Huberman Lab
from: Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
PUBLISHED: APR 6, 2026INDEXED: APR 14, 2026, 2:17 PM

Cultivating Awe & Emotional Connection in Daily Life | Dr. Dacher Keltner

Key Takeaways

  • β€’

    Practice awe walks to shift your perspective

    β€œThe awe walk is simply going somewhere with the intention of seeing things that are vast or unexpected.”

    β€” Dr. Dacher Keltner
  • β€’

    Awe expands our subjective perception of time

    β€œWhen people feel awe, they actually feel like they have more time available to them.”

    β€” Dr. Dacher Keltner
  • β€’

    Self-focus and narcissism act as awe inhibitors

    β€œThe more we are focused on the self and our own needs, the less we feel awe.”

    β€” Dr. Dacher Keltner
  • β€’

    Shared movement triggers powerful collective effervescence

    β€œMoving in unison with other people creates this state of collective effervescence and shared identity.”

    β€” Dr. Dacher Keltner
  • β€’

    Playful teasing reinforces social bonds and values

    β€œTeasing is one of the primary ways that we negotiate our social values and maintain connection.”

    β€” Dr. Dacher Keltner
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Episode Description

Dr. Dacher Keltner, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a leading expert on the science of emotions and human connection. We discuss the science of aweβ€”what evokes it and how to access it. Dr. Keltner explains how awe helps us frame our experience of life and who we are both as individuals and collectively. We also discuss the role of humor in social bonding, dispel common myths about the biology of emotions and review the lesser-known factors that strengthen or inhibit relationships and communities. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Joovv: https://joovv.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr Dachner Keltner (00:01:55) Emotions, Awe; Facial Expressions & Culture (00:08:11) Sponsors: Joovv & Helix Sleep (00:11:05) Emotion, Motor Movement & Language (00:15:36) Measuring Emotion; Studying Awe (00:24:10) Horizons, Small to Vast, Shifting Perspective (00:29:27) Tool: Awe Walk (00:33:53) Time Perception, Tool: Space-Time Bridging Meditation; Chimps, Vastness (00:42:13) Sponsor: AG1 (00:43:37) Consciousness, Collective Experiences & Brain Synchronization (00:50:04) Music, Concerts & Awe; Sparring, Transcendence (01:01:28) Joe Strummer (01:06:04) Inhibitors of Awe, Self-Focus & Narcissism (01:12:41) Sponsor: Function (01:13:52) Sports, Collective Effervescence (01:19:03) Social Media & Online Life, Social Community (01:29:51) Designing Cities & Places for Awe (01:34:29) Sponsor: Our Place (01:35:44) Embarrassment, Teasing; Collective Values (01:43:05) Male Friendship, Teasing (01:47:50) Isolation, Loneliness, Reemergence of Community (01:54:33) Psychedelics, Awe, Treating Trauma; Microdosing (02:01:18) Looking Forward, Awe Design (02:08:36) Campfires, Connection, Red Light (02:13:34) Life After Death; Acknowledgments (02:17:19) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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