A recent study examined the effects of being in awe. An excerpt from the linked press release:
“Across three different experiments, they found that jaw-dropping moments made participants feel like they had more time available and made them more patient, less materialistic, and more willing to volunteer time to help others.
The researchers found that the effects that awe has on decision-making and well-being can be explained by awe’s ability to actually change our subjective experience of time by slowing it down. Experiences of awe help to bring us into the present moment which, in turn, adjusts our perception of time, influences our decisions, and makes life feel more satisfying than it would otherwise.”
Have you ever been awed by your own body? Isn’t it amazing that our bodies know how to heal a cut, or grow new bone if there’s a fracture? Try taking a moment right now to ponder the myriad processes going on inside you right now. You’re breathing, digesting, taking in visual stimuli, holding a posture, thinking, listening to sounds in the room, and more. Tune in and see if you feel any of those things going on. Then open up to what more you might notice. You may feel time s l o w d o w n a little while you really pay attention…
Wow, huh?
I think we can cultivate awe…