You know that feeling when you’re standing somewhere huge — the edge of a canyon, the top of a mountain, or even just watching a thunderstorm roll in — and for a second you forget everything that was stressing you out? That’s awe. And it turns out that moment isn’t just a vibe. It’s measurably changing how you feel.
Research published on PubMed found that experiencing awe can put daily stressors into perspective in the moment — and when that happens, it actually increases your overall well-being. Not in a fuzzy, hard-to-measure way. In a real, documented way.
One study took military veterans and young people from underserved communities whitewater rafting. The more awe those participants experienced during the trip, the more their well-being improved and the more their stress symptoms dropped — and that improvement was still showing up a week later. That’s not a placebo. That’s awe doing something real.
Nature is one of the most common triggers for this feeling, across different countries and cultures. But it doesn’t have to be a wilderness adventure. Even reading a short story about seeing Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower made people report higher life satisfaction in that moment compared to people who read about an ordinary view.
One thing worth knowing: not all awe is created equal. Being caught in the middle of a flood, or feeling terrified by something overwhelming and threatening — that kind of awe can actually create stress and trauma instead of relieving it. The good stuff comes from awe that feels expansive and wondrous, not dangerous.
So if you’re burned out, anxious, or just feeling kind of flat — go find something bigger than yourself to look at. A vast landscape. A sky full of stars. A piece of music that gives you chills. It sounds almost too simple. But the research says it works.