The Emerging Science of 'Everyday Awe' and Its Impact on Inflammation and Mental Health

In an era increasingly defined by digital isolation, chronic stress, and inward-looking anxiety, the search for accessible mental health interventions has never been more urgent. While traditional therapies and pharmacological treatments remain the bedrock of psychiatric care, researchers are increasingly looking toward natural, zero-cost emotional states that can buffer against the psychological toll of modern life. Among the most promising of these states is a feeling that was once relegated to the domains of philosophy and spirituality, but has recently been placed under the rigorous microscope of clinical science.[4]

Enter the psychology of awe. Over the past two decades, researchers have transformed awe from a nebulous poetic concept into a measurable psychological and physiological metric. Far from being a luxury emotion reserved for mountaineers and astronauts, scientists are discovering that regular, micro-doses of wonder can fundamentally alter how the human brain processes stress and how the immune system regulates inflammation.[4]

To study awe clinically, psychologists first had to define it. The foundational framework, established in 2003 by researchers Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt, argues that awe consists of two primary components: 'perceived vastness' and a 'need for accommodation.' Vastness can be physical, like standing at the rim of a canyon, or conceptual, like grasping the scale of a mathematical theorem. The need for accommodation occurs when this vastness shatters our existing mental models, forcing a cognitive pause as the brain struggles to process an experience that does not fit into its routine scripts.[4]

This cognitive pause triggers what psychologists call the 'Small Self' hypothesis. When humans encounter something vastly larger than themselves, their ego and sense of self-importance temporarily shrink. Crucially, this is not a negative diminishment or a feeling of worthlessness. Instead, it is a 'quieting' of the ego that shifts the brain's attention away from personal anxieties, rumination, and self-focus, redirecting that energy outward toward the surrounding environment and the broader human collective.[1][4]

To test how this outward shift affects daily well-being, a landmark 2020 study led by Dr. Virginia Sturm at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center designed a novel intervention for older adults. Sixty healthy participants were instructed to take a 15-minute outdoor walk once a week for eight weeks. Half of the group was simply told to walk. The other half—the 'awe walk' group—was given a brief orientation on how to cultivate wonder, instructed to seek out new locations, and asked to consciously notice the vastness of their surroundings, from the intricate veins of a leaf to the shifting colors of the sky.[1]

The researchers used a unique metric to track the participants' shifting perspectives: the selfie. Throughout the eight-week study, participants were asked to take photos of themselves during their walks. When independent analysts reviewed the images, a clear pattern emerged in the awe group. Over time, the awe walkers progressively made themselves smaller in the frame, allowing the background landscapes to dominate the photographs. Furthermore, facial analysis software revealed that the awe walkers displayed measurably broader and more intense smiles as the weeks progressed.[1]

The psychological data mirrored the photographic evidence. Compared to the control group, the awe walkers reported significant increases in prosocial emotions—specifically compassion, gratitude, and admiration—during their daily lives. They also reported a measurable decrease in daily distress. By simply shifting their mindset to look outward rather than inward, the participants transformed a routine physical exercise into a potent psychological intervention that buffered against the isolation and anxiety that often accompany aging.[1]

But the benefits of awe are not confined to self-reported mood surveys; the emotion leaves a distinct, measurable footprint in the human bloodstream. A pivotal 2015 study conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley and the University of Toronto investigated the relationship between discrete positive emotions and systemic inflammation, marking one of the first times awe was linked directly to physical health markers.[2]

The research team focused on Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Cytokines are proteins that signal the immune system to work harder. While acute inflammatory activity is essential for fighting off sudden infections or healing injuries, chronically elevated levels of IL-6 in the absence of illness are highly destructive. Sustained inflammation is a known driver of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and clinical depression.[2]

The researchers collected oral mucosal transudate (gum and cheek tissue) from over 200 young adults to measure their baseline IL-6 levels, while also tracking their daily experiences of seven different positive emotions: amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love, and pride. While positive affect generally correlated with better health, awe emerged as the absolute strongest and most consistent predictor of low pro-inflammatory cytokines, even when controlling for body mass index and other health variables.[2]

Evolutionary biologists propose a compelling reason for this chemical link. When the body is inflamed, it typically triggers a 'sickness behavior' response—a biological mandate to conserve energy, withdraw from social contact, and retreat into isolation to heal. Awe represents the exact opposite behavioral state. It is an emotion characterized by curiosity, a desire to explore, and a drive to connect with others. The biological markers of awe and the biological markers of chronic inflammation appear to be fundamentally incompatible states of being.

