AWE- Week 5

“I was struck by the fact that I hadn't been awed in a while... What it did mean was that I'd gotten too caught up in distractions and mind mucking to recognize anything as awe-inspiring."

- Sue Patton Thoele, PhD, psychologist, author 

Fast-paced routines, constant digital distractions, and our tendency to scan for threats can keep us from experiencing awe. When our brains stay in survival or stress mode, we have less mental space to notice everyday wonder. As we read Dr. Patton’s quote, we learn everyone can suffer from lack of awe.

Survival mode began with our earliest ancestors, who had to stay alert to stay alive. Today, this is called negativity bias: the human tendency to notice, remember, and give more weight to negative experiences than positive ones. Even when positive and negative events are equal in scale, negative experiences stay with us longer and affect us more deeply. For example, which story are you more likely to remember and retell: the times another driver lets you merge or gives you a great parking spot, or the one time someone cuts you off?

During this final week of August, notice when you haven’t felt awe for a while. That is the perfect time to pause, become present, and reset. Then go out and find something to feel awed by!