Moments of Awe Reduce Loneliness
A new longitudinal study shows that moments of awe—whether experienced in nature, through art, or in daily life—are measurably linked to reduced feelings of loneliness. The research suggests that cultivating awe can help strengthen social connection and emotional well-being, even during periods of isolation. This finding supports the mental health benefits of seeking awe-inspiring experiences in natural settings.
- The study, published in *Scientific Reports*, collected daily diary entries from 171 healthcare workers and 306 community members during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the United States in May 2020. - On days when participants reported experiencing more awe, they also reported feeling less lonely, an effect that was consistent across both the healthcare worker and community groups. - Neuroscientifically, experiences of awe have been linked to reduced activation in the brain's default-mode network (DMN), which is associated with self-referential thought, potentially explaining the shift from an inward focus to an outward one. - Physiologically, awe is associated with markers of a calmed nervous system, such as higher vagal tone, and has been shown to predict lower levels of interleukin-6, a biomarker for inflammation. - A 2020 study from UC San Francisco found that older adults who took weekly 15-minute "awe walks" for eight weeks reported increased positive emotions and less distress in their daily lives. - The link between awe and reduced loneliness is partly explained by an increased feeling of connectedness to nature. - Beyond reducing loneliness, studies have found that experiencing awe can lead to increased generosity, a willingness to volunteer, and a feeling that time is more plentiful. - Psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt, pioneers in the field, define awe as an emotional response to perceptually vast stimuli that one's current knowledge structures cannot accommodate.
