The Science of Awe: The Biological Shortcut to Expanding Consciousness
Release Date: 11/27/2025
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The Science of Awe: The Biological Shortcut to Expanding Consciousness
SuperLife with Darin Olien
In this solo episode, Darin explores a radical idea backed by ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience: that awe — a single embodied moment of wonder — may be the fastest biological doorway to expanding consciousness. Drawing on cutting-edge research, timeless spiritual traditions, and personal stories, Darin reveals how awe reduces inflammation, rewires the brain, quiets the ego, boosts vagal tone, expands time perception, and reconnects us to meaning in a world drowning in distraction. What You’ll Learn in This Episode 00:00 — Welcome to SuperLife: igniting sovereignty,...
info_outlineIn this solo episode, Darin explores a radical idea backed by ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience: that awe — a single embodied moment of wonder — may be the fastest biological doorway to expanding consciousness.
Drawing on cutting-edge research, timeless spiritual traditions, and personal stories, Darin reveals how awe reduces inflammation, rewires the brain, quiets the ego, boosts vagal tone, expands time perception, and reconnects us to meaning in a world drowning in distraction.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
00:00 — Welcome to SuperLife: igniting sovereignty, possibility, and human potential
00:32 — Sponsor: Therasage — the most nutrient-dense food on Earth
01:51 — Today’s topic: Awe as a biological shortcut to consciousness
02:00 — The definition of awe: when the world becomes bigger than your understanding
02:17 — Awe literally changes the brain — research from Dacher Keltner
02:23 — What if the fastest way to expand consciousness isn’t meditation or psychedelics… but a single moment of awe?
02:34 — “Embodied awe” as a key humans have overlooked
02:41 — Science is catching up — the physiological effects of awe
02:47 — Awe reduces inflammation, rewires neural pathways, and increases connection
02:55 — Modern life has cut us off from awe — but nature left a back door
03:02 — Awe as a temporary collapse of ego → widening of consciousness
03:12 — What awe feels like: chest expansion, mind quieting, heart opening
03:22 — Awe is triggered by vastness — moments that shift your framework
03:31 — Awe motivates us to transcend self-interest and connect to something bigger
03:47 — Examples of awe: star-filled sky, ancient trees, rivers carving canyons
04:01 — 90% of humans can’t see the stars anymore — light pollution crisis
04:23 — Awe in music, nature, micro-patterns, the beauty of small things
05:00 — Awe in ancient traditions: Darshan, Greek thauma, Biblical reverence
05:12 — Darin’s hawk story — the personal power of unexpected awe
06:03 — The science of awe: IL-6, immune markers, inflammation reduction
06:28 — Awe quiets the Default Mode Network — the home of the ego
06:43 — Less rumination → more presence, clarity, and connection
07:06 — Awe expands time perception — Stanford research on “time abundance”
07:32 — Awe increases generosity, altruism, pro-social behavior
08:04 — Awe boosts vagal tone: calm, resilience, emotional regulation
08:22 — Why we are STARVING for awe — screens, indoor living, disconnection
08:57 — Sponsor: Caldera Lab
11:33 — “We've traded the vastness of the universe for tiny screens.”
11:40 — How to reclaim awe: look at the sky, clouds, moon, trees
11:53 — Let your eyes adjust to nature again
12:03 — Astronomical awe puts your problems in perspective
12:14 — Awe as emotional first-aid: go outside, find the horizon
12:30 — Limit phone time — reduce micro-dopamine addiction
13:02 — Micro-awe: the patterns in a leaf, the sunlight through branches
13:12 — Nature is always available — if you choose it
13:16 — Awe as the ultimate nervous-system reset
13:27 — Circadian alignment: dim lights, follow nature
13:56 — Humility = freedom — awe repositions your place in the universe
14:19 — Awe is biological, spiritual, emotional nourishment
14:27 — Awe is the ultimate bio-hack
14:35 — Awe reduces inflammation, expands time, deepens empathy
14:46 — “Awe is the gateway to the self-transcendent.”
14:55 — If you want more meaning, vitality, and connection — start with awe
15:02 — Awe reduces stress, boosts empathy, reconnects you to your soul
15:18 — Awe reconnects you to what actually matters
15:30 — Final message: Have yourself the best SuperLife day ever
Thank You to Our Sponsors:
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Find More from Darin Olien:
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Instagram: @darinolien
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Podcast: SuperLife Podcast
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Website: superlife.com
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Book: Fatal Conveniences
Key Takeaway
“Awe isn’t entertainment — it’s medicine. It’s the biological, emotional, and spiritual nourishment your body has been starving for. Reclaim awe, and you reclaim your soul.”
Bibliography & Research Sources
Bai, Y., Ocampo, J., Jin, G., Chen, S., Benet-Martínez, V., Monroy, M., Anderson, C., & Keltner, D. (2021). Awe, daily stress, and well-being. Emotion, 21(4), 562–566.
Chirico, A., & Yaden, D. B. (2018). Awe: A self-transcendent emotion. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 2353.
International Dark-Sky Association (DarkSky) & NASA. (n.d.). Light pollution and night sky brightness data. NASA Earth Observatory / DarkSky International.
https://darksky.org/resources/ or https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/NightLights
Keltner, D. (2023). Awe: The new science of everyday wonder and how it can transform your life. Penguin Press.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622177/awe-by-dacher-keltner/
Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17(2), 297–314.
Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Algonquin Books.
Piff, P. K., Dietze, P., Feinberg, M., Stancato, D. M., & Keltner, D. (2015). Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(6), 883–899.
Pollan, M. (2018). How to change your mind: What the new science of psychedelics teaches us about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression, and transcendence. Penguin Press.
Rudd, M., Vohs, K. D., & Aaker, J. (2012). Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being. Psychological Science, 23(10), 1130–1136.
Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & Mossman, A. (2007). The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept. Emotion, 7(4), 944–963.
Stellar, J. E., John-Henderson, N., Anderson, C. L., Gordon, A. M., McNeil, G. D., & Keltner, D. (2015). Positive affect and markers of inflammation: Discrete positive emotions predict lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Emotion, 15(2), 129–133.