Experiencing a sense of awe can function like a “little earthquake” in the mind, enabling us to break out of the prison of mental rumination, says Michelle Shiota, a professor of social psychology at the University of Arizona.

Ethan Kross agrees. Kross is a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. He works through negative self-talk by immersing himself in awe-inspiring natural environments — visiting the local arboretum to marvel at the trees, for example. “When you are in the presence of something vast and indescribable, you feel smaller, and so does your negative chatter,” he says.

— David Robinson, Awe: The ‘little earthquake’ that could free your mind, BBC, January 6, 2022.