Can experiencing awe really make us better people?

Feeling awe can lead to many other feelings, including a greater sense of activity. But with so much technology in the palm of our hand, what still astounds? asks Carl Dixon

When was the last time you were truly awestruck? By the destructive power of a winter storm, a landscape carved from rock, or the vaulted ceiling of a cathedral? By the music of Beethoven, or the breaching of a whale? Scientists believe that experiencing a sense of awe makes us more creative, kinder, and more connected to others. By displacing our sense of our own importance, it appears we are better able to transcend our own egotistical nature and focus on the needs of others.

In a society that emphasises individual achievement, it is a relief to be reminded that the world is immense and largely indifferent to the petty concerns of our endless prattling egos. Awe shocks us out of our self-obsession and provides relief from our mental turmoil. Grandeur, it seems, compels our inner silence, if only momentarily, and makes us better people.