**"Read this book to connect with your highest self. " **-- Susan Cain, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author of *Bittersweet* and *Quiet * "We need more awe in our lives, and Dacher Keltner has written the definitive book on where to find it." **-- Adam Grant, #1 *New York Times* bestselling author of *Think Again*** * *** " *Awe* is awesome in both senses: a superb analysis of an emotion that is strongly felt but poorly understood, with a showcase of examples that remind us of what is worthy of our awe." **-- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of *How the Mind Works* and *Rationality*** From a foremost expert on the science of emotions and consultant to Pixar's *Inside Out* , a groundbreaking and essential exploration into the history, science, and greater understanding of awe** Awe is mysterious. How...
Advance Praise for
“Twenty years of insight about awe.
—Susan T. Fiske, coauthor of
“A researcher who has taught us new ways to think about generosity and cooperation has turned his attention to one of the most understudied emotions of all, Awe. Eye-opening and mind-expanding.”
—Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of
“Our troubling times, our clickbait media, even our own habits of mind, blanket our consciousness with the negative and threatening in life. This book is a counterforce. Powerful, erudite, rooted in brilliant research, but always fascinatingly accessible, it uplifts the wonderful in life. From the beauty of movement in sports to the moral courage of a friend, it’s a guide to how to see and experience the wonder that is always all around us. It balances consciousness. It has been a long time since I’ve read anything as inspiring. I’d say race to read it. You won’t be disappointed.”
—Claude M. Steele, Lucie Stern Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University
“Dacher Keltner has written a deeply personal, scientifically brilliant treatise on an emotion he convinces us we need to experience more often in our daily lives.”
—Richard E. Nisbett, author of
ALSO BY DACHER KELTNER
PENGUIN PRESS
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Copyright © 2023 by Dacher Keltner
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“There’s a certain Slant of light” from EMILY DICKINSON’S POEMS: AS SHE PRESERVED THEM, edited by Cristanne Miller, Copyright © 2016 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Copyright © 1998 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Copyright © 1951, 1955 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Copyright © renewed 1979, 1983 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Copyright © 1914, 1918, 1919, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1937, 1942 by Martha Dickinson Bianchi. Copyright © 1952, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1965 by Mary L. Hampson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Letter of gratitude,” copyright © Yuyi Morales, on this page is reprinted courtesy of Yuyi Morales.
“Poem of awe” on this page is reprinted courtesy of Yuria Celidwen.
Illustration credits appear on this page.
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Names: Keltner, Dacher, author.
Title: Awe: the new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life / Dacher Keltner.
Description: New York: Penguin Press, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022002707 (print) | LCCN 2022002708 (ebook) | ISBN 9781984879684 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781984879691 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593653012 (international edition)
Subjects: LCSH: Awe. | Wonder.
Classification: LCC BF575.A9 K45 2022 (print) | LCC BF575.A9 (ebook) | DDC 152.4—dc23/eng/20220921
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002707
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022002708
Cover design: Christopher Brian King
Cover photograph: Annapurna Mellor
pid_prh_6.0_142201953_c0_r0
• Lao Tzu
Contents
SECTION I
A Science of Awe
SECTION II
Stories of Transformative Awe
SECTION III
Cultural Archives of Awe
SECTION IV
Living a Life of Awe
_142201953_
Introduction
