Research Reveals the Healing Power of Beauty and Awe

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Even in troubled times, awareness of the beauty in our lives can bring us into the present moment, healing our minds and bodies and restoring our hope.

When psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl was a prisoner in the Auschwitz death camp, he and other prisoners were sitting on the floor of their hut, exhausted from the day’s work. Then a fellow prisoner rushed in, urging them to come outside. Even in these horrific circumstances, the men stood in silent awe, deeply moved by a radiant sunset, experiencing this moment of beauty (Frankl, 1984).

Now research reveals how beauty can heal us on many levels. University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson and colleagues (2006) found that a high appreciation of beauty helps people recover from anxiety and depression. University of California, Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner and colleagues found that people who experience awe in response to nature’s beauty have significantly lower levels of inflammation, reducing the risk of depression, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses. In fact, their research found that the more often we experience awe, the lower our inflammation levels (2015).

Psychologist Rhett Diessner’s research has shown that engaging with beauty can increase our sense of hope. Diessner and his colleagues at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho asked students in a developmental psychology class to keep weekly beauty logs, writing brief descriptions of the beauty they observed in nature, art, and moral action. At the end of the semester, these students gained significantly higher hope (2006, 2008).

How to appreciate beauty

As research reveals, gaining greater hope is possible by simply observing and appreciating the beauty around us. Here are three steps to help you begin this process right now by recalling three beautiful experiences in your life—in nature, the arts, and moral action.

1. First, think of something beautiful you’ve experienced in nature that brought you a sense of awe—a radiant sunset, a walk in the woods, the scent of pines, a view of the beach, a playful moment with your dog or cat, new life emerging in your garden, or another beautiful encounter with the natural world. Pause to re-experience that moment of beauty as you slowly breathe in and breathe out.
2. Next, think of something beautiful you’ve experienced in the arts—your favorite music, an inspiring concert, a live theater performance, a memorable film, a visit to an art gallery, appreciating classic sculptures or architecture, or another beautiful encounter with the arts. Pause to re-experience that moment of beauty as you slowly breathe in and breathe out.
3. Finally, think of something beautiful you’ve experienced in moral action, in an act of kindness—seeing one person reach out to help another, doing a favor, holding the door open for someone carrying packages, helping a child learn to read, rescuing a lost pet, calling a friend, a time you gave, received or witnessed a caring action. Pause to re-experience that moment of beauty as you slowly breathe in and breathe out.

Make it a point to notice the natural, artistic, and moral beauty in your days. This means consciously increasing your awareness. For as research reveals, by appreciating more of the beauty around you, you can become more hopeful, more able to solve current problems and create new possibilities in your life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that “Each moment of the year has its own beauty” (1903). Each season, each day of our lives, has its own beauty as well. It is up to each of us to recognize it.

This post is for informational purposes and should not substitute for psychotherapy with a qualified professional.

© 2023 Diane Dreher, All Rights Reserved.