DeepSummary
The episode discusses the power of experiencing awe and how it can reduce stress, help people forget minor worries, and make them feel more connected to others. Actor Tony Hale shares how everyday awe helps ease his anxieties stemming from his Christian faith. Psychologist Dacher Keltner explains how to find awe in various sources like music, art, scenery, and even ordinary walks.
Dr. Laurie Santos explores her own sense of awe through the James Webb Space Telescope and its ability to observe the oldest galaxies in the universe. She interviews Mike Menzel, the lead engineer who built the telescope, and he shares the incredible challenges and emotional moments involved in its construction and deployment.
The episode emphasizes that while awe was once thought to be an elusive emotion, it can actually be cultivated intentionally through simple practices like going for awe walks or paying attention to everyday wonders around us. Experiencing awe offers numerous psychological benefits and can be accessible to anyone willing to seek it out.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Experiencing awe offers psychological benefits like reduced stress, decreased self-absorption, and increased feelings of connection with others.
- Awe can be cultivated intentionally through practices like going for 'awe walks' or paying closer attention to everyday wonders.
- Sources of awe range from religious experiences to appreciating art, music, nature, and profound human achievements.
- Religious faith can be a profound source of awe for believers, providing comfort and a sense of life's greater meaning.
- The successful construction and deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope was an awe-inspiring human accomplishment that expanded our cosmic perspective.
- Even moments of birth, death, and human moral beauty can evoke sensations of awe if we remain open to experiencing them.
- While awe was once thought to be an elusive emotion, it is surprisingly common and accessible when we make an effort to seek it out.
- Cultivating more experiences of awe in daily life can increase overall well-being and happiness.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “The truth is, my faith is everything to me. My faith is really what for me, centers me, and is a cornerstone for me.“ by Tony Hale
- “Awe is the emotion we feel when we encounter vast mysteries that we can't make sense of with our current knowledge structures.“ by Dacher Keltner
- “When he kind of snickered, he said, hey, this thing's going to work really, really good. That's what I knew.“ by Mike Menzel
Entities
Company
Product
Person
Book
Episode Information
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Pushkin Industries
6/24/24
Awe reduces stress, helps us forget our minor worries and makes us feel more connected to the people around us. We all need more awe in our lives - but surely it's not that easy to find awesome experiences on your average Tuesday?
Actor Tony Hale explains how everyday awe helps ease his anxieties, while UC Berkeley's Dacher Keltner shows us how to find awe in music, art, scenery... even in a walk around our block. And Dr Laurie explores the things that give her a sense of awe with the help of Mike Menzel - who built a space telescope that lets us see billions of years into the past.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.