Awe and its benefits
Sandra Dodd
Deb Lewis found a link to an press release about a study on awe.
I'm going to link it on my page on wonder
http://sandradodd.com/wonder
But here's the text. If you go to it where it lives, there are some
links.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/being-in-awe-can-expand-time-and-enhance-well-being.html
Being in Awe Can Expand Time and Enhance Well-Being
Tags: Decision Making, Emotions, Psychological Science, Time
Perception, Well-Being
It doesn’t matter what we’ve experienced – whether it’s the
breathtaking scope of the Grand Canyon, the ethereal beauty of the
Aurora Borealis, or the exhilarating view from the top of the Eiffel
Tower – at some point in our lives we’ve all had the feeling of being
in a complete and overwhelming sense of awe.
Awe seems to be a universal emotion, but it has been largely neglected
by scientists—until now.
Psychological scientists Melanie Rudd and Jennifer Aaker of Stanford
University Graduate School of Business and Kathleen Vohs of the
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management devised a way to
study this feeling of awe in the laboratory. Across three different
experiments, they found that jaw-dropping moments made participants
feel like they had more time available and made them more patient,
less materialistic, and more willing to volunteer time to help others.
The researchers found that the effects that awe has on decision-making
and well-being can be explained by awe’s ability to actually change
our subjective experience of time by slowing it down. Experiences of
awe help to brings us into the present moment which, in turn, adjusts
our perception of time, influences our decisions, and makes life feel
more satisfying than it would otherwise.
Now that’s awesome.
The study, “Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision
Making, and Enhances Well-Being,” will be published in Psychological
Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
I'm going to link it on my page on wonder
http://sandradodd.com/wonder
But here's the text. If you go to it where it lives, there are some
links.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/being-in-awe-can-expand-time-and-enhance-well-being.html
Being in Awe Can Expand Time and Enhance Well-Being
Tags: Decision Making, Emotions, Psychological Science, Time
Perception, Well-Being
It doesn’t matter what we’ve experienced – whether it’s the
breathtaking scope of the Grand Canyon, the ethereal beauty of the
Aurora Borealis, or the exhilarating view from the top of the Eiffel
Tower – at some point in our lives we’ve all had the feeling of being
in a complete and overwhelming sense of awe.
Awe seems to be a universal emotion, but it has been largely neglected
by scientists—until now.
Psychological scientists Melanie Rudd and Jennifer Aaker of Stanford
University Graduate School of Business and Kathleen Vohs of the
University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management devised a way to
study this feeling of awe in the laboratory. Across three different
experiments, they found that jaw-dropping moments made participants
feel like they had more time available and made them more patient,
less materialistic, and more willing to volunteer time to help others.
The researchers found that the effects that awe has on decision-making
and well-being can be explained by awe’s ability to actually change
our subjective experience of time by slowing it down. Experiences of
awe help to brings us into the present moment which, in turn, adjusts
our perception of time, influences our decisions, and makes life feel
more satisfying than it would otherwise.
Now that’s awesome.
The study, “Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision
Making, and Enhances Well-Being,” will be published in Psychological
Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Sandra Dodd
I think the opposite of awe must be to say "that's stupid."
Deb Lewis
***I think the opposite of awe must be to say "that's stupid."***
I have said “stupid.” Sometimes to be funny and sometimes because I find a belief so senseless and tiresome I want to express my dislike forcefully.
At work once, when a train shut us down for a bit I said, “Trains are stupid,” but I was trying to be funny in expressing impatience to get working again. I don’t really think trains are stupid. I don’t find objects or locations stupid. I’m too easily entertained or fascinated by things to find them stupid.
I feel awe often but not as often as some people, I think. I hear people talking about some awesome juice or some awesome shirt or some awesome sandwich or their awesome selves. I have very much enjoyed juice and shirts and sandwiches in my lifetime but seldom find those things awe inspiring. I think I have reasonable self awareness and have never found myself awesome.
But deer in my yard in the mornings? Yes. Even though I see them almost every day where I live, they still take my breath away. A bird, any bird, yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night sky, yes.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I have said “stupid.” Sometimes to be funny and sometimes because I find a belief so senseless and tiresome I want to express my dislike forcefully.
At work once, when a train shut us down for a bit I said, “Trains are stupid,” but I was trying to be funny in expressing impatience to get working again. I don’t really think trains are stupid. I don’t find objects or locations stupid. I’m too easily entertained or fascinated by things to find them stupid.
I feel awe often but not as often as some people, I think. I hear people talking about some awesome juice or some awesome shirt or some awesome sandwich or their awesome selves. I have very much enjoyed juice and shirts and sandwiches in my lifetime but seldom find those things awe inspiring. I think I have reasonable self awareness and have never found myself awesome.
