Awe, Approached

Experiences of states like awe, wonder, inspiration and curiosity have been empirically linked with both human flourishing as well as with engagement in the arts and humanities. Recent research in affective science investigating the structure of these emotions has begun to shed light on exactly why. This chapter argues for two ways in which these disciplines may promote human flourishing via their capacity to trigger such states in observers. It begins by laying out a conceptual framework for awe and its relation to other similar states. It will then survey existing research on awe’s relationship to two domains of well-being: the self-transcendent and the epistemic.