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Happiness Podcast

#588 The Science of Awe: How Wonder Rewires the Brain

Happiness Podcast

Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D.

Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 955 Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When we feel anxious or overwhelmed, we usually try to think our way out of it. We analyze our problems, we ruminate, and we try to logic our way to peace. But modern neuroscience has discovered a much more beautiful solution: you can't always think your way out of an anxious mind—sometimes, you have to look your way out of it. In this episode, we are exploring the incredible science of awe, and how experiencing wonder acts as a biological reset button that shrinks the ego and brings us true peace.

New Episode of the Happiness Podcast with Dr. Robert Puff, Ph.D., Newport Beach Psychologist

🎧 Listen now at https://www.HappinessPodcast.org

Do you want to live a peaceful, happy life? Are you struggling with anxiety or depression? Or are you simply ready to take the next step toward your full potential?

Join Dr. Robert Puff, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience, on the Happiness Podcast. With over 20 million downloads, the podcast explores the specific actions you can take to create lasting happiness.

A licensed psychologist in Newport Beach, California and author of 15 books, Dr. Puff has spent decades studying human achievement and sharing what he's learned. He wants to help you learn the steps you need to take to soar in your own life.

His blog for Psychology Today has captivated nearly 3 million readers, establishing him as a leading thinker in mental wellness.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Happiness Podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff. When we feel anxious or overwhelmed,

0:08.5

we usually try to think our way out of it. We analyze our problems, we ruminate, and we try to

0:14.4

logic our way to peace. But what if modern neuroscience has discovered that you can't think

0:20.2

your way out of an anxious ego. You have

0:22.6

to look your way out of it. I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but it's happened

0:27.8

to me several times during my life, where everything seemed to be going so well, and I was so

0:33.7

looking forward to the future, and then something comes along and says,

0:38.1

that isn't going to happen.

0:40.5

The future you have planned has changed.

0:44.0

I remember one of the toughest times this ever happened to me when the person I thought

0:49.5

I was going to get to spend my life with decided to leave.

0:54.1

I couldn't sleep.

0:56.0

I couldn't figure my way out of it.

0:58.0

It felt truly hopeless.

1:01.0

And then, in those early morning hours, it came to me.

1:06.0

If I can use the words, God came to me,

1:10.0

and it was shown to me that I was going to be okay.

1:14.6

Not only that, that everything was going to work out beautifully.

1:20.2

I didn't know how, but I knew it was true.

1:24.9

And my heart changed.

1:26.2

It went from fear, anxiety, to knowing that all would be well.

1:34.1

Even though nothing in my external world had changed, my heart changed. And with that change,

...

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