Am I Doing It Wrong? Re-Issue: Living In Awe and Wonder
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Dec 26, 2024 
Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley and author on awe, joins to explore the transformative power of this emotion. He discusses how awe connects us to something larger than ourselves and highlights the eight key wonders that trigger it, including nature and moral beauty. Keltner shares intriguing findings from his studies, revealing awe's physiological benefits, like reducing inflammation and pain. He also offers practical tips for cultivating awe in daily life, emphasizing its role as an antidote to narcissism and societal division.
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Awe Defined As Encountering Vast Mystery
- Awe is the emotion we feel when confronted with vast mysteries that transcend our understanding.
- It connects us to something larger than ourselves and produces reverential, self-transcending experience.
Eight Universal Sources Of Awe
- Keltner identified eight 'wonders' that commonly trigger awe: moral beauty, collective movement, nature, music, visual design, spirituality, big ideas, and life/death.
- Moral beauty and nature emerged as especially powerful across cultures.
Personal Loss Fueled Awe Research
- Keltner recounted being awestruck when his younger brother died, sensing something transcendent beyond words.
- That experience propelled his personal and scientific pursuit of awe.
