{"id":710013,"date":"2026-07-25T05:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T05:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/710013\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T05:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T05:06:31","slug":"how-moments-of-awe-unlock-creative-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/710013\/","title":{"rendered":"How Moments of Awe Unlock Creative Thinking"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, defines awe<\/a> as \u201cthat goose-bumpy sensation that we get in the presence of something profound: something greater, more powerful, or more eternal than ourselves. It arises when we encounter things that challenge our sense of what\u2019s normal or possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

In my research for a recent book, I had the opportunity to touch the bark of a tree more than 5,000 years old, to kayak through a congress of resplendent bald cypresses, to watch a magnificent dance of leaves in an old-growth forest, and to observe a blood-red sunrise over a grove of aspens. Each was awesome; each was an experience that engaged my senses, stimulated my creative instincts, and propelled my fingers across a computer keyboard faster than I thought possible. My imagination<\/a> was truly energized! Let\u2019s examine that connection.<\/p>\n

What the Research on Awe Says<\/p>\n

A research review<\/a> reveals several studies that have either examined the relationship between awe and creativity or identified mechanisms (such as curiosity and cognitive flexibility) that underscore this unique relationship. Here are three examples:<\/p>\n

In the most recent study (2026), researchers conducted complementary studies using surveys, experimental awe videos, and creativity assessments. What they discovered was that individuals demonstrated significantly higher levels of creativity after an \u201cawesome\u201d event. So, too, did awe increase their cognitive flexibility as well as creative self-efficacy<\/a>. The researchers noted that these two variables helped participants form sequential pathways that explained why an awesome event boosts individual creativity.<\/p>\n

An earlier study (2023) looked at 257 adults to examine creative changes over a four-month period. The researchers discovered that awe doesn\u2019t just make people feel inspired; it changes the way they think by increasing mental flexibility and confidence<\/a> in generating novel ideas. One of the key takeaways was that awe seems to cultivate creativity indirectly by stimulating curiosity\u2014a motivational engine underlying creative exploration.<\/p>\n

Subsequently, a 2025 study examined how awe enhances the mental conditions that support creative thinking<\/a>. Participants assigned to an awe-intervention group reported greater awe, lower stress<\/a>, and improved psychological well-being when compared to those in a control group. The researchers concluded that reduced stress and greater cognitive openness<\/a> create conditions that facilitate creative insight and flexible problem-solving.<\/p>\n

Research Overview<\/p>\n

Additional research supports the interconnections between experiences of awe and improved creative thinking. These include the following: <\/p>\n

1. Awe has a tendency to expand our mental horizons, moving beyond familiar patterns while creating new ones.<\/p>\n

2. Awe increases our openness to new experiences; as such, we ask more questions and explore more possibilities.<\/p>\n

3. Awe stimulates and encourages curiosity; it helps us look at things with new eyes.<\/p>\n

4. Awe promotes cognitive flexibility; we begin to see multiple possibilities rather than single answers. So too, do we generate novel associations and connect seemingly unrelated ideas.<\/p>\n

Putting Research Into Practice<\/p>\n

It is clear that awe broadens our attention<\/a>, increases cognitive flexibility, and stimulates our inherent curiosity\u2014all necessary for creativity to happen. To that end, here are a few activities for your consideration:<\/p>\n

1. Awe Walk: Leave your phone at home and walk through your neighborhood for 30 minutes. Look up (instead of down), intentionally noticing things often taken for granted: the unique shape of a cloud, the singular pattern of a tree\u2019s bark, the dulcet song of a bird, the commanding architecture of a building, or a splash of light upon a car window. Keep asking yourself, \u201cWhat have I never noticed before?\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Expand Your Reading: Regularly select some nonfiction reading material about a topic you know little about. This may include topics such as Irish lighthouses, Egyptian archeology, the physics of water, how trees communicate, or nocturnal mammals (for example). Keep asking, \u201cWhat can I learn here that I didn\u2019t know previously?\u201d Marvel at the discoveries.<\/p>\n

3. Awe Journal: Maintain a notebook into which you record awesome events. Try to pen an experience regularly\u2014one that makes you say \u201cWow!\u201d or \u201cAmazing!\u201d These may include a beautiful piece of music, a rediscovered photograph, someone\u2019s unexpected question, the playfulness of a child, or an unusual gift. For each entry, record how the event expanded your thinking.<\/p>\n

4. For the First Time: Each day, select a common object and pretend you are seeing it for the first time. For example: a fallen leaf, a spoon, your fingers, a button, a weed in your garden, or a neighbor\u2019s house. Ask yourself, \u201cWhat is something new here that I haven\u2019t noticed before?\u201d Seeing the familiar differently will supercharge your creativity.<\/p>\n

5. Celebration Awe: Some of the most delightful examples of awe are when we recognize the kindness, outreach, and generosity<\/a> of others. The best question we can ask ourselves is, \u201cWho inspired me today?\u201d The response might be a teenager<\/a> assisting an elderly person with her groceries, a police officer rescuing a brood of baby ducks from a storm drain, or a neighbor facing a medical hardship with uncommon courage.<\/p>\n

6. Unanswered Questions: Get in the habit of asking and recording questions with no easy answers. A few examples may include, \u201cWhy are some birds flightless?\u201d, \u201cWhy do children invent imaginary friends?\u201d, \u201cHow did early fish (Tiktaalik) crawl up on land?\u201d, or \u201cHow do we know the universe is expanding?\u201d Don\u2019t answer the questions, just continue to collect them. This regularly stimulates your curiosity while expanding your cognitive flexibility.<\/p>\n

7. Travel Awe: Make it a regular practice to experience something that truly amazes and delights\u2014both near and far. For example, examine a geological wonder (e.g., Arches National Park), journey to a local cathedral, roam a botanical garden, visit a planetarium, or discover an urban art museum. These are opportunities for your mind to experience \u201cnewness\u201d and celebrate a vast array of original discoveries.<\/p>\n

Devotion to the incorporation of awesome activities into your daily life will widen your attention, quiet your inner critic<\/a>, and remind you that there is a marvelous array of new discoveries that supersede everyday routines. And in that noticing, you will begin to create. Guaranteed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, defines awe as \u201cthat goose-bumpy sensation that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":710014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-710013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=710013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/710014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=710013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=710013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=710013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}