Thus profound astonishment transforms the ego and enables us to regain balance
The awe extinguishes self-centredness and opens to an interconnected vision, improving relationships, leadership and personal well-being
by Giulio Xhaet*
In the last article for this column I talked about Awe: a feeling of profound awe that makes us feel 'small' in the face of the vastness and power of something in the world, or of the world itself. Various researches have shown how frequently experiencing and governing the awe (pronounced ooh) makes us more satisfied with life, more able to help others, and achieve greater results, and even become more capable and better-loved managers and leaders.
But why and how does awe act within us? What is it that it modifies?
We quote the words of the astonishment psychologist, Dacher Keltner: "Many of today's social ills stem from an overactive default self, empowered by the egocentrism of digital technologies. To silence it, we need awe."
Let us try to better define this default self. We could define it as the state of mind we are in when we worry about something that concerns us. The focus is on ourselves, oriented towards protection, advantage, control. For example, you are on a date with someone you like, and you worry about appearing seductive and saying something that will impress him/her. You are at a job interview and strive to look 'good'. You have to convince an investor to finance your start-up and you try to persuade him/her with stories and numbers.
Managing our default self well allows us to distinguish ourselves from others, makes us masters of ourselves and uncovers competitive advantages. It is functional, adaptive.
