The Midlife Chrysalis

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The Science of Awe: Rediscover Wonder with Dacher Keltner

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Nov 7, 2025

Guest

Dacher Keltner

Dacher Keltner, a psychologist from UC Berkeley and author of "Born to Be Good," shares his insights on the transformative power of awe. He explores how experiencing awe can boost health, purpose, and connection, especially during midlife. Dacher discusses the science behind collective joy and moral beauty, highlighting how shared experiences bond us. He also introduces the concept of "awe walks," revealing their benefits for well-being. Tune in to learn how rediscovering wonder can enhance your everyday life!

53:38

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Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Awe Is A Frame-Expanding Emotion

Awe arises when we encounter something vast and beyond our current frame of reference.
Dacher Keltner found eight common pathways where awe appears across cultures.

insights

INSIGHT

The Eight Places Awe Shows Up

The eight wonders include nature, moral beauty, music, visual patterns, collective effervescence, big ideas, life cycle, and spiritual practice.
Keltner reports people experience awe several times a week and it yields measurable health benefits.

insights

INSIGHT

Shared Rhythm Creates Awe

Collective effervescence emerges when people synchronize in movement, voice or emotion and experience shared elevation.
That synchronization dissolves ego boundaries and produces awe and social bonding.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Origins of Empathy and Dacher's Early Life

02:05 • 3min

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How Dacher Became an Emotion Scientist

05:24 • 3min

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Born to Be Good: Evidence for Human Cooperation

08:14 • 6min

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Defining Awe and Its Scientific Study

14:18 • 5min

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The Eight Wonders: Where Awe Appears

18:49 • 2min

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Collective Effervescence and Shared Joy

21:02 • 3min

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How Synchrony and the Nervous System Bond People

24:07 • 3min

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Moral Beauty: Awe at Human Goodness

27:15 • 6min

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Awe's Role in Midlife Purpose and Connection

32:46 • 4min

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What Is an Awe Walk and Its Health Benefits

37:02 • 5min

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Cultivating Awe: Workshop Practices and Daily Habits

41:33 • 2min

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Wisdom Bumper Sticker: See Hidden Human Beauty

43:53 • 3min

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Is Love Part of the Wonders?

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

Learning to Love Midlife

Chip Conley

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Varieties of Religious Experience

William James

This book is a collection of lectures delivered by William James at the University of Edinburgh between 1901 and 1902. It focuses on the personal and subjective aspects of religious experiences, rather than on theology or organized religion. James examines various types of religious experiences, including healthy-mindedness, the sick soul, conversion, mysticism, and saintliness. He emphasizes the importance of feeling and personal experience in religion, arguing that these experiences are the primary source of religious beliefs and practices. The book also discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of these experiences, highlighting their complexity and life-altering nature.

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Give and Take

A Revolutionary Approach to Success

Adam Grant

In 'Give and Take', Adam Grant examines the surprising forces that shape success, highlighting the differences between givers, matchers, and takers. Givers contribute to others without expecting anything in return, matchers aim to trade evenly, and takers strive to get as much as possible from others. Grant uses cutting-edge evidence and captivating stories to show how these styles impact success across various industries. The book emphasizes the benefits and challenges of adopting a giver mentality and provides practical advice on how to build successful relationships and achieve extraordinary results.

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• Mentioned in 31 episodes

Awe

The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life

Dacher Keltner

In 'Awe', Dacher Keltner presents a sweeping investigation and deeply personal inquiry into the elusive feeling of awe. The book reveals new research alongside an examination of awe across history, culture, and within Keltner's own life. It shows how awe transforms thoughts of self, one’s relationship to the world, and physical reactions to it. Keltner also explores how awe has propelled human evolution, is beneficial to mental and physical health, and can heal grief, build communal bonds, and humble us by making us feel part of something larger than ourselves.

#6905

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

Born to be good

the science of a meaningful life

Dacher Keltner

In this book, Dacher Keltner investigates the role of positive emotions in human evolution, arguing against the conventional view that humans are primarily driven by self-interest. He proposes that emotions such as gratitude, amusement, awe, and compassion have evolutionary value and are essential for cooperative societies. Keltner draws on research in emotions, facial expressions, and anthropological data to support his thesis that prosocial behavior was a key survival strategy in early human societies. The book also explores how emotions like embarrassment, touch, and compassion contribute to social order and human well-being.

What if awe was the secret ingredient to happiness? 🌿 In this episode, I sit down with UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner to explore how awe, compassion, and moral beauty can transform the way we live and age. We dive into the science of wonder — from the power of collective joy to how simple “awe walks” can boost your health, purpose, and connection.

✨ Join us as we uncover why we’re truly born to be good and how awe might just be the key to midlife renewal.

🎧 Tune in for the full conversation and get inspired to see life with fresh eyes.

Timestamps:

00:00 Chip welcomes Dacher and reflects on their friendship

00:18 Why people smile when they talk about Dacher

01:06 How early experiences shaped his empathy

03:32 Journey into psychology and emotion science

06:42 Discovering emotion in the human face

07:31 Writing Born to Be Good and redefining human nature

09:42 Science of compassion, gratitude, and kindness

13:15 How the study of awe began

14:17 What awe is and how it feels

18:24 Collecting awe stories from around the world

20:33 The eight wonders of awe

21:00 Collective effervescence and shared joy

23:44 Synchronizing with others through movement and emotion

25:01 How screens disrupt human connection

27:00 Moral beauty and the power of witnessing goodness

31:32 Moral beauty within community and everyday life

32:39 Awe and moral beauty in midlife

36:33 The Awe Walk study and its health benefits

39:47 Finding awe in daily moments

41:25 Inside Dacher’s “Cultivating Awe” workshop

43:51 Practicing awe through grief and gratitude

45:09 Wisdom bumper sticker: seeing hidden beauty in people

47:35 Love (agape) as the essence of awe

49:10 Closing reflections and gratitude

Learn more about MEA at ⁠https://www.meawisdom.com/

#awe #DacherKeltner #ChipConley #MidlifeChrysalis #CultivatingAwe #BornToBeGood #MoralBeauty #CollectiveEffervescence #ScienceOfAwe #HumanConnection #Mindfulness #EmotionalIntelligence #MidlifeWisdom #GratitudePractice #FindingPurpose

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