The awe group increasingly made themselves smaller in their photos over the course of the study, preferring to feature the landscapes around them. Analysis of these photos revealed a parallel, visible shift in how participants portrayed themselves. The researchers also asked participants to take selfies at the beginning, middle and end of each walk. Thought about all the things I had to do before we leave.вЂќ Another reflected on вЂњwhat a beautiful day it was and that later I was going to go see my great granddaughter.вЂќ For example: вЂњI thought about our vacation in Hawaii coming up this next Thursday. In contrast, participants from the control walk group tended to be more inwardly focused. the wonder that a small child feels as they explore their expanding world.вЂќ

how the leaves were no longer crunchy underfoot because of the rain and how the walk was more spongy. For example, one participant reflected on вЂњthe beautiful fall colors and the absence of them amidst the evergreen forest. The awe group also had significant boosts of positive prosocial emotions such as compassion and gratitude over the course of the study.ДЄnswers to open-ended survey questions reflected awe walk participantsвЂ™ growing sense of wonder and appreciation for the details of the world around them. The surveys showed people in the вЂњawe groupвЂќ reported increasing experience of awe on their walks as the study went on, suggesting some benefit of practice. All participants took photographs of themselves during each walk and rated their emotional experience.ДЄfter each walk, participants filled out brief surveys, detailing characteristics of the walk and the emotions they had experienced, including questions intended to assess their experience of awe. The other half was placed in an awe walk group, in which researchers described the emotion of awe and suggested the walkers try to experience that emotion as they strolled. Half of the participants was randomly assigned to a simple walk group. In the study, 60 older adults took weekly 15-minute вЂњawe walksвЂќ for eight weeks. A new study published on Septemin the journal Emotion found that a regular dose of awe reduces your stress and boosts your mental health. So, youвЂ™re not thinking about the tight deadline, the unfinished project or the strain in your relationship with your boss. An вЂњAwe walkвЂќ is a stroll in which you intentionally shift your attention outward instead of inward.

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