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Awe is mysterious. How do we begin to quantify the goose bumps we feel when we see the Grand Canyon, or the utter amazement when we watch a child walk for the first time? How do you put into words the collective effervescence of standing in a crowd and singing in unison, or the wonder you feel while gazing at centuries-old works of art?

In this conversation based on his new book Awe, Dacher Keltner presents a radical investigation and deeply personal inquiry into this elusive emotion. Revealing new research into how awe transforms our brains and bodies, alongside an examination of awe across history, culture, and within his own life during a period of grief, Keltner shows us how cultivating awe in our everyday life leads us to appreciate what is most humane in our human nature. And during a moment in which our world feels more divided than ever before, and more imperiled by crises of different kinds, we are greatly in need of awe. If we open our minds, it is awe that sharpens our reasoning and orients us toward big ideas and new insights, that cools our immune system\\u2019s inflammation response and strengthens our bodies. It is awe that activates our inclination to share and create strong networks, to take actions that are good for the natural and social world around us. It is awe that transforms who we are, that inspires the creation of art, music, and religion. Aweis also a field guide for how to place awe as a vital force within our lives.

Shermer and Keltner discuss: the death of his brother and how this led to his study of awe \\u2022 an operational definition of awe \\u2022 the reliability (or unreliability) of self-report data in social science \\u2022 how to quantify and measure the experience of awe \\u2022 What are emotions and how can they be measured? \\u2022 How has the scientific understanding of emotions changed? \\u2022 predictors of awe: nature, music, art, dance, movement/exercise, love & friendships \\u2022 awe in moral beauty \\u2022 how to train yourself to experience awe \\u2022 how awe helps heal traumas, grief, and loneliness \\u2022 mystical experiences, spirituality, and awe restorative justice and awe.

Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the faculty director of UC Berkeley\\u2019s Greater Good Science Center. A renowned expert in the science of human emotion, Dr. Keltner studies compassion and awe, how we express emotion, and how emotions guide our moral identities and search for meaning. His research interests also span issues of power, status, inequality, and social class. He is the author of The Power Paradox and the bestselling book Born to Be Good, and the coeditor of The Compassionate Instinct. His new book is Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life.