The wonder of it all: Why awe is critical for our health and happiness

A leading US psychologist believes our capacity to experience awe in everyday life is critical to our health and happiness

An illuminated tent under Milky Way at Matterhorn in Switzerland

When Dacher Keltner found himself sitting next to Steven Spielberg at dinner one evening, there was only one question he wanted to ask the legendary filmmaker.

Keltner, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is an expert on the science of emotions and has spent his career exploring happiness and how we can achieve it — he believes that a key element of happiness is finding awe.