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Cultivate a Sense of Awe

Experiencing wonder may benefit mental health

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 20, 2023

Updated April 20, 2023

A man standing on the cliff of a canyon

Rainer Grosskopf/Getty Images

Quick Win

Moments of awe connect us to something bigger than ourselves and may help combat stress.

Try This Today

Take an “awe walk,” appreciating things like the music of leaves rustling in the wind, water trickling over rocks in a creek, the sun rising or setting.
Look up at the stars and take in the vastness of the universe.
Listen to your favorite song. Instead of the lyrics, focus on the many layers of instrumentation and effort that went into creating it.

Why

A review paper from 2021 in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that awe may have beneficial effects for mental health. People who feel awe are less impatient and more willing to help others, according to a 2012 report in Psychological Science on three experiments, each involving dozens of people. The authors wrote: “A small dose of awe even gave participants a momentary boost in life satisfaction.”

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Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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