Marvel as much as you can

In the past decade, researchers have been investigating the relationship between wonder, happiness and good health. In 2013, the Social Interaction Lab at the University of California Berkeley started Project Awe to study the intersection of awe and happiness. In one study published in the journal Emotion in 2015, participants (in this case college students) who experienced more positive emotions had lower levels of interleukin-6, a marker for inflammation. And participants with the lowest levels of interleukin-6 were the participants who reported feeling awe most often.

Awe also may make us more generous. A 2015 paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at five studies on feelings of awe and “prosocial” — what’s good for the collective group — behavior. The researchers found that being awed made participants more generous toward others and ethical in their decisionmaking.

Perhaps this research explains why getting the vaccine is such a serotonin boost for so many. Not only do you suddenly feel like the future is brighter, but you may also feel awe at the wonders of modern science.

If needles don’t make you feel awe, that’s fine. This feeling can come from a walk around the block, said Allen Klein, author of “The Awe Factor.” One of his favorite strategies for ensuring his daily dose of awe is heading out for an “awe walk.” On these strolls, he’ll turn off his mental list of chores and things to remember, and instead focus on finding wonder in small things along the way.