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But Maria was beaming as we walked just a few feet from where we had parked.
Im no stranger to seeing a lot of cool birds in confined spaces.
Jackson Gibbs
Do they do this for protection?
How long will they stay here?
In my head I contemplated, Wouldnt it be nice if humans acted more like this?
Cant trees be over a hundred years old?
That means its more than three times my age.
Then you might start thinking, what was it like in this park 80 years ago?
It just gets you out of your head.
Awe is hard to describe because theres no feeling quite like it.
Awe isnt exactly the same as joy orgratitude, nor does it totally align with humility or hope.
Dr. Thompson thinks about it similarly: Awe is an ordinary response to something extraordinary.
But he also points to the flip side of that framing: Its an extraordinary response to something ordinary.
Natureis one of the strongest pathways we have to awe, but its not the only meaningful way in.
Even a beautiful skyscraper, a feat of human ingenuity, can elicit awe, Dr. Stellar says.
Feeling awe benefits your health, often in ways you might not expect.
Im simply a calmer person once Ive had my nature fix.
What counts as resting, and when are we just swathing toxic productivity in soft pants and a robe?
Some evidence suggests that awe might sharpen your thinking too.
By nature, we think about ourselvesa lot(thank you, mighty ego!
), but awe temporarily diminishes that self-focus.
This is one reason why Dr. Thompson exposes people to the awe stories of others in his research.
And that just keeps the positive vibes going.
You dont have to do big things to feel this big emotion.
Awe is accessible to everyone, everywhere, if were open to it.
The bold brush strokes of an impressionist painting?
The spindly vines and shaggy leaves of an overflowing vegetable garden?
Or how about the first time yousmell autumn in the aireach year, equal parts crisp and nostalgic?
Open your definition of what an awe experience can be, Dr. Thompson says.
If youre having a hard time, think smaller.
Take an example from astudyDr.
She was curious about the folks who reported feeling a lot of it: What are these people doing?
How can they possibly be experiencing this much awe?
And I was like, Man, I just pour cream into my coffee and gulp it down.
Its not that different from the idea ofromanticizing your life.
And you dont even need to change your routine to relish what Dr. Thompson calls micro awes.
All these little moments of awe build up to a greater sense of well-being, he says.
Be open to those moments.
They are there if you allow them to be.
Again, awe helps us feel a little less isolated, a little more part of something.
Ive seen the reality of the world, he says.
Awe reminds me that the good is out there every day.
She doesnt share her emotions a lot, so in that moment, she was sohumanto me.
And it was really special.
Once you start opening up about the snippets that have stuck with you, it becomes contagious.
Awe starts with you but dont let it end with you, he says.
Share it with other people.
So you better cultivate them.
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