Sunny Notes: 12.03.25 - Awe
Dr. Dacher Keltner, the faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, has taught happiness to thousands of people around the world for years. In his 2023 book entitled “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life,” Keltner shares how his work has centered around the perennial question: “How can we live the good life? One enlivened by joy and community and meaning, that brings us a sense of worth and belonging and strengthens the people and natural environments around us?” Twenty years into teaching happiness, he writes that he has an answer: “FIND AWE.”
Defining awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world,” Keltner and his colleagues have found that we humans are wired for awe through universal physiological responses to awe, like tears, chills, and vocal expressions along the lines of whoa or aaah or wow. Keltner details study after study demonstrating the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of awe—in short, “brief moments of awe are as good for your mind and body as anything you might do.” So, where do we go about finding awe? According to Keltner's research, it is almost always available to us through what he calls “The Eight Wonders of Life,” which include “the strength, courage, and kindness of others; collective movement in actions like dance and sports; nature; music; art and visual design; mystical encounters; encountering life and death; and big ideas or epiphanies.”
We are officially in the holiday season. For some, this is a time of hustle and bustle, of community and warmth. For others, this season is colder and lonelier, a reminder of what has been lost, or perhaps, what was never had. For all, however, remember Keltner’s words: “awe is almost always nearby.” And it can be a pathway to joy and meaning, health and healing. As the days grow shorter and the darkness arrives sooner, we are given the opportunity to turn inward, to be more reflective and contemplative. In many ways, this time of year puts awe even closer within reach. As we make the final turn toward a new year, let’s take this opportunity to go in search of awe.
— Sunny Joy McMillan, J.D., M.Div.