What exactly is awe?

According to Jason Silva, creator of the YouTube documentary Shots of Awe , awe is "seeing the whole world with new eyes". He refers to these everyday moments of awareness as "cognitive ecstasy", which can come from anything that "stirs your soul". His YouTube film has over 100 million views.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam conducted a brain-scan experiment while participants watched awe-inspiring nature videos. What they found was, that the activity in the part of the brain used during self reflective thought and mind-wandering decreased, while the activity in the part of the brain that is used when our thoughts are externally driven increased.

Experiences of awe change our mental structures that we individual use to organize knowledge and shift our attention that is naturally driven inward, to an outward focus, or something greater than ourselves. As we know very well, we tend to get caught up in our internal dialogues, worries, self-doubts and the experience of awe takes us out of this.

According to Yoga Journal, "the implications of this are far reaching including the idea that making room for moments of awe could be an antidote to our increasingly individualistic and digitally focused lifestyles.

An awed brain tends to be a less stressed brain

When we find ourselves immersed in a captivating sensory experience that quiets our sense of self importance, we tend to become less bothered by life's daily hassles." And, it seems, awe inspired social connection. "A recent study published in the scientific journal Emotion followed older adults who were asked to take 15-minute weekly walks. Some were encouraged to look for things that inspired wonder along the way. Others were advised to walk for the sake of walking.

The researchers found notable differences. The "awe-walkers" remarked on the beautiful things they saw on their walks and reported feelings of wonderment and joy, while the control group spoke more often about the thoughts that consumed them. The awe-walkers also reported more desire for social connection than the control group, even when they were not walking.

It isn't difficult to bring awe into your daily life. All it takes is to become more mindful, more aware of each moment and your surroundings. It's probably easier to experience awe in nature, like on a walk - even if you live in a city. It could simply be a beautiful flower on a plant that's growing up through a crack in the sidewalk.

Take a look at the Shots of Awe documentary on YouTube and get inspired! Bring this simple but important experience back into your lives.