“Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven.” – Job 25:2
People report having three awe experiences a week on average, said Dacher Keltner, director of the Berkeley Social Interaction Lab at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Keltner’s lab has been working with the Sierra Club to take 56 inner-city high-school students on a rafting trip and study whether they experience academic benefits. Preliminary findings show that a week after the trip the teens reported being more engaged and curious about what was happening in the world.
Awe experiences may help fight depression; experts theorize. Other research from Dr. Keltner’s lab, published online in the January 2015 journal Emotion, indicates awe may help reduce inflammation. Researchers asked 119 undergraduates to rate how often they felt seven positive emotions including awe. Those who reported feeling awe the most had the lowest levels of inflammation markers in their saliva. The study didn’t examine the link between awe and depression, but past studies have found heightened inflammation in people with depression. “I think awe could be a great intervention,” says Jennifer Stellar, lead researcher on the study.
Researchers believe awe is powerful because it takes us out of our own heads. “Awe minimizes our individual identity and attunes us to things bigger than ourselves,” said Paul Piff, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine.
God is the Creator of all and His creation is awesome and beautiful. Today in prayer, praise the Lord for His Creation.
“This is the creator; by his love, our Father; by his power, our Lord; by his wisdom; our maker and designer.” – Irenaeus
God’s Word: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” – Hebrews 11:3
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