I remember when the gardener of a large private estate in The Highlands, North Seattle invited me for a tour. I’d heard rumors that this property was worth seeing, so I jumped at the opportunity.
My Mini Vacation
As we entered the gated community of The Highlands, it felt like we had completely left the city behind as the neighborhood is encased in Redwoods! When we approached the gardens, my gardener friend said, “and this is where I start whistling!” – it wasn’t long before I could see why! We were about to enter what felt like a magical kingdom!
The property is located against the waters overlooking a stunning view of the Olympics. Every building has an elegant design, surrounded by statues, water features and gardens. A creek streams through the property which has a beautiful Japanese tea-house and gardens, a lilac covered walkway, and a smaller gingerbread house perfect for the kids to play! It is a magnificent and beautiful place and I was struck by how everyone working there seemed to be in a great mood!
My week had been pretty stressful, so I was impressed by how much better I felt after my visit. It was like I had just taken a vacation, even though this ‘mini’ vacation had only lasted 2 hours!
How could a relatively short experience be so renewing for me? I knew being in nature had a tendency to renew me, but even hiking didn’t give me such impressive benefits in such a short amount of time.
Then I heard a lecture on the benefits of being in nature where they discussed the awe effect. It instantly became clear to me that the reason why I had benefitted so much from my visit to the estate in such a short amount of time – I was in a constant state of awe!
We all know that we feel awe when we witness something expansive and majestic, but is it possible to experience awe otherwise?
What is ‘Awe’ Anyways?
Emma Stone, Ph.D. writes: “Awe is the sensation of being in the presence of something vast that simultaneously transcends one’s understanding of the world: a state of being that straddles the boundary of pleasure and fear.”
I love this definition – awe takes us out of our routine, our preconceived notion of what life is, and gives us a much more expansive view of what is possible!
But there is so much more!
It turns out there are some surprising immediate and longer term benefits of experiencing awe.
The Benefits of Awe:
1.Awe can improve your mood and life satisfaction.
A number of studies have shown that experiencing awe can not only reduce stress, but improve your mood and well-being. In fact, in one study where military veterans and youths from stressful environments were taken white water rafting, the effects on stress and well-being of participants was found to last for an entire week!
2. Awe is associated with lower inflammatory cytokines.
Studies have showed that people with higher levels of awe have lower levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. High IL-6 indicates inflammation that increases your risk of chronic diseases. The T-helper cell, TH-3 is known to suppress autoimmunity. To stimulate TH-3, you need to increase your natural opioids and get high on life. Thus experiencing awe regularly will probably help protect you from autoimmune diseases!
3. Awe might help you think like a scientist.
Awe can generate curiosity and expand your mind, and thus inspire new ideas to explain how the world works. Because awe inspires a more expansive view, one is not as persuaded by weak arguments.
4. Awe can make you less materialistic.
With a more expansive and transcendent view, we feel more interconnected, and less possessive of our material goods.
5. Awe can make you feel more humble and smaller.
6. Awe can expand your perception of time.
7. Awe can make you more generous and cooperative.
Studies show that people who experience more awe or have a greater capacity for awe chose to be more generous when given the opportunity during laboratory tests.
8. Awe can help you feel more connected to others and humanity.
Studies have shown that people who are feeling awe also report feeling more connected to others.
Maximizing the Awe
Now that I have discovered how beneficial awe can be, I’ve pledged to make sure I get regular doses of it.
I try to get out into nature as much as I can, and knowing how renewing the awe effect can be, I make a point of spending time in scenic places. Luckily, I live in Washington State where I can go on a beautiful hike, walk or kayak on a regular basis. There are times of the year when it’s harder to get to the prettier places, and I’ve noticed a clear difference in my mood and state when my hike is just for exercise, versus when I find opportunities for awe.
Interestingly, I’ve noticed the difference at home too, for example I regularly do a workout called Body Pump which is available on Les Mills On Demand. Most of the classes are filmed in huge rooms. But the Body Pump workouts that really energize me are the two filmed outdoors on Alpine lakes and the edges of cliffs overlooking incredible views of mountains and waterfalls in New Zealand! The first time I did these workouts filmed in these stunning locations, I was so moved by what I was seeing that my eyes started to water with happiness! I was stunned by how much just watching beautiful scenery from the privacy of my living room could move me! And I find doing these workouts against the majestic backdrop of New Zealand’s most stunning locations leaves me more refreshed and renewed, than when they are filmed indoors!
Consider how you can experience regular doses of awe.
Do you struggle with feeling awe? The inability to experience pleasure is called anhedonia and luckily, there is something we can do about it. We may need to address trapped emotions, subconscious belief systems, the ventral tegmental area, the prefrontal cortex or dopamine pathways. If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends, so together, you can come up with ways to bring more awe into your lives.