But deer in my yard in the mornings? Yes. Even though I see them almost every day where I live, they still take my breath away. A bird, any bird, yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night sky, yes.
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=- feel awe often but not as often as some people, I think. I hear people talking about some awesome juice or some awesome shirt or some awesome sandwich or their awesome selves. -=-
Yeah, "awesome" can be kind of aweful.
People online are forever writing that someone is "an awesome mom" even though they've never met her and her kids might be crying and sad.
-=-But deer in my yard in the mornings? Yes. Even though I see them almost every day where I live, they still take my breath away. A bird, any bird, yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night sky, yes.-=-
Every time I took a photo of a bird in Europe this summer, I thought of you.
I didn't send you any photos, but keep meaning to. :-) I have papers with the names of some of the birds written down, but haven't gone through all my notes. :-)
I saw starlings making patterns in the sky outside a third-story window in Leiden, in The Netherlands.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yeah, "awesome" can be kind of aweful.
People online are forever writing that someone is "an awesome mom" even though they've never met her and her kids might be crying and sad.
-=-But deer in my yard in the mornings? Yes. Even though I see them almost every day where I live, they still take my breath away. A bird, any bird, yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night sky, yes.-=-
Every time I took a photo of a bird in Europe this summer, I thought of you.
I didn't send you any photos, but keep meaning to. :-) I have papers with the names of some of the birds written down, but haven't gone through all my notes. :-)
I saw starlings making patterns in the sky outside a third-story window in Leiden, in The Netherlands.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Rashmie Jaaju
"A bird, any bird, yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night
sky, yes."
I have felt this way, too! Birds, fallen leaves, streets lined with trees,
rain drops clinging precariously to leaves and grass blades, vibrant blue
skies, sea shells and drift wood washed ashore.....nature has that effect
on me.
And art - any type. Even those leaf crayon rubbings or leaves dipped in
paint - vein-side down and stamped. Or the baking soda + vinegar reactions
- no matter how many times we've done and seen those! ha!
Today evening I was watching the under-water world on Animal Plant and the
colours took my breath away..
I was born in a small town in East of India. When I first came to Delhi for
higher studies, I used to feel irritated hearing "awesome" thrown in more
than once in every sentence! I suppose it was just a 'cool' word to use by
the uber-cool crowd? For I found nothing awesome about the subject being
described!
Sense of awe, I've seen, has the power to make you feel calm, motivated and
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache....
I think the biggest gift I give to my daughter in our unschooling life is
my own sense of wonder and curiosity for seemingly mundane things. I wrote
about this experience here:
http://www.mommy-labs.com/creative-kids/nature-activities-appreciation-kids/50-ideas-to-enjoy-nature-with-sense-of-wonder-delight-spontaneity/
Rashmie
sky, yes."
I have felt this way, too! Birds, fallen leaves, streets lined with trees,
rain drops clinging precariously to leaves and grass blades, vibrant blue
skies, sea shells and drift wood washed ashore.....nature has that effect
on me.
And art - any type. Even those leaf crayon rubbings or leaves dipped in
paint - vein-side down and stamped. Or the baking soda + vinegar reactions
- no matter how many times we've done and seen those! ha!
Today evening I was watching the under-water world on Animal Plant and the
colours took my breath away..
I was born in a small town in East of India. When I first came to Delhi for
higher studies, I used to feel irritated hearing "awesome" thrown in more
than once in every sentence! I suppose it was just a 'cool' word to use by
the uber-cool crowd? For I found nothing awesome about the subject being
described!
Sense of awe, I've seen, has the power to make you feel calm, motivated and
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache....
I think the biggest gift I give to my daughter in our unschooling life is
my own sense of wonder and curiosity for seemingly mundane things. I wrote
about this experience here:
http://www.mommy-labs.com/creative-kids/nature-activities-appreciation-kids/50-ideas-to-enjoy-nature-with-sense-of-wonder-delight-spontaneity/
Rashmie
On Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 10:25 PM, Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> -=- feel awe often but not as often as some people, I think. I hear people
> talking about some awesome juice or some awesome shirt or some awesome
> sandwich or their awesome selves. -=-
>
> Yeah, "awesome" can be kind of aweful.
>
> People online are forever writing that someone is "an awesome mom" even
> though they've never met her and her kids might be crying and sad.
>
> -=-But deer in my yard in the mornings? Yes. Even though I see them almost
> every day where I live, they still take my breath away. A bird, any bird,
> yes. A snowy mountain range, a misty river, the night sky, yes.-=-
>
> Every time I took a photo of a bird in Europe this summer, I thought of
> you.
> I didn't send you any photos, but keep meaning to. :-) I have papers with
> the names of some of the birds written down, but haven't gone through all
> my notes. :-)
>
> I saw starlings making patterns in the sky outside a third-story window in
> Leiden, in The Netherlands.
