The Science of Awe

Why Beautiful Places Make Us Feel Better

Some places affect us almost immediately. Looking out over Lake Berryessa, standing among the architecture and public spaces of Mexico City, or watching the ocean in Hawaii can make us slow down and look a little longer. Our usual thoughts become quieter, even if only briefly. That feeling has a name: awe.

What Is Awe?

Researchers describe awe as the response to something that feels vast, complex, or beyond our usual frame of reference. Nature is one of its most familiar sources, but it is not the only one. Architecture, art, music, human achievement, and even witnessing an act of remarkable kindness can create it. A review of awe research found that these experiences may affect us through changes in the nervous system, reduced self-focus, greater connection to others, and a stronger sense of meaning.¹⁠

That reduced self-focus is sometimes called the “small self.” It does not mean feeling unimportant. It means briefly seeing ourselves as part of something larger, which can put our worries back into proportion. The problems waiting for us do not disappear, but they may take up less of the picture.

What an Awe Walk Study Found

In one study, 60 older adults took weekly 15-minute walks for eight weeks. Half were simply asked to walk, while the others were encouraged to seek out moments of awe along the way. The awe-walk group reported more positive emotions during their walks and a greater reduction in daily distress over time.²⁠ The experience did not require an expensive vacation or a famous landmark, just a deliberate shift in attention.

That helps explain why awe can feel equally real in very different places. It might come from the scale and history of Mexico City, the view across Lake Berryessa, or sunlight hitting a familiar building in a way you have never noticed before. Beauty does not have to be natural, dramatic, or far away. Sometimes we are surrounded by interesting things; we have simply stopped looking closely at them.

How to Find Awe in Everyday Life

The practical takeaway is not that beautiful places solve stress. It is that seeking out awe may be one simple way to interrupt it. Take a walk without filling every quiet moment, visit a museum, listen closely to live music, or return to a nearby place that reminds you how much exists beyond your normal routine. Awe may be more accessible than we realize, but we still have to leave enough room to notice it.