Kyle PearceWhile highly-developed Western countries offer their citizens an extraordinarily high material standard of living, many Westerners suffer from a chronic sense of time poverty that can lead to anxiety, overwhelm and burnout.
In this fascinating video on how awe expands our perception of time, Dr. Melanie Rudd talks about how awe experiences can help alleviate this sense of time poverty and help busy people experience a greater richness of experience.
When we feel the positive emotion of awe, we actually feel we have more time available. We are able to slow down the incessant chatter of our brain’s default mode network and feel a deeper sense of presence and stillness in our lives.
Awe is an emotion that has two key characteristics:
- Perceptual vastness
- A need for accommodation
Experiencing awe helps expand our sense of self beyond just our conceptual self-consciousness and this can deeply inspire us and helps us positively change our mental models of the world.
Awe just may be the antidote to time poverty and chronic busyness, which works by expanding our sense of time so we can feel more time affluent and spiritually rich.
Want to experience more awe in your life? Check out my guide to awe walking meditation.