We think of awe as an emotion reserved for the most extraordinary moments – summiting a mountain, the birth of a child, an exquisite live performance.
But researchers who study awe say the emotion shouldn't be associated only with rare events.
Awe is defined by novelty and vastness, which makes children among the most likely to feel it.
– Jennifer Stellar, a psychology professor at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on how individuals and social groups thrive.
We can think about the things that produce awe as being both perceptually vast – very large, for example, or very powerful – and demanding a need for accommodation – meaning it doesn't assimilate or fit neatly into an existing category in our mind.
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We feel awe when we encounter something with qualities so extraordinary it seems incomprehensible.
But we don't need the Taj Mahal to stimulate that feeling. An incredible piece of art or even a breathtaking YouTube video can also do the trick.
Researchers say awe has a range of emotional, social and physiological health benefits.
It can make us happier and contribute to greater life satisfaction, to make us care more about other people and to increase our humility.
Research has also shown awe can make us think more critically, expand our perception of time and lead to less materialism.
When adults say they love vicariously experiencing the world through their children's eyes, what they're really encountering is their children's sense of awe.
Adults can have daily experiences of awe, but it requires the right mindset. People need to slow down, to pause, to be present and observe the world around them.
We can find experiences of awe in one another – in a child's first steps, in a stranger's unexpected kindness, in the camaraderie of a social movement's like-minded others.
While some positive emotions get a lot of attention, awe is often thought of as a bonus, rather than something important for well-being.