The Awe Effect: Why Feeling Small Can Calm Your Mind

Описание: A tiny moment of awe can change how you think, how you feel, and even how you behave — and science now understands why. In this video, we explore what awe really is, what it does to your brain, why it boosts connection and meaning, and how you can experience more of it in daily life.

Drawing on psychology and neuroscience — from researchers like Dacher Keltner (UC Berkeley) and Jonathan Haidt (NYU) — we break down how awe quiets the self-focused parts of the brain, expands attention, increases generosity, and strengthens your sense of meaning.

You’ll also learn simple, practical ways to cultivate awe: nature moments, music rituals, art, slow-looking, and small daily habits that shift your perspective.

If you’ve ever felt goosebumps from music, stood speechless in nature, or sensed time slowing down for just a moment — this video explains exactly what happened inside your brain.
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Further Reading:

1. Dacher Keltner — Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life
A research-based overview of awe as a measurable emotion, drawing on laboratory studies, field experiments, and cross-cultural evidence. Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, summarizes decades of work on how awe affects perception, social behavior, health, and well-being.

2. Jonathan Haidt — The Happiness Hypothesis
Written by an American social psychologist at NYU, this book integrates ancient philosophical ideas with modern psychology. Several chapters examine self-transcendent emotions, meaning, and how experiences like awe and elevation shape moral intuition and psychological balance.

3. Ralph Waldo Emerson — Nature
A foundational essay of American transcendentalism that explores how direct engagement with nature alters perception, self-concept, and understanding. Emerson describes nature as a source of intellectual renewal and spiritual insight rather than as a scientific object alone.

4. Barbara Fredrickson — Positivity
Authored by a leading researcher at UNC–Chapel Hill, this book presents the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Fredrickson explains how emotions such as awe, interest, and joy temporarily expand attention and cognition, supporting learning, resilience, and social connection.

5. Paul Piff & Dacher Keltner — Awe, the Small Self, and Prosocial Behavior (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)
An empirical paper reporting experimental studies showing that awe reduces self-focus and increases prosocial tendencies such as generosity, ethical behavior, and cooperation. The paper introduces the “small self” mechanism as a key psychological effect of awe.