10 May Here’s how we can use the power of awe to make our lives more fulfilling
Experiencing awe is awesome!
Awe is one of the lesser recognised positive emotions that is similar to happiness but also different.
Happiness can be experienced and enjoyed in different ways, one of which is appreciating the wonders of the world.
And that’s where happiness and awe meet …
via Upworthy by Tod Perry
The exhilaration of a rock concert. The feeling of deep serenity you experience during a religious ceremony. That sense of connectedness you get while walking through a dense forest. The lightness that flows through your body while dancing and the dissolution of the ego you experience on psychedelics. These are all experiences that give us the feeling of awe.
Most of us love having at least a few of these experiences and believe they help us grow. But now, a team of psychologists has explained why cultivating a sense of awe can benefit our minds and bodies and how we can create these experiences ourselves.
Maria Monroy and Dacher Keltner posit that a sense of awe can help solve the crises of individualism, excessive self-focus, loneliness and a culture of cynicism, and can even improve our physical health. They explain it in a research article titled “Awe as a Pathway to Mental and Physical Health.”
Keltner argues that cultivating a sense of awe is an essential addition to modern mindfulness practices because it’s one of the few things that take the focus off the self.
According to the researchers, awe engages five process shifts in the body and mind. Awe alters our neurophysiology by releasing oxytocin, also known as “the love hormone,” and elevates vagal tone, which relieves stress…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE