Be amazed by these seven awe-inspiring videos

Did you just watch the above video with wide eyes? Now that’s amazing. That feeling of awe during a colorful sunset, an encounter with a deer or a view of a vast plain is not only very nice, it also has other benefits. Which one exactly?

(Discover seven more awe-inspiring videos at the bottom of this article)

Being amazed makes you more social and motivated

When you walk through a forest with impressively tall trees, you behave more socially than when you walk through a city that meets your expectations. Scientists from the University of California (USA) discovered this in 2015, when they asked groups of test subjects to stare at towering trees or a tall building for a minute. Tree viewers felt more amazement than building gazers.

Then a researcher ‘accidentally’ dropped eleven pens. The people who looked at the trees picked up more pens on average than the people who didn’t see any admirable trees. Their conclusion: by feeling a sense of wonder you seem more inclined to help others than if you don’t.

In similar studies, scientists discovered that feeling a sense of wonder also makes you more generous, less self-focused, and more motivated. In addition, it reduces your daily stress.

Amazement from your lazy chair

So feeling a sense of wonder every now and then is good for you. You can go to the Niagara Falls, the Northern Lights or an impressive mountain range. Oh, is that too much hassle? Fortunately, you can also feel a sense of wonder in your everyday life, sometimes two or three times a week. So you don’t even have to go on an adventure for that.

Are you having a wonderful week? You can easily make up for that deficit by watching awe-inspiring videos. People can be so amazed by this that scientists use them to arouse wonder in test subjects for experiments.

Do you also want to arouse that sense of wonder in yourself? Then sit back and watch one of the seven videos below.