The October 9, 2016, Parade Magazine featured an article by Paula Spencer Scott, "Feeling Awe May Be the Secret to Health and Happiness." Below are short excerpts from University researchers who suggest that making connections with a force greater than ourselves leads to an improves sense of emotional and physical well being.

“Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast or beyond human scale, that transcends our current understanding of things,” says psychologist Dacher Keltner, who heads the University of California, Berkeley’s Social Interaction Lab.

Music has this same ability to facilitate a shift from current reality to an elevated state of mind. More from the article below with a quote from Arizona State University psychologistMichelle Shiota:

"Unlike, say, fear or excitement, which trip our “fight-or-flight” response, awe puts on the brakes and keeps us still and attentive. This “stop-and-think” phenomenon makes us more receptive to details and new information. No wonder Albert Einstein described feelings of awe as “the source of all true art and science.”

The article also describes how the feeling of awe can positively affect our bodies. University of Toronto's Jennifer Stellar says this positive emotion most strongly predicts reduced levels of cytokines, a marker of inflammation that's linked to depression. Research also suggests that the feeling of awe resulting in making connections with nature can lead to possible role in health and healing.

For a link to the original Parade Magazine article, click here.