger communities, and more frequent feelings of wonder in our lives.
Sources of Awe
If awe is so beneficial, how can we feel it during the daily humdrum of work and sleep? Keltner argues that it isn’t hard at all. Opportunities for awe are everywhere, and you don’t have to book a vacation to experience this most uplifting of emotions. Keltner points to many sources of awe around us—art and music, natural wonders, spirituality, and the wondrous things we see everyday people doing when we slow down enough to notice.
Music and Art
Keltner argues that music has a unique ability to inspire awe, connect us to our emotions and cultural identities, and create a sense of unity among listeners. Music transcends cultural boundaries and speaks to the common themes of human life. Music, unlike spoken language, isn’t bound to literal meaning and can therefore represent emotions in unique ways. Keltner’s research shows that people can reliably identify the emotional content in music from different cultures. One hypothesis that explains this is that musicians express emotions by mimicking the natural vocalizations humans make when feeling emotion, such as the universal “wow” of awe mentioned before.
Visual arts arguably encompass a wider spectrum than music, including architecture, paintings, sculptures, and even the design of intricate machines. The skill, creativity, and complexity of their creation often leaves viewers in a state of wonder. More than that, art expresses feelings and ideas that might be hard to convey through other means. Keltner suggests that art reveals underlying patterns in nature and human experience that evoke a transcendent sense of connection to the world beyond our personal lives. Though art is embedded in culture, its visual elements reach across cultural boundaries, from modern architectural marvels to cave paintings dating back thousands of years, uniting us all in shared visual awe.
The Natural World
In addition to man-made awe-inspiring sights and sounds, natural phenomena frequently elicit awe, from storms and earthquakes to landscapes and night skies. Keltner writes that when exposed to the power of nature, people often feel a sense of their own smallness. Nevertheless, Keltner emphasizes that reconnecting with nature and the awe it evokes can salve many modern ills, both physical and emotional. Studies show that our bodies and brains are wired to respond positively to nature. Similar research shows that even a brief exposure to the outdoors can increase altruism, improve reasoning skills, and nurture more inclusive views toward other people.
Keltner says that in addition to wonder, nature can evoke sudden insights or realizations that transform your way of thinking. Whether these insights are personal, spiritual, or scientific, Keltner suggests that the common thread among them is realizing that we’re all part of a larger, world-defining network, from the miniscule to the universal. Such “revelatory awe” lets us see the world in terms of relationships, patterns, and processes rather than as separate, static objects and people. When confronted by nature, scientists, philosophers, theologians, and everyday people can suddenly view themselves and everything around them as part of a unified, universal order.
Spirituality
While some experiences of awe are sparked from without, there is another whose source is largely internal: Ketner describes spiritual awe as arising from religious and mystical experiences. Like the feelings evoked by nature, spiritual awe leads to both a diminution of the self and a feeling of connection to something greater. Keltner explains that spiritual awe leads to changes in brain activity, particularly in the regions that govern self-awareness. Though spiritual awe is felt by people of all religions, when we feel it, we usually interpret it through our own faith traditions, or lack thereof.
However, religion isn’t the only path to experiencing spiritual awe. Keltner suggests that you can achieve states of mystical wonder using psychedelic substances like psilocybin, peyote, or LSD. Research has shown that the mystical experiences produced by these substances can lead to increased openness, reduced anxiety and depression, and other positive psychological changes, similar to those measured in people who’ve had profound religious experiences. Keltner reports that a majority of these studies’ participants describe their psychedelic experiences as one of the most important events of their lives.
In whatever way spiritual awe is achieved, Keltner notes its potential benefits, including improved well-being and positive social behavior. However, he acknowledges that faith communities sometimes use spiritual awe to justify harmful behaviors, such as increased tribalism or abusive power structures. He suggests that contemporary spiritual leaders should work to lessen these negative aspects while cultivating the beneficial elements of spiritual awe. Overall, Keltner presents mystical experiences, however they’re achieved, as potentially transformative events that can lead to significant positive psychological changes.
The Circle of Life
In all of Keltner’s research, he found that one source of awe was by far more common than any of the others—awe brought about by the lives of other people. Keltner records that, across cultural boundaries, most of our realizations of awe and wonder are tied to the cycle of human life itself, from birth to death and the astounding things we do between.
Keltner argues that human childbirth and development are unique in the animal kingdom. Since human infants are especially vulnerable, raising children brings with it many awe-inspiring moments, such as when a child takes her first steps. Even more than these, people often feel awe during childbirth, which can trigger profound shifts of perspective regarding life, responsibility, and interpersonal connection. In childhood, the sense of wonder goes both ways—children feel awe as they first explore their world, and adults get to see the world through their eyes. Therefore, Keltner argues the importance of providing children with many chances to experience awe for themselves.
The story of human awe doesn’t end there. Keltner recounts that we experience awe when other people are brave, are uncommonly kind, or fight to overcome a challenge. These moments aren’t limited to grand gestures or extraordinary circumstances, such as when firemen run into a burning building. Instead, Keltner says these can be found in everyday acts of kindness, courage, and perseverance, such as when a teacher comforts a crying child or when a group of neighbors band together to preserve a historic community landmark. Such uplifting acts can inspire and transform us, even during difficult circumstances.
Finally, Keltner writes that facing death can evoke awe and cause us to reflect on the mysteries of existence. While awe might not be the first emotion you think of when contemplating your own mortality, Keltner asserts that when we face our life’s end, we can still experience awe by embracing the unknown with openness rather than fear. Even for those observing a loved one’s passing, there can be moments of wonder and insight into the cycle of life. Keltner concludes that simply by being present as our loved ones pass away, we can find unexpected beauty and meaning in life’s final moments.
