The Emotion That Can Boost Happiness, Health, and Social Harmony
• Awe is an emotion that we feel in response to something vast that challenges our existing understanding of the world, leading us to change our perspective.
• It makes us feel small and humble, reducing selfish tendencies and fostering a desire to connect with others, which is crucial for well-being and social harmony.
• Awe has been linked to better immune health, with lower levels of chronic proinflammatory cytokines associated with positive emotions like awe.
• Experiencing awe in nature, such as through white water rafting trips, has been shown to improve symptoms of PTSD and enhance general happiness, satisfaction with life, and social well-being.
• Awe-prone individuals tend to be more curious, which, along with awe, can contribute to academic achievement in grade-school children.
• Awe can be experienced in various ways, including through nature, novelty, and even negative experiences, although the benefits of such moments are still being studied.
• To cultivate awe, it's recommended to seek out vast environments, explore new places, learn about unfamiliar subjects, and engage with the world around us, rather than relying solely on digital experiences
Strong scientific evidence suggests that individuals who regularly participate in spiritual worship services or related activities and who feel strongly that spirituality or the presence of a higher being or power are sources of strength and comfort to them are healthier and possess greater healing capabilities. Numerous research investigations have reported positive correlations between spirituality and decreased rates of stroke, cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, drug abuse, suicide, and general mortality. It has been suggested that faith is beneficial for health and healing because it helps people avoid unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and excessive drinking. However, studies designed to statistically control for such factors also report positive associations between spirituality and health in individuals with unhealthy behaviors.