This physiological mechanism is now being tested in clinical populations dealing with chronic illness. In May 2025, researchers at UC Davis published a rigorous study in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports examining the effects of awe interventions on patients suffering from Long COVID. The study aimed to see if the emotional and biological shifts triggered by wonder could alleviate the severe psychological toll of the prolonged, debilitating virus.[3]

The results were highly promising. Long COVID patients who were trained to practice finding awe in their daily routines reported significant reductions in depressive symptoms compared to a control group. They also reported lower baseline stress and a restored sense of overall well-being. The findings suggest that awe can serve as a vital emotional shock absorber, helping patients navigate the despair and physical exhaustion of chronic medical conditions without requiring intensive pharmacological intervention.[3]

Neurologically, these benefits are driven by the parasympathetic nervous system. When a person experiences awe, the brain temporarily suspends the 'fight or flight' sympathetic response that dominates modern, high-stress living. Instead, awe activates the 'rest and digest' network. Heart rates slow down, breathing becomes deeper and more rhythmic, and the production of cortisol drops. This neurobiological reset acts like a circuit breaker for chronic stress loops, allowing the brain and body to return to a state of homeostasis.[4]

Perhaps the most encouraging revelation from the latest wave of research is the concept of 'everyday awe' or 'micro-awe.' Early psychological literature heavily emphasized grand, extraordinary events—scaling a summit, witnessing a solar eclipse, or taking a profound psychedelic journey. However, modern researchers emphasize that the health benefits of awe are highly accessible through ordinary, daily moments. The intricate geometry of a spiderweb, the way light filters through a canopy of trees, or the emotional swell of a piece of music can all trigger the necessary cognitive pause.

Furthermore, nature is not the only catalyst for this emotion. Researchers have identified 'moral beauty' as one of the most potent sources of everyday awe. Witnessing acts of profound human courage, exceptional kindness, or selfless charity triggers the exact same 'small self' response and physiological calming as looking at the Milky Way. Similarly, 'collective effervescence'—the feeling of moving in synchrony with a crowd, whether at a concert, a sporting event, or a religious ceremony—is a highly effective engine for generating awe and reducing systemic inflammation.

Despite the robust findings, researchers maintain a degree of transparent uncertainty regarding the exact causal mechanisms. Most cytokine studies, including the landmark 2015 UC Berkeley research, are observational. While they prove a strong correlation between awe and lower inflammation, they cannot definitively prove the direction of the arrow. It remains biologically plausible that individuals who naturally possess lower baseline inflammation are simply more predisposed to experiencing positive emotions and noticing the wonder in their environment.[2][4]

Additionally, awe is an inherently subjective and highly individualized experience. What triggers a profound sense of vastness and accommodation in one person might barely register for another. A lifelong city dweller might find awe in the silence of a desert, while a rural resident might find it in the staggering vertical architecture of a metropolis. This subjectivity makes awe difficult to standardize as a strict clinical prescription, requiring therapeutic approaches to be highly tailored to the individual's background and sensitivities.[4]

Nevertheless, the convergence of psychological surveys, photographic evidence, and blood biomarkers points to a powerful, zero-cost tool for human flourishing. In a society that frequently monetizes attention and amplifies outrage, the simple, deliberate act of looking outward to find wonder is a radical intervention. Whether through a 15-minute walk in a local park or a moment spent appreciating human kindness, cultivating awe offers a scientifically grounded pathway to a quieter ego, a calmer body, and a more connected life.[4]