This is a word we don’t hear too often by itself. We’ll hear “That was awesome” but not just awe.
It turns out looking for awe in the world can be a powerful
way to improve your health. This information comes from Dacher Keltner who has
been studying awe for the last two decades. He’s a professor of psychology at the
University of California, Berkeley.
He says awe is different than joy.
Keltner says when we are in awe it activates the vagus nerve
which slows our heart rate and opens our bodies to things bigger than us.
One of the studies he did to discover the power of awe was
to ask a group of people 75 years old and older to go on awe walk. This was
simply to take a walk and find awe and wonder by simply pausing and noticing
the world around us.
It could be a newly blossomed flower or a sunset. It could also
be noticing someone’s kindness or generosity with other people. It could be
listening to music, seeing art, contemplating big ideas during the awe walk.
The awe walk group did this for eight weeks and the members
of the group experienced less pain and distress. It gave them a feeling of
peace. They lost track of themselves as they focused outside themselves. For
people in this age group, feeling less pain and distress and more peace is an
important addition to their lives.
According to Keltner, when you are in the awe mode, the part
of the brain that focuses on self quiets down. You stop thinking about myself,
my time, my goals, or my checklist. This change of focus is diminishing your sense of self and increasing
a tendency toward altruistic behavior.
These feelings of awe can also be
triggered by recalling spiritual and religious experiences you’ve had.
So…once a day take some time to look around you or inside
you to experience the awe that’s there and expect to be transformed! Now, that’s
really AWESOME!
(Reported HUFFPOST, March 28, 2024)
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