The Psychology of Awe: Why We Crave What Makes Us Feel Small

Psychology meets wonder series #1 of 15

Have you ever stood under a night sky so vast and full of stars it made you feel small and a feeling well up in you?

Or maybe you’ve watched someone do something so inspiring that that same feeling filled your chest?

That strange feeling, that full body tingle of awareness, that’s awe.

And it’s more powerful than we give it credit for.

Awe, Scientifically Speaking

In psychology, awe is defined as the emotional response we feel when we encounter something vast, beyond our current frame of reference - like looking up at a sky crammed with stars — something that forces us to pause, reorient, and expand our perspectives. It can be evoked by the grandness of a mountain, the intricacy of a spider’s web, the swell of a symphony, or the resilience of a stranger.

It makes us feel small — but in the best possible way.

According to research from Dr. Dacher Keltner at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center (I’ll call him the father of Awe research),j awe is one of the most profound human emotions. And it’s not just a poetic flourish — it literally rewires how we move through the world. (side note: check out Dacher’s great podcast The Science of Happiness!).

In studies, people who experienced awe were more likely to:

• Feel connected to others

• Be generous and helpful

• Experience a sense of timelessness

• Report lower stress and greater life satisfaction

• It shrinks the ego, slows time, and softens fear.

• It makes room for something bigger than our to-do list.

Why We Crave It (Especially Now)

In our modern hustle culture obsessed with being in control (that’s me to a T!) and productivity, awe reminds us of the importance of not knowing.

It says: There is still mystery in the world. There is still beauty you didn’t manufacture. There is still more than you that’s bigger than you.

And in times of grief, burnout, or self-doubt, awe is a gentle recalibration — something that doesn’t demand answers, only attention. It reconnects us to what’s real and true.

Awe asks us to look up, look outside of ourselves, not in.

Not to bypass our pain — but to remember we’re not the only person or being in the room.

Everyday Awe: You Don’t Need a Glacier

Here’s the cool thing about awe: it doesn’t require plane tickets or grand revelations. Granted, when I was standing on a glacier in Alaska many years ago as part of a cruise excursion, it was awe inspiring. But it can also be found in the little, ordinary every day things, and we should remind ourselves of that. Like:

• Trying to wrap your head around the mind-blowing unknowable-ness of the universe

• Sunlight hitting the rear light of your car causing brilliant red light to shine across your ceiling

• Coming across the exact lyric you needed to hear today

• The generosity of a stranger

• - Your own breath, reminding you that you’re alive, that you exist.

In fact, researchers say we can build an awe habit. Just by paying attention.

You might try:

-Taking an “awe walk” (slow, curious, no gadgets)

- Letting music move you without multitasking

- Looking at the stars with your full presence

- Reading a poem out loud, even just to your plants

- Noticing what still surprises you

The more you seek awe, the more it shows up.

Awe Is a Portal

Awe doesn’t solve everything and make everything rainbows and unicorns. But it shifts something in us.

It softens our grip on who we think we have to be, and interrupts the scrolling, the spiraling, the scarcity mindset can often have in today’s world of comparison. It reminds us we belong to a much wider, deeper world.

And sometimes, when we feel most lost or worn out, a little moment of awe is enough to remind us that we’re still here, the world is still turning, there’s still wonder to be found – it hasn’t left. Not even a little bit.

I’ll end with a small practice:

Take five minutes today.

Step outside or stare out a window.

Don’t try to feel anything — just notice.

Let awe do what it does best:

Imperceptibly change you for the better.

If this letter found you at the right time, feel free to share it with someone else who might need a little wonder today.

✨ Love this reflection?
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With heartfelt thanks, always.
— Caitlin

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