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What is Awe? A Definition And 3 Ways To Live An 'Awesome' Life
Defining Awe
Awe is an emotional response to being in the presence of something greater than yourself, and that exceeds current knowledge structures.
Awe is a positive emotion and has a broadening effect on our thoughts and actions.
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Awe brings perspective
Each of us is the protagonist of our own life. Our goals feel like the most important thing in our world.
But every now and then, a moment of awe challenges our understanding of the world. We feel insignificant yet connected to the whole world, which helps us to step back and gain a better perspective.
Defining Awe
Awe is an emotional response to being in the presence of something greater than yourself, and that exceeds current knowledge structures.
Awe is a positive emotion and has a broadening effect on our thoughts and actions.
Awe-inducing stimuli
Feelings of awe have historically been recorded when individuals encounter contact with a "higher" power.
In modern times, the main triggers of awe are philosophical ones such as literature, music, paintings, and nature. Examples include natural wonders or events such as childbirth.
Two Aspects of Awe
- Vastness. It refers to the feeling of something perceived to be much bigger than yourself, which leads to a diminished sense of self.
- Accommodation. When we experience awe, we have to accommodate what we have just experienced. It can be terrifying when we fail to understand and enlightening when we succeed.
Benefits of awe
- Individuals experiencing awe are more likely to show generosity, helpfulness, and decreased entitlement.
- People who experienced awe are more willing to give time by volunteering than people experiencing other emotions.
- People who experienced awe are more likely to prefer experiences over material goods.
- Awe has been found to tend to bring people into the present moment.
- Experiencing awe can increase one’s level of happiness over time and make life feel more satisfying.
Living an AWE-some Life
- Walk in nature whenever you can. Take in the air, the sounds, and the surroundings. Look out for the small things that can captivate your attention.
- Make the most of every travel experience. Get up early to witness the dawn. Take in the beauty around you.
- Leave your comfort zone once a day. The effort combined with the novelty of the situation increases the likelihood of being aware of your surroundings.
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Being in a state of Awe
Maybe you’ve felt it standing in front of a mesmerizing landspace. Maybe it happens when you think about the vastness of space or glance up at the sky and marvel at a supermoon. The emotion is awe....
Experiencing Awe for wellbeing
Awe gets us out of our self-centered thoughts and makes us feel small, but in a good way, by making us see ourselves as a small piece of something larger. And feeling small makes us feel humbled (thereby lessening selfish tendencies like entitlement, arrogance, and narcissism). And feeling small and humbled makes us want to engage with others and feel more connected.
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Emotions
They are basal responses that begin in the subcortical areas of the brain responsible for producing biochemical reactions to environmental stimuli that have a direct impact on our physical state.&n...
Feelings
Feelings are preceded by emotions and tend to be our reactions to them. Emotions are a more generalized experience across humans, but feelings are more subjective and influenced by our personal experiences and interpretations, thus they are harder to measure.
Negative Emotions
They can be defined as unpleasant or unhappy emotions evoked in individuals to express a negative effect towards something.
Although some are labeled negative, all emotions are normal to the human experience. And it’s important to understand when and why negative emotions might arise, and develop positive behaviors to address them.
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Learned Optimism in Psychology
This is a concept that suggests that we can always change our attitude and behaviour, be aware of our thoughts and stop our negative self-talk.
Learned Optimism is a positi...
Pessimism Vs Optimism
Pessimism is defined as the anticipation of good or bad things to happen in the future, while optimism is generally considered the opposite. Optimism can be defined as the individual difference variable reflecting the extent of which we hold positive expectancies for the upcoming event.
The ways in which we think affects our health, well-being and success, even though the situations are the same.
Benefits of Optimism
- A positive impact on many aspects of physical and mental health.
- Provides motivation to work harder.
- Greater career success in life.
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