Time Required
15 minutes
How to Do It
Think back to a time when you felt a sense of awe regarding something you witnessed or experienced. Awe has been defined as a response to things that are perceived as vast and overwhelming and that alter the way you understand the world. This sense of vastness can be physical (e.g., a panoramic view from a mountaintop) or psychological (e.g., a brilliant idea). People may experience awe when they are in the presence of a beautiful natural landscape or work of art, when they watch a moving speech or performance, when they witness an act of great altruism, or when they have a spiritual or religious experience.
Try to think of the most recent experience you’ve had that involved the feeling of awe. Once you identify something, describe it in writing with as much detail as possible.
Why You Should Try It
This exercise asks you to recall and describe a time when you experienced awe. Awe is an emotion that is elicited by experiences that challenge and expand our typical way of seeing the world. Research suggests that awe involves sensing the presence of something greater than the self, along with decreased self-consciousness and a decreased focus on minor, everyday concerns. Experiences of awe have been shown to expand people’s perception of time and improve life satisfaction.
Why It Works
Taking time out to reflect on past experiences of awe can help people break up their routine and challenge themselves to think in new ways. Evoking feelings of awe may be especially helpful when people are feeling bogged down by day-to-day concerns. Research suggests that awe has a way of lifting people outside of their usual selves and connecting them with something larger and more significant. This sense of broader connectedness and purpose can help relieve negative moods and improve happiness.
Evidence That It Works
Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1130-1136.
In three experiments, participants who were induced to feel awe, compared with other emotions, felt that they had more time available, were less impatient, were more willing to volunteer their time to help others, preferred experiences over material products, and reported greater life satisfaction.
Sources
Melanie Rudd, Ph.D., University of Houston
Could your life be more awesome? Take our Awe Quiz to find out:
Comments
and Reviews
Juanita McGaugh Nafus
I am in awe of the beauty of nature that we are blessed with on a daily basis one morning I was driving into Oklahoma to see a doctor I was not in a good mood because I had to leave really early so as I was driving the sun started to rise with a foggy morning I captured the scenery of the colors in the sky yellow blue and white fog with just a shade of darkness leaving as the daylight appeared all of a sudden there stood a mother deer with her two babies on the side of the road and the babies were really close to her they were beautiful standing there grazing I became so grateful for the beauty of nature that my attitude went to happiness immediately because I was blessed with the beauty that God provides every day if we only take time to notice it....
Victoria Zelenak
Made me realize I’m an awesome person!
Victoria Zelenak
I started a practice before the Global Joy program. Every morning I ask God for my “Day’s Worth of Grace.” It’s not based on merit, it’s something that happens during the day that I recognize as a gift from God. Each day I am in awe of the grace I receive from seeing a 1/3 of a rainbow in the sky on a cloudy day to finding a police officer in the city who was as helpful and kind to me as he was to a homeless person sitting on the sidewalk. I am in AWE of these experiences make me want to bow on my knees in thankfulness.
Shahbaz Shafi
I have the glimpses of past which is tended to be the spot changers of the powers the story of injustice and un discovered and unreported crimes of previous generation here in subconscious
Shahbaz Shafi
I have the glimpses of past which is tended to be the spot changers of the powers the story of injustice and un discovered and unreported crimes of previous generation here in subconscious
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.