Awestruck: How the Brain is Affected by Awe
Awestruck: How the Brain is Affected by Awe. (this post is in process and will be completed soon)
“Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail to stand in awe before You! It is in Your very nature to be worshipped. Among all the elite of the world, there is still no one as magnificent as You, no one who could compare with you.” (Jeremiah 10:7).
AWE: To encounter vastness, something beyond one’s frame of reference, outside of one’s mental grasp; inspires a profound curiosity, a desire to stretch into and explore the source of the awe; surrendering reverently to something greater than oneself; an outward-focused sense of wonder and astonishment; not just a momentary feeling, but a spiritual way of life; is a measurable neurological event that gradually rewires the human brain.
Awesome? Is there a word that has been more trivialized these days than the word “awesome?” I confess that I have unthinkingly become a culprit in this misuse of what is a wonder-full word. Awesome seems to be in the air and ready to escape the lips of practically everyone, describing everything from a hamburger to a TV show, from a dollar store to a restaurant, from a celebrity to a superstar. But the word itself means something vast that is worthy of awe and wonder and astonishment. So let’s get picky here… Really now, isn’t the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, the only one who could be worthy of awesome? In our common experience here on planet earth, it would seem wise to leave a reserved seat for awesome, front row, center aisle, in the worship section. Maybe we could think up some reasonable synonyms for awesome, like tremendous, terrific, superb, fantastic, spectacular, extraordinary, or even sublime or really cool. But I propose that we reserve the word awesome for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Aspects of Awe will be studied in this blog series as we consider the biblical quality of awe to be a diamond with a lot of facets. We’ll be looking at awesomeness in the Hebrew Bible, in the Gospels, and how the experience of awe affects our brain. Yes, to be in awe is a neurological event as well as a spiritual one.
Awe in the Hebrew Bible. Awe turned out to be a rather common experience in ancient Judaism and the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most used for awe is “yare,” which is often translated as “fear” and has a wide spectrum of meanings. Yare could be used for extreme terror when facing danger, or for reverent awe before the Lord; for withdrawing in fear from something vastly superior, or approaching God in adoration and wonder; an experience that leads to fleeing in dread or worshipping in reverence. Yare could signify escape from danger or obedience out of profound respect. Yare is used almost 400 times in the Hebrew Bible, and its meaning depends on the context. Awe in the OT could be a temporary emotional experience or a more permanent attitude in one’s walk with God. For the most part though, apparently starting with Abraham, yare and the fear of God came to mean awestruck adoration, reverent devotion, profound respect, fearful honor, and loyal obedience as a result of such awe of God. Biblical awe will be studied in the lives of many faithful heroes in the Hebrew Bible who were happy to be awed and to use the word awesome… from Abraham to Jacob; from Moses to David; from Solomon to Isaiah; from Habakkuk to Malachi. As we’ll see, these stalwarts knew how to use the word “awesome!”
Awe in the Gospels. People during Jesus’ ministry were constantly awe-struck by Him. One can accurately say that Jesus had a truly awesome ministry. Those who were fortunate enough to see Him in action experienced all the different forms of awe… they were astonished beyond measure (“ekplesso“); completely amazed (“thaumazo“); flabbergasted with wonder (“existemi“); or filled with reverent fearfulness (“phobeo“). We will look closely at every gospel passage in which those aspects of awe are used to express the awesomeness of Christ.
Awe in the Human Brain. Who knew that we would be privileged to witness a burgeoning neuroscience of awe? For about 15 years now, there has been a scientific study of how awe affects the brain. We are now treated to a deeper understanding of how God designed the human brain to operate more effectively through awe, and that awe is intended for our mental, spiritual and even physical health. One brain researcher even went so far as to claim that of all the human emotions, it is awe that best unlocks the best in human nature, and that in this era we are in an “awe desert.” Because of recent improvements in brain imaging, biochemical research, and brain scans in real time, the clinical studies on the benefits of awe are, actually, mind-boggling. We will consider together how awe help us develop healthy brain cells and is vital in the renewing of our minds. We will also think about how awe-filled worship reshapes the brain to increase our capacity to understand God.
