3 Ways 'Awe' Will Leave You With Mental Clarity
Awe may not be a lasting experience, but it's an impactful one nevertheless. Here's why.
By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | February 04, 2025
Imagine standing at the edge of a vast canyon, gazing at the endless expanse of stars in the night sky or hearing a piece of music that moves you to tears. In these moments, something remarkable happens—you feel humbled and uplifted. This powerful emotion, known as "awe" has the ability to shift your perspective and awaken a sense of wonder about life itself.
Fortunately, awe is not only reserved for life's grand events. It can be found in the mundane, like in the kindness of a stranger or the laughter of a loved one.
As Dacher Keltner suggests in his book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, this emotion offers far more than a pleasant, fleeting experience—it holds the potential to profoundly shape our mental and physical well-being.
What you might not realize is that awe also brings significant cognitive benefits that can positively impact your brain function and how you interact with the world. From enhancing creativity to improving decision-making, awe has the unique ability to sharpen our minds and transform the way we think.
Here are three reasons why the feeling of awe has powerful psychological benefits, according to research.
1. Awe Changes Your Time Perception
Many people feel "time-starved," or like they don't have enough time in their busy lives, and this feeling can affect their health and well-being.
Research published in Psychological Science found that awe makes people feel less rushed or impatient, and more likely to spend time helping others. It also enhances life satisfaction and makes people want to seek out experiences (like trips or activities) rather than material possessions (like gadgets or clothes.)
Researchers suggest that awe's ability to expand our sense of time could help us savor enjoyable moments more fully, like appreciating a beautiful sunset or a fun conversation. It appears that awe has the potential to not only make us feel like we have more time, but also to improve how we spend it.
This shift in perception can have profound benefits for both your mental and emotional well-being. A sense of abundance can reduce stress and decrease your cognitive load, making it easier to focus on the things that matter to you.
2. Awe Encourages Curiosity And Learning
Awe has a profound impact on how you engage with and learn about the world around you. One of its most remarkable effects is the ability to enhance your interest in a subject and stimulate a deeper connection to the learning process.
When we experience awe, we become more receptive to new information. A heightened state of engagement leads to increased curiosity, which makes you more likely to seek out additional knowledge.
A 2024 study published in Cognition and Emotion explored how awe, induced by watching films in a planetarium, impacted emotions and interest in the content being viewed. Researchers found that awe increased personal interest in the topics presented in the films.
The immersive nature of planetarium films, with their rich visuals and dynamic soundtracks, helped trigger awe in participants, encouraging them to pay closer attention and develop an interest in the subject matter.
While awe did not necessarily improve the accuracy of memory for specific details, it did foster a greater desire to learn, which highlights how awe can drive curiosity and learning in a way that is not purely reliant on memory retention.
By exposing yourself to awe-inducing experiences on a regular basis—such as immersing yourself in exploring art or engaging with thought-provoking content—you can nurture a continuous desire to learn. These awe-inspiring moments cultivate an openness to new ideas, which fuels intellectual growth and personal development.
3. Awe Enhances Creativity
When we experience awe, we often encounter something vast, unexpected or extraordinary that challenges our understanding of the world. This sense of wonder opens our minds, enabling us to think more expansively and explore novel ideas.
A 2023 study published in Emotion Review found that awe seems to improve our ability to think creatively and reflect on things more deeply. This is linked to how we process sensory information and ideas in our minds.
When something awe-inspiring catches your attention, it stimulates a mental process that helps you connect different pieces of information together. This helps our brain hold and process information better, which is important for creativity, reflective thinking and even scientific reasoning.
When you experience awe, you tend to reflect more deeply on your thoughts and experiences. This reflective processing enhances your ability to evaluate situations from multiple perspectives and weigh arguments more carefully. It also allows you to step back from immediate reactions and think more systematically, which is crucial in both everyday decision-making and complex problem-solving.
How To Cultivate Awe In Your Daily Life
A sense of wonder can be seamlessly woven into daily routines and be cultivated in the ordinary. Being "awestruck" might be one of the simplest ways to find calm in your otherwise busy life.
Here are some ways to find moments of awe in your daily life.
- Mindful walks. Regularly take a walk in a natural setting while focusing on the beauty and details around you, such as the pattern of tree bark, the colors of the sky or the sound of birds.
- Daily awe journaling. Each day, write about a moment—big or small—that inspired awe, such as noticing a breathtaking sunset or reading about a scientific breakthrough.
- Art immersion. Dedicate time to experiencing awe through art—watch live performances, visit museums or explore local art installations.
- Micro-awe practices. Practice slowing down to notice the "mundane miracles" of everyday life, such as the taste of a perfectly ripe fruit.
While awe can arise spontaneously, practicing mindfulness and setting aside time for awe-inspiring activities can increase its presence in your life. In doing so, you not only experience awe more frequently, but also cultivate a deeper sense of connection, gratitude and perspective.
Are you interested in knowing how open you are to new experiences? Take this science-backed test to find out: Openness To Experience Scale
A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.