WONDER GO
The positive impact of awe Of all the emotions Michelle “Lani” Shiota studies, awe is the most miscalculated. “Awe is often thought of as the Gucci handbag of emotions,” says Shiota, an associate professor in ASU’s Department of Psychology. “It’s nice if you can afford one, but that handbag is not something people actually need. I think this perception reflects a profound error in how we value the different benefits that emotion can provide.” Inspired by her love of the arts and academics, the high school drama major pursued her interest in how emotions could predict and influence people’s behaviors. Shiota is currently working to understand whether awe can promote better health behaviors and mental well-being. “When we feel awe, we are less influenced by our expectations,” she says. “We generally have a tendency to see what we expect to see, but awe can let us focus on collecting information about what is actually there.”
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JAROD OPPERMAN/ASU