(1.) The “Small Self” Effect of Awe. There is a region of the human brain that focuses on the self, the ego, and is dedicated to self-referential thinking. When imbalanced, this Default Network, has a tendency to excessively inflate self-centeredness, resulting in personal anxieties, unhealthy mental chatter, depression, and small-picture thinking. Awe literally frees us from ourselves, the ego is muted, and we are enabled to focus outside ourselves onto something that is vast, transcendent, larger than our selves. That is why awe inspires generosity of spirit and unselfishness. When awestruck, our attention turns outward, helping our self-centeredness to move towards wonder, amazement, feelings and thoughts outside our mental grasp. That inner monologue that is overly focused on the self is muffled during times of awe. Our quality of humility is strengthened when we are facing up with something greater than our self. As one brain researcher put it, “Awe is the only common emotion that reliably quiets the part of the brain that is obsessed with you.”
(2.) The “Curiosity” Effect of Awe. The awestruck person is engaging those prefrontal parts of the brain that support cognitive flexibility and curiosity. Awe forces the brain to expand its mental framework and update the brain’s current frame of reference. While awestruck, the brain cannot fully absorb what it is encountering. And so the stage is set for a greater open-mindedness and thoughtful changes in perspective. While in awe, the brain is doing something unique… it is simultaneously less preoccupied with self-focused thought while at the same time being open to the prospect of more information and greater personal experience. This state inspires the brain to be less fixed on one thing and more fluid, with a greater openness to seeking and exploring this new vastness being encountered. Awe turns out to be an unusual brain phenomenon that resets the mental balance needed to meaningfully seek new vistas and explore them when they are found.
(3.) The “Calm Down” Effect of Awe. The brain’s nervous system is profoundly affected by awe by giving the signals all the way to the cellular system to calm down one’s body. The awestruck person is producing a physiological change that results in reducing inflammation in the body as well as strengthening one’s autoimmune system. Awe literally directs the brain to suppress inflammation all the way to the molecular level of our body tissues. It is a proven fact that awe decreases stress-related pain as a result. So when signaling to the body to calm down during awe, this unthreatening state inspires the brain to move from the fight-or-flight mode into what is called the rest-and-digest mode. It is fascinating and mysterious how the experience of awe doesn’t stop at changing how we think or what we do, but awe is able to make major changes to how our body operates as well.
(4.) The “Executive Function” Effect of Awe. When in awe, the frontal lobe of the brain is stimulated, which allows for critical thinking, moral reasoning, thoughtful decision-making, and impulse control. Awe intersects with the neurotransmitters connected to motivation and reward. And so, since the central executive network of the brain is put into play, there is a decrease in impulsive reward-seeking and an increase in neural pathways towards self-discipline and purposeful thinking. The result is that an awestruck person is strengthening the brain to be guided by a deeper meaning than immediate gratification. The brain researchers call this “cognitive accommodation,” when awe has the ability to structurally change what the brain find rewarding. Awe helps to develop the ability to become motivated by shrewd goal-directed behavior that weighs future-directed outcomes. In other words, embracing awe on a regular basis will go far in helping us develop wisdom and discernment.
(5.) The “Rewiring” Effect of Awe. God created the human brain to be adaptable, flexible, changeable, by its amazing ability to create new neural pathways and synapse connections. We are able to reshape our brain through repeated actions. We have the ability to retrain our brain through the thoughts we repeatedly engage in, the actions we choose to make on a regular basis. When we regularly engage in awe even in small doses, we can become more generous, unselfish, humble, wise and empathic. We know now that awe helps to correct the neurological deficits that we all have because of our current “awe deserts.” Certainly, screens don’t stimulate the awe we need to function at our best. Virtual nature will not leave us truly awestruck. AI music will not even come close to inspiring awe as real music does. Distance worship will not lead us into the deep awe that reshapes our brain to better seek God. Technology will not inspire awe and wonder, and only reveals how awe-deprived we really are.
“I’ve heard all kinds of preachers… but the ones who have helped me most were the ones who were awestruck in the presence of the God about whom they spoke. I believe we ought to have again the old Biblical concept of God which makes God ‘aweful’ and makes people lie face down and cry, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.’ When the Holy Ghost shows us God as He is, we admire Him to the point of wonder and delight, struck with astonished wonder at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendor of Almighty God. Adoration is to love God with all the power within us. To love God with fear and wonder and yearning and awe.” (A.W. Tozer).