Dacher Keltner

Awe is an emotion you feel.

I see an incredible tree or a sunset.

And then wonder is the cognitive state after awe by which I try to make sense of things, right?

Right.

One of my favorite examples is Newton and Descartes were these famous scientists and philosophers and they were awestruck by rainbows.

How do rainbows exist?

And then in a state of wonder, they figured it out.

They did math and color theory and figured out how when light bends through water, it produces a rainbow.

Well, when you look at our world, Oprah, and you see the crises of mind, you know, depression and anxiety at historic highs, body, a lot of people are suffering pain, and community, you know, our Surgeon General, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, whom you know well, the crisis of loneliness.

Loneliness.

A minute of all day

helps us with those crises.

It makes you feel less depressed and more happy.

It helps your body physically.

And even if you experience awe by yourself with music or nature, you feel connected to community.

And so, you know, when I started to look at these scientific findings and thinking about our crises, our shared crises, I was like, you know, there's almost nothing better than a couple minutes of awe a day.

Collective effervescence.

brings awe to you.

It does, and it's just remarkable.

And I love your descriptions of it, Oprah.