The emotion of awe has become an increasingly popular topic of interest for social science researchers over the past two decades. While we often think of awe as a rare, all-encompassing emotion, milder forms of awe also exist and can be elicited through more common experiences, such as learning something new that shifts our perspective or breaks us out of our routine. A small but growing body of research makes the case that these milder forms of awe can and should be elicited in the context of work. In particular, the literature suggests that awe serves as a tool for facilitating meaning-making and a sense of purpose at work by enabling people to construct a broader framework for their experiences and connect them to something larger than the self. This module, from NLL Senior Project Manager Dr. Megan Cuzzolino, provides an overview of the existing research on awe and how it can contribute to a sense of meaning and purpose at work. Several opportunities for reflection are embedded within the video, and the reflection guide linked below provides additional prompts to consider how you might cultivate the conditions for more awe-inspiring workplaces.
Experiences of Awe and Meaning at Work: Reflection Guide
This work was developed through the Next Level Lab: Applying Cognitive Science for Access, Innovation, and Mastery (AIM) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education with funding from Accenture Corporate Citizenship. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funder.