A New Study and Accompanying Docuseries Explore How Awe Can Boost Your Brain

It’s about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and my neck aches from staring up at the dark sky for the last hour. My nine-month-old daughter is sleeping on my chest, and my three-year-old son is whining about being cold and bored—and can he please have another s’more? We’re huddled under a sleeping bag on a double campchair while my husband warms up water to make tea on the stove. The dogs are curled up at our feet. Finally, my son, Beckett, beams with excitement. A streak of light shoots over our heads, dimming the glittering stars behind it. “Mom, I just saw a real shooting star!” he shouts! “Let’s stay up until we see 100 more.”

We’re set up at Diablo Canyon near our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a popular climbing spot and, more importantly for this trip, a campsite with wide open skies and virtually no light pollution. I’ve dragged my family out on a cold Saturday to see the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks tonight. At its prime, we can expect to see 60 to 120 shooting stars per hour. (“That’s a lot of wishes,” Beckett says when I tell him.) But it’s already past our bedtime, and we’ll likely be tucked into our sleeping bags by peak, so I feel lucky that the show has started early. I want my son to experience awe at the natural world: that feeling that makes you stop, admire, and wonder. Outdoor awe may be challenging to define, but loosely put, it’s that sense of amazement and contentment you get when staring into the Grand Canyon, gazing out at El Capitan, or looking at the stars. My hope is that if he can experience awe in the outdoors early on, he will develop a lifelong appreciation for our planet.

It turns out that awe can have a significant impact on our mental health, happiness, and overall care for the earth. A new study published by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, examined the effects of outdoors-inspired awe over the course of a two-year initiative. Researchers organized seven field studies with 1,000 participants, who hiked, kayaked, and visited scenic overlooks at Lake Tahoe. (The research was conducted in partnership with Visit Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe’s tourism arm.) Researchers then asked each participant how being around the wonder of nature impacted feelings of awe and happiness. The researchers found that, after just two minutes, participants reported a 33 percent increase in happiness and a 70 percent increase in awe.

Preliminary research from the field studies also suggested that water-based activities can lower anxiety by seven percent, hiking can make you feel nine percent calmer and re-energized, and simply gazing at a beautiful view for two minutes can increase contentment by 37 percent. Early findings also suggested that these experiences grow a person’s connection to nature: environmental stewardship was boosted 20 percent after participants experienced awe.

“Awe shifts our attention outward,” said Paul Piff, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and lead researcher of the study, in a press release. “When people encounter something vast, whether it’s a sweeping landscape or a powerful shared moment, they often begin to see themselves and their relationships differently. That’s what makes studying awe in real-world environments so important.”

A new series on OTV, which is also in partnership with Visit Lake Tahoe, follows the research project over three episodes. Beyond Awe Struck: The Scientific Search for Connection premieres on OTV March 16. You can watch it here.

My biggest takeaway from the new series and results of the study is this: even tiny moments of awe can bring you connection, happiness, and wonder. You don’t have to overthink it. So a camping trip 45 minutes from my house to see some shooting stars was plenty to inspire awe for my family. About a week after that chilly night, my son began to request to go outside before bedtime to see the stars; he obsessed over learning the names of all of the planets and facts about each one. When the northern lights made an appearance a few weeks later, he sprinted outside with me every 15 minutes to check them and wonder with awe at the green and purple sky. When it comes to my mission to teach him a love for the outdoors, I think we’re off to a good start.

Watch the Series