Awe: An Ingredient of Happiness
Hello Aesthetics People!
I vividly remember standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon in the evening, watching the sunset, casting deepening shadows over the vast canyon 7,000 feet below. While I’m not acutely scared of heights, I had dreams of falling that night as I slept, planning to hike down in the canyon the next morning. As it turns out, my wife had similar dreams that night. Before or since, we’ve never shared the same dream. That evening’s awe was so powerful that it seeped into both our dreams. Such moments are intense and enjoyable, but do they hold deeper significance beyond the experience itself?
Could a lack of awe be a hidden sign of unhappiness? In an article in Psychology Today, Seth Meyers (not the actor) explains five signs of unhappiness that are not always recognized. He first acknowledges that some people are more obviously unhappy. We can see their slumping shoulders or their delineated facial expressions. Some of them might not be too surprising, such as a quickness to criticize others or significant distrust of others. But the final one that Meyers mentions might be unexpected: “an almost complete disconnection from awe.”
What is the sublime?
Every instance of awe may not automatically be sublime, such as seeing a baby smile, yet every instance of the sublime seems to involve the feeling of awe. (On this complex relationship, see this article in Frontiers in Psychology.) We can look briefly at awe, and then explain the philosophical approach to the sublime.
As defined in another Psychology Today article, “awe is a complex emotion that occurs when we experience or witness something wondrous, vast, terrifying, inspiring, amazing, or mind-blowing.” They explain that awe is not a completely positive emotion. While we often think about our vacation to the Grand Canyon or holding a baby, we can also feel awe upon seeing a volcanic eruption, even though we may also be terrified. This leads to the philosophical notion of the sublime.
Philosophers in the 17th and 18th centuries became more interested in the sublime. I’ll only mention a couple key ideas of Edmund Burke and Immanuel Kant. Burke describes the sublime as causing the mind to feel the strongest emotions. The sublime can arise from anything that evokes feelings of pain, danger, or terror—provided there is a safe distance. For example, if you’re about to be swallowed by a tidal wave, that’s terror, not the sublime. The sublime evokes a tension or unpleasant feeling, while you are a “safe enough” distance from actual harm.
Kant explains that the sublime comes in two types: mathematical and dynamic. The mathematical sublime involves the vastness of an object. Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the Atlantic Ocean, or gazing at the stars at night seem to go on forever. Our senses cannot take it all in because it is too large. The dynamic sublime involves an object’s or event’s power. Tornadoes, thunderstorms, or violent waves can evoke the feeling of the sublime. Kant describes the sublime as a 'negative pleasure'—an unsettling yet exhilarating experience, which is why some philosophers see it as a mixed emotion.
The Value of the sublime.
The sublime and awe are complex (or mixed) emotions. While we derive pleasure from them, we might consider what value they bring to our lives. Is it merely for pleasure? Or does the sublime give us more than an intense feeling?
Speaking specifically about awe, psychologists noter that it tends to have positive impacts on people’s psychology, such as “prosociality, generosity, and open-mindedness.” Trying to pursue experiences of awe, which is not always easy to find, could have a positive benefit for your well-being, both mental and even physical. Awe connects us to other people, despite it being somewhat mysterious. It nudges us to think about something beyond ourselves, which further helps us acutely sense the fact that we are all in this life together.
About the sublime, Kant describes that it proves the mind has the capacity to think beyond itself, “surpassing any standard of sense.” A beautiful object can be perceived by the senses, while the sublime is something that an object imposes on our mind. Kant writes: “What happens is that our imagination strives to progress toward infinity, while our reason demands absolute totality as a real idea, and so the imagination, our power of estimating the magnitude of things in the world of sense, is inadequate to that idea. Yet this inadequacy itself is the arousal in us of the feeling that we have within us a supersensible power.”
To explain, Kant is describing that the sublime is something is formless; we are incapable of grasping the whole thing. And this experience causes us to respect the power of nature, which helps us find our proper place. Nature can destroy us, and it will continue happily without us. Nature does not need us.
Conclusion
Once in Nova Scotia, we stay at a bed and breakfast and told our host that we planned to venture to Cape Split Provincial Park. We knew they had some of the highest tides in the world in the Bay of Fundy, but our host told us even more. There are warnings that the tides can come in really fats and are unpredictable. He elaborated by saying that one time those in charge hired engineers and others to work on building a generator that would harness the energy of these rapid tides. Millions of dollars were spent, but the day came to place the generators into the bay. The waters came in and crushed these turbines. Nature’s power dwarfs our own. The sublime confronts us with this reality again and again.
The sublime and awe open us to a world rich with mystery, power, and wonder. Cutting ourselves off from the experience of awe is one sign that we are not happy, as mentioned above. We have to experience awe from time to time—the most dramatic experiences are not daily—in order to reduce stress, connect with others, and provide our lives with added meaning. Far from just being a pleasurable experience, awe and the sublime are crucial components of our overall well-being and happiness.
I still have some availability for the spring, if you’re interested in having me speak or deliver a workshop. Email at michaelrspicher@gmail.com
Relevant ARL Articles
Sublimity as a Symbol of Moral Dignity
Emily Brady's The Sublime in Modern Philosophy
The Sublime Spectacle of the Coronavirus Curve
ARL News
I spoke with Jessica Quillin about luxury and aesthetic experiences on the Fashion Strategy Weekly podcast, aired January 14, 2025.
I spoke with Tony Martignetti on his podcast The Virtual Campfire, which aired on January 6, 2025. We talked about how aesthetics transforms our lives.
Digital Fashion: Theory, Practice, Implications, edited by Michael R. Spicher, Sara Emilia Bernat, and Doris Domoszlai-Lantner, is available for purchase!
