Awe

What’s awe?

A blockbuster movie might be “awesome”. And we might be “in awe” of someone’s “awe-inspiring” talents. But what is it?

An emotion. The primary emotions are happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust. Awe is a secondary emotion, a hybrid, like red and yellow creating orange. It’s a hybrid of fear, veneration and wonder.

When we are in the presence of something bigger than ourselves — physically or otherwise — we raise our eyebrows, widen our eyes, and drop our jaws. Usually without smiling.

Recognize that face? You see it a lot — in exhibitions. 

Awe is one of the least scientifically known emotions. But real experiments have shown that awe changes your perception of time, by putting you in the moment. When in awe, we feel like we have more time, we prefer experiences over material things, and we are happier with our lives.

Recognize those feelings? You get them a lot — in exhibitions.

Here’s the thing:
Exhibitions are awesome.

Literally.

Warmly,
Jonathan

P.S. Tune in to Making the Museum (the podcast) this coming Monday, for “Secrets of Complex Cultural Project Management”, with Beth Van Why.