You’ve probably had at least one or two jaw-dropping moments in your life. Maybe it was while watching a meteor shower or while snorkeling or diving in one of our reefs. Maybe you got to swim with a whale shark or jump a waterfall. Maybe you’ve seen the pyramids or the view from the top of the tallest building in the world. But do you seek these experiences out as often as you should? Perhaps not.

Still, a recent study to be published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that you might want to become an awe-seeker. Researchers conducted three different experiments on study participants. They found that experiencing awe gave participants the feeling that they had more time in general, and it also made them more patient, more altruistic when it came to volunteering, and less materialistic, reports ScienceDaily.com.

So if you’re feeling stressed out and time starved, indulge in an awe-inspiring experience. While traveling to far-off places to see world-famous sights is wonderful if you’ve the time and money for it, this can be as simple as watching the sun set from the top of your office building, going to a local museum and marveling at the amazing works of art created by fellow Filipinos, and so on. Let yourself be awed and amazed, and you’ll find yourself a happier, more patient person for it.


(Photo by Paola Kosch via Flickr Creative Commons)