What is awe? The Oxford English Dictionary defines awe as "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder." Picture in your mind a time when something amazing stopped you in your tracks - maybe something that took your breath away. In that moment, you were fully present, aware of that moment and not the past or the present - mindful. I can recall of few of these times - like hiking around Jordan Pond in Maine and the lovely smell of the balsam firs, strong and clean, stopping to take in the silence, the firs and the stillness of the pond near dawn. In an article by Kimberlee D’Ardenne , she explains how professor Michelle “Lani” Shiota, at Arizona State University Department of Psychology, studies awe and its effects on cognition and behavior. "Experiencing awe can dampen the body’s stress response and can change how people process information. An awe-evoking scene or experience is one that is profoundly unexpected, and not already contained ...
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