Embrace the monotony
A museum guard’s tale of long, slow hours on the job changed how I think about seemingly empty stretches of time
by Hannah Seo
Wonder and the sublime
The benefits of thinking about deep time
On a walk through the Welsh countryside, I travelled through 4.6 billion years of Earth history – and you can too
by Richard Fisher
Having epileptic seizures gave me newfound respect for the brain
Seizures are often described as both terrifying and enthralling. Mine gave me a wondrous new take on consciousness and agency
by Webb Wright
The ‘panzoic effect’: the benefits of thinking about alien life
Reflecting on the potential for extraterrestrial life can inspire awe and have a profound effect on your worldview
by Graham Lau
How to think about the sublime
An exquisite mix of fear and awe, pleasure and pain, the sublime stretches the imagination and reveals the limits of reason
by Nicole A Hall
The most profound wonder is stirred by what is most ordinary
Rare moments of wonder at the mere existence of things – rather than the dramatic or new – involve perceiving with the soul
by Maria Balaska
To thrive, children need to experience awe – and you can help
Alongside love, sleep and play, awe is precious for children. There are small, everyday ways to make it a part of their lives
by Artemisia O’bi & Fan Yang
Do you find the 21st century overstimulating? Try ‘longstorming’
As the treadmill of life speeds up, sublime outdoor spaces help us tap into timescales that are longer, slower, planetary
by Vincent Ialenti
The small pleasures in life can produce moments of rapture
Rapture is a delight that turns us both towards the object of attention and towards oneself, resulting in a sense of freedom
by Christopher Hamilton
Bronze Age people looked to the skyscape to navigate their lives
Long before stargazing helped humans navigate the Earth, the skyscape gave Bronze Age people mystery and wonder
by Kata Karáth
To benefit from wonder, make sure you’ve got the genuine kind
Why the life-long disposition towards wonder – not the momentary experience of awe – is the way to knowledge and discovery
by Lisa Sideris
How to revive your sense of wonder
That childhood urge to ask ‘how’ and ‘why’ usually fades. But we can all learn to rediscover the joys of wide-eyed discovery
by Frank Keil
The search for life beyond Earth is peculiar, from a parrot’s perspective
Directed by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla
Why it can be sublime to love someone who doesn’t love you back
Unrequited love might be bitter and painful, but it is also the ultimate expression of your humanity. Don’t fight it
by Alexandra Gustafson
The meaning of cowardly dogs and other puzzles of Arabic poetry
In classical Arabic poetry, beauty and wonder lie in the logical unravelling of a metaphor, rather than plot or character
by Lara Harb
How to experience more wow
Awe might seem an unobtainable luxury to many but, with the right approach, you can enjoy it daily – no mountain required
by Summer Allen