BITESIZE | How Experiencing 5 Minutes of Awe Can Improve Your Physical & Mental Wellbeing | Dr Dacher Keltner #405
Dr. Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology, discusses how experiencing awe and everyday wonder can profoundly transform physical and mental well-being. He explains that just five minutes of awe daily offers significant health benefits and is easily discoverable through various paths, encouraging listeners to actively seek it out.
Deep Dive Analysis
8 Topic Outline
Introduction to Awe and its Transformative Power
Physiological and Mental Benefits of Experiencing Awe
Eight Paths to Experiencing Everyday Awe
Individual Differences in Awe Experiences
Awe is Easy to Practice and Cultivate
The Awe Walk Study and its Findings
Awe as an Antidote to Inward Focus
Cultivating Awe as a Trainable Skill
3 Key Concepts
Awe (as defined in the episode)
Awe is an emotion that is accessible in everyday life, not just in grand natural settings. It involves a shift in focus from the individual self to feeling connected to something larger, which can transform physical and mental well-being.
Eight Wonders (Paths to Awe)
This framework identifies eight universal pathways through which people experience awe: moral beauty (kindness, courage), nature, collective movement, music, visual design, spirituality, epiphanies (big ideas), and reflections on life and death.
Awe Walk
A simple practice where individuals go to a somewhat mysterious place and intentionally observe both small, intricate details and vast, expansive elements of their environment. This practice has been shown to reduce distress and increase feelings of awe.
6 Questions Answered
Awe helps the immune system, reduces inflammation, benefits the cardiovascular system by activating vagal tone, decreases amygdala activation (a threat-related brain region), improves clear and creative thinking, reduces stress, and can lessen physical pain in older adults.
Awe is not limited to grand natural settings; it can be found in everyday experiences through eight paths: moral beauty (kindness, courage), nature, collective movement (like sports fans), music, visual design, spirituality, epiphanies (big ideas), and reflecting on life and death.
It's primarily about one's approach to the environment; while certain environments might be conducive, individual variation means people find awe in unique ways, from busy cities to quiet trees, or punk rock to classical music.
Awe is surprisingly easy to practice and can be integrated into daily life through small, three to five-minute shifts, such as sitting in a garden during lunch, taking a mindful walk, or sharing awe stories with colleagues.
Awe takes individuals outside of themselves, connecting them to something much greater than their individualistic, ego-driven existence, reminding them of their insignificance within a larger context like fellow humans or an ecosystem.
Yes, like happiness or gratitude, the ability to experience or find awe is a trainable skill that can be cultivated by actively looking for it, such as listening to music for goosebumps, going for an awe walk, reading moving poetry, or observing children.
8 Actionable Insights
1. Cultivate Daily Awe
Actively look for and cultivate awe in your daily life, as it is a trainable skill that improves with practice, leading to everyday wonder and numerous physical and mental benefits, including reduced inflammation, improved cardiovascular health, and clearer thinking.
2. Practice Awe Walks
Go for an “awe walk” once a week for eight weeks in a slightly mysterious place, intentionally observing both small and vast things in your environment to reduce distress, increase your sense of awe, and become more aware of your surroundings.
3. Find Contemplative Practice
Regularly engage in a personal contemplative practice, such as listening to music, walking in nature, reading, or playing a sport reflectively, to foster extensive awe about almost everything in life, extending into your non-meditative experiences.
4. Explore Eight Wonders of Awe
Seek out awe through the eight defined paths—moral beauty, nature, collective movement, music, visual design, spirituality, epiphanies (big ideas), and life and death—to discover your unique pathways to wonder and broaden your perception of awe.
5. Reflect on Connectedness
When you experience awe, ask yourself, “What am I part of here?” to realize your connection to something larger than yourself (e.g., fellow humans, an ecosystem, or culture), shifting focus away from an internal, individualistic mindset.
6. Integrate Short Awe Moments
Incorporate brief 3-5 minute awe-inducing shifts into your daily routine, such as sitting in a garden during lunch, walking with colleagues, or sharing awe stories, to easily access the benefits of awe even with limited time.
7. Listen to Music for Awe
Intentionally listen to music that gives you goosebumps or makes you tear up, as this is an easy and effective way to experience awe and gain its associated physical and mental benefits.
8. Address Distress with Core Practices
To alleviate distress, especially in young adults, actively find social connections, spend time outdoors, and engage in activities that help you find meaning or reflect on life.
4 Key Quotes
Five minutes of awe gives you that suite of benefits that I think are comparable to anything you can do.
Dr. Dacher Keltner
Awe is around me every single day in possibly every single interaction if I can train myself to see it.
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
When you feel awe, just ask yourself, what am I part of here? And it usually points you towards, it makes you realize like, I'm just a small thing that actually is okay. That's actually true. But I'm part of something really large.
Dr. Dacher Keltner
The ability to experience or see or find awe is something you can get better at once you start looking for it.
Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
1 Protocols
Awe Walk
Dr. Dacher Keltner- Go to some place that's a little mysterious.
- Look at small things (e.g., a rock on your table).
- Look at vast things (e.g., your whole studio).