Listen To This If Your Life Feels "Meh" (A Simple Science-Backed Fix)

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Apr 29, 2026

Dacher Keltner, UC Berkeley psychology professor and awe researcher, unpacks why awe matters for health and meaning. He describes how brief awe moments can reduce anxiety and inflammation. Hear practical micro-practices, sources of awe, and how ritual, nature, music, and mindset make wonder accessible in daily life.

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INSIGHT

Everyday Awe Is More Common Than You Think

Everyday awe is common worldwide, occurring two to three times weekly in many people's reports, not only once-in-a-lifetime events.
Collected narratives from 26 countries show quotidian triggers like falling leaves, human connection, and small park moments create awe.

ANECDOTE

Finding Awe During His Brother's Passing

Keltner recounts his brother's terminal illness and describes awe at his passing, seeing his brother's presence and experiencing transcendence instead of only fear.
Learning that death can trigger awe prepared him to be open and less terrified during the loss.

ADVICE

Use Thoughtful Setting To Harness Awe For Healing

For trauma or dying patients, design set and setting: gather people, rituals, stories, and nature; use guided, sensitive contexts to allow awe to aid healing.
Keltner cites a rafting study with veterans that cut PTSD measures by 32% after an awe-focused day.

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My team is on our first ever retreat this week! I wanted to practice what I preach and give everyone the chance to relax and restore in Arizona, so this week, I hand picked one of my all-time favorite episodes to share with you. If you care about feeling good, about happiness, this episode is gonna change your life—I recorded it over a year ago and I still talk about it weekly. Also, it’ll make you feel good while listening. Enjoy, and see you next week for a fresh new episode! - xo Liz

You've probably heard that you should spend more time in nature, practice gratitude, or meditate—but you may not know that one single emotion underlies the benefits of all of those things. Today, we're talking about awe: what it actually is, why the science says it might be the most important emotion you're not prioritizing, and exactly how to build more of it into your life starting today.

I'm joined by Dr. Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, founder of the Greater Good Science Center, and the world's leading researcher on awe. He's also the scientist behind the emotions in Pixar's Inside Out and Inside Out 2. Over 15 years of research, Dacher has studied awe across 26 countries, gathered over 2,600 stories of awe from around the world, and built a growing body of evidence showing that this one emotion can reduce anxiety, lower inflammation, ease chronic pain, combat loneliness, and even help with PTSD, sometimes more powerfully than pharmaceuticals.

The best part? You don't need a trip to the Grand Canyon to find it. Awe is closer than you think.

🎧 What you'll learn:

• Why three minutes of awe a few times a week can measurably change your physical and mental health

• The surprising sign that tells you you're actually experiencing awe (and how to know it's not just fear or beauty)

• How the eight universal sources of awe can act as a personal compass pointing you toward your life's meaning

• The one mindset shift that lets you find awe without going anywhere new

• Why grief and trauma can actually be gateways to awe, and how to use that to feel better stat

• The unexpected connection between awe and psychedelics (and how to get similar benefits without either)

• How religion is immensely helpful for awe, and how to build a secular version

• The "awe prescription" Dacher recommends based on the latest research

• The micro habit that helped healthcare workers fight depression and burnout during COVID in just one minute a day

Check out the previous episodes of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today:

The Secret To Happiness, From The World’s Longest Study With Dr. Robert Waldinger

For more from Dacher Keltner:

• Book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

• Podcast: The Science of Happiness

Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now!

Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or at www.lizmoody.com.

Subscribe to the substack https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome.

Check out https://shop.lizmoody.com/.

This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors:

• Timeline: visit Timeline.com/Liz to save up to 39% off.

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The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy.

This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.

The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 426.

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