Marvel at daily magic

Most mornings, I grab a coffee and go for a walk around the local harbour with my dog, Ralph. One morning my partner and his two boys joined me, and it transformed the experience. Finn, at the time a curious five year old, was marvelling at something. I stopped and asked, “what are you looking at Finn”. He was completely absorbed but answered in a whisper, “a butterfly”. I looked back and saw the most beautiful butterfly, fluttering along the grass line.

What Finn experienced, and prompted me to experience too, is called awe. Defined as a strong emotional response to encounters such as viewing dramatic landscapes, witnessing storms, observing inspiring architecture, listening to music, having a religious experience and, it would seem, admiring a butterfly.

According to the field of Positive Psychology, awe is a super emotion. There is a growing body of research suggests that experiencing awe may lead to a wide range of benefits, from happiness and health to perhaps more unexpected benefits such as generosity, humility, and critical thinking.

As Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner puts it, “Don’t underestimate the power of goosebumps.”

This is not just a feel-good emotion, there are hard benefits. A new Berkeley study reveals that awe can improve physical and mental health, possibly even lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, clinical depression, heart disease, and arthritis — benefits similar to those enjoyed by eating right and exercising.

Awe may also help you think more critically. Some studies suggest that awe may be able to sharpen our brains. One study found that when people were induced to feel awe, they were less persuaded by weak arguments than people who did a neutral activity (imagining doing their laundry). In contrast, some other positive emotions—like anticipatory enthusiasm or amusement—made people more susceptible to weak arguments.

Awe can also expand our perception of time. One study found that people induced to feel awe felt less impatient and agreed more strongly with statements suggesting that time is plentiful and expansive than people induced to feel happiness. We savour the here and now.

“Awe-eliciting experiences might offer one effective way of alleviating the feeling of time starvation that plagues so many people in modern life,” the researchers write.

Not surprisingly, we also become more generous with our time after an awe-inspiring event.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to inspire awe every day, even if we can’t travel to new and exciting places.

Go on a daily “wonderment walk”. It doesn’t matter if your setting is urban or rural. Take notice of the magic around you. When I take notice, I’ve seen butterfly’s, dolphin’s, sea caterpillars or even the beauty of a rock face that has been reshaped by persistent water flow. If your setting is urban, you may marvel at the architecture.

Write and read about awe. Research published in the journal Psychological Science found that some of the benefits of awe, including reduced impatience and increased prosocial behaviours, could be elicited by asking people to write about a personal experience that caused them to feel awe and by reading about the awe-inspiring experiences of others.

Share stories of awe with co-workers. Incorporate testimonial stories of inspirational leaders, share your own experiences of awe, and encourage team members to do the same.

Go through photos of past adventures. Share awe-inspiring stories with your family. What experiences have moved you?

Watch awe inspiring videos. I’m a nature buff, so I love the planet earth documentaries. What makes your jaw drop or gives you goosebumps. That’s the right place to start.

Magic is all around us if we are looking. Take a moment to marvel at it.