>
> Sandra
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Sandra Dodd
-=-Sense of awe, I've seen, has the power to make you feel calm, motivated and
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache�.-=-
I like that.
I am prone to getting a physical sensation of awe from hearing music sometimes--a good sort of perking up and then release (yeah, I know�) that comes in the form of a wave down my nervous system. A time or three a year, something� some beautiful music, usually live music, some chord, some melodic progression will affect me physically and I let it wash through me and my whole nervous system tingles. It's not repeatable or predictable, but I sure do like it. I can't imagine a headache surviving one of those moments.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache�.-=-
I like that.
I am prone to getting a physical sensation of awe from hearing music sometimes--a good sort of perking up and then release (yeah, I know�) that comes in the form of a wave down my nervous system. A time or three a year, something� some beautiful music, usually live music, some chord, some melodic progression will affect me physically and I let it wash through me and my whole nervous system tingles. It's not repeatable or predictable, but I sure do like it. I can't imagine a headache surviving one of those moments.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
annavblack99
This reminds me of the 'Emily' books L. M. Montgomery wrote. Emily gets what she calls "The Flash" when something is especially beautiful and awe-inspiring.
--- In [email protected], Sandra Dodd <Sandra@...> wrote:
>
> -=-Sense of awe, I've seen, has the power to make you feel calm, motivated and
> optimistic...it can cure a bad headache .-=-
>
> I like that.
>
> I am prone to getting a physical sensation of awe from hearing music sometimes--a good sort of perking up and then release (yeah, I know ) that comes in the form of a wave down my nervous system. A time or three a year, something some beautiful music, usually live music, some chord, some melodic progression will affect me physically and I let it wash through me and my whole nervous system tingles. It's not repeatable or predictable, but I sure do like it. I can't imagine a headache surviving one of those moments.
>
> Sandra
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Deb Lewis
***Sense of awe, I've seen, has the power to make you feel calm, motivated and
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache….***
A couple of days before a migraine I get a sensation that has been described by other migraine getters as euphoria. It doesn’t feel like euphoria to me it feels like awe. Colors seem prettier, food tastes better, flowers are more fragrant, snow is more sparkly, and I find everything sort of magical, and wonderful. Everything is beautiful or funny or sweet. Sometimes it can feel more like a delighted mania, but usually it’s that physical, bubbling up feeling of awe.
David was the first to notice that this happens to me before a migraine. I’ve had migraines since I was eleven-ish and I hadn’t made the connection.
But as to curing a headache, my first attempt at remedy for an ordinary headache is often a walk, out of town, where I’m more likely to see and think something new. I’m lucky to live where “out of town” is three blocks away. <g>
When Dylan was younger we would often go find something new and interesting to look at if he was restless or out of sorts. We didn’t always need to be awe struck to be moved to a better, happier mood. But if we did find something awe inspiring it didn’t hurt at all!<g>
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
optimistic...it can cure a bad headache….***
A couple of days before a migraine I get a sensation that has been described by other migraine getters as euphoria. It doesn’t feel like euphoria to me it feels like awe. Colors seem prettier, food tastes better, flowers are more fragrant, snow is more sparkly, and I find everything sort of magical, and wonderful. Everything is beautiful or funny or sweet. Sometimes it can feel more like a delighted mania, but usually it’s that physical, bubbling up feeling of awe.
David was the first to notice that this happens to me before a migraine. I’ve had migraines since I was eleven-ish and I hadn’t made the connection.
But as to curing a headache, my first attempt at remedy for an ordinary headache is often a walk, out of town, where I’m more likely to see and think something new. I’m lucky to live where “out of town” is three blocks away. <g>
When Dylan was younger we would often go find something new and interesting to look at if he was restless or out of sorts. We didn’t always need to be awe struck to be moved to a better, happier mood. But if we did find something awe inspiring it didn’t hurt at all!<g>
Deb Lewis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Robin Bentley
> When Dylan was younger we would often go find something new andWe still do this even though Senna is 17 <g>. Our favorite thing to do
> interesting to look at if he was restless or out of sorts. We
> didn’t always need to be awe struck to be moved to a better, happier
> mood. But if we did find something awe inspiring it didn’t hurt at
> all!<g>
is go for a drive. Senna listens to her music with her headphones on,
but is very attentive to what we are passing by. We've discovered deer
and eagles and elk, funny signs, cool houses and barns, the rising or
falling of the rivers, herds of horses where there were none the day
before, cloud formations, amazing sunsets.
Sometimes there aren't awe-inspiring things to see, but the it's awe-
inspiring to me that a quick (or long) drive can take us to a
completely different state of mind.
Robin B.