The Science of Awe: How Photography Can Improve Mental Wellbeing
When was the last time you stopped what you were doing and simply looked up?
Not because you had to. Not because someone asked you to. Just because the sky caught your attention.
Perhaps it was a dramatic sunset. A cloud formation that looked like a painting. The Milky Way stretching across a dark sky. The first light of morning breaking through the trees.
For a brief moment, your worries probably felt a little smaller.
Science now has a name for that feeling.
It’s called awe.
And researchers are discovering that awe may be one of the most powerful and accessible tools we have for improving our wellbeing.
What Is Awe?
Awe is the feeling we experience when we encounter something vast, beautiful, surprising, or beyond our normal understanding.
We often associate awe with major life experiences, such as standing beneath a mountain range or witnessing a total solar eclipse. However, awe can also come from much simpler moments.
Watching clouds drift across the sky.
Seeing frost patterns on a leaf.
Listening to waves rolling onto a beach.
Looking through a camera lens and noticing details you would normally miss.
Awe shifts our attention away from ourselves and towards something larger.
For a moment, our mental to-do lists, worries, and stresses fade into the background.
What Does the Research Say?
Researchers have spent the last decade studying the impact of awe on human wellbeing.
A 2023 study published in Scientific Reports found that people who experienced awe more frequently reported:
- Lower levels of stress
- Better overall wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Greater feelings of connection with others
Importantly, these benefits appeared in everyday life. Participants did not need extraordinary experiences. Small moments of awe throughout the day still made a measurable difference.
More recent research found that intentionally seeking experiences of awe can reduce depressive symptoms and improve wellbeing, particularly for people facing ongoing health challenges.
Researchers believe this happens because awe changes the way we think.
Instead of focusing entirely on our own concerns, we become aware of the wider world around us.
That shift creates perspective.
And perspective can be incredibly powerful.
Why Perspective Matters
Many of us spend large parts of our lives trapped inside our own thoughts.
We replay conversations.
We worry about future events.
We focus on problems we cannot immediately solve.
When anxiety takes hold, our world can start to feel very small.
Awe does the opposite.
It expands our view.
Researchers sometimes describe this as the “small self” effect. It doesn’t mean we become less important. It means our problems stop feeling like the entire universe.
When we look up at a sky full of stars, we are reminded that there is a world beyond today’s stress.
When we watch clouds move across the horizon, we see constant change and movement.
When we photograph a landscape, we focus on light, colour, shape, and detail rather than our worries.
These moments create breathing space for our minds.
Why Photography Is Such a Powerful Tool
Photography naturally encourages many of the behaviours associated with wellbeing.
It slows us down.
It asks us to pay attention.
It encourages curiosity.
It rewards observation.
When we pick up a camera, we start noticing things that previously went unseen.
The shape of a shadow.
The texture of tree bark.
The colours hidden inside a sunset.
The way light changes throughout the day.
Photography turns observation into a skill.
The more we practise, the more we notice.
The more we notice, the more opportunities we create for moments of awe.
This is one reason photography can be such a powerful wellbeing activity.
You don’t need to climb a mountain or travel overseas. Awe can exist in your own backyard.
What This Means for Young People
Photography naturally encourages many of the behaviours associated with wellbeing.
It slows us down.
It asks us to pay attention.
It encourages curiosity.
It rewards observation.
When we pick up a camera, we start noticing things that previously went unseen.
The shape of a shadow.
The texture of tree bark.
The colours hidden inside a sunset.
The way light changes throughout the day.
Photography turns observation into a skill.
The more we practise, the more we notice.
The more we notice, the more opportunities we create for moments of awe.
This is one reason photography can be such a powerful wellbeing activity.
You don’t need to climb a mountain or travel overseas. Awe can exist in your own backyard.
What This Means for Adults
Photography naturally encourages many of the behaviours associated with wellbeing.
It slows us down.
It asks us to pay attention.
It encourages curiosity.
It rewards observation.
When we pick up a camera, we start noticing things that previously went unseen.
The shape of a shadow.
The texture of tree bark.
The colours hidden inside a sunset.
The way light changes throughout the day.
Photography turns observation into a skill.
The more we practise, the more we notice.
The more we notice, the more opportunities we create for moments of awe.
This is one reason photography can be such a powerful wellbeing activity.
You don’t need to climb a mountain or travel overseas. Awe can exist in your own backyard.
Finding Wonder in Everyday Life
At Big Sky Wonder, we believe awe doesn’t belong only in national parks, observatories, or bucket-list destinations.
It exists all around us.
In the clouds above our heads.
In the stars overhead.
In the changing seasons.
In the landscapes we pass every day.
Photography helps us notice these moments.
Science helps us understand why they matter.
Together, they remind us of something important.
No matter how stressful life becomes, there is always a bigger world waiting beyond our worries.
Sometimes the simple act of looking up is enough to help us remember.