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The Science of Awe

In this episode, we discussed how awe is one of the most powerful states of being, benefitting our mental and physical health and improving social cohesion.


Find the episode here


What exactly is awe, and what are its positive effects?


“Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health” Monroy & Keltner, 2022 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916221094856




“Awe is associated with creative personality, convergent creativity, and everyday creativity” Zhang et al., 2021 https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000442



What makes awe different from other positive emotions?


“The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept” Shiota and Keltner (2007) https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/dacherkeltner/docs/shiota.2007.pdf



How does awe shape the self?


“Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior” Piff et al., 2015 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25984788/



What scientific evidence is there for the positive effects of awe?


“The neural correlates of the awe experience: Reduced default mode network activity during feelings of awe” Van Elk et al., 2015 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6766853/


“Positive Affect and Markers of Inflammation: Discrete Positive Emotions Predict Lower Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines” Jennifer Stellar et al., 2015


“Big Smile, Small Self: Awe Walks Promote Prosocial Positive Emotions in Older Adults” Sturm et al., 2022http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0000876

